5 minutes, 2 ingredients easy recipe for a vegan buttermilk, which is inevitable ingredient in vegan baking.
This recipe requires only 2 ingredients and is totally hands-off.
Vegan Buttermilk is not only tasty and refreshing drink, but it is also great addition to plant based cakes, soups, smoothies and.. cookies!
Why should we make Vegan Buttermilk?
- it is very useful ingredient in vegan baking
- it makes vegan cakes rise fantastically
- it’s great addition to smoothies
- while vegan milk is easily accessible I never found vegan buttermilk in the store
- little work involved
Vegan Buttermilk

Table of Contents
What do we need to make Vegan Buttermilk?
SOY MILK
Use unsweetened regular soy milk for the best results, if you want a thick and creamy vegan buttermilk. If I’m using it in a cake and want some vanilla aroma, I go for soy vanilla milk (my favorite in coffee, btw). Soy milk works best from all the plant based milks I have tried. It has high protein content and thus curdles easily.
See this recipe for Best Vegan Cottage Cheese if you wonder what else you can magically create by mixing milk and lemon juice.
If you have soy allergy, go for almond milk, it will curdle a little, but the buttermilk will be a little thinner.

LEMON JUICE
We need acid to start curdling process in milk. In my opinion lemon juice works best and provides better tasting buttermilk. What if you don’t have lemons? Any acid will do, so: apple-cider vinegar or grape vinegar. The taste might be a little stronger and more acidy if using vinegar.
How to make Vegan Buttermilk?

5 minutes, 2 ingredients easy recipe for a vegan buttermilk, that is inevitable ingredient in vegan baking.
Total Time: 5 minutes
1. Measure u0026amp; mix milk and lemon juice
Measure 1 cup of plant milk. Squeeze 2 table spoons of lemon juice in, make sure to avoid pits.
Mix milk and lemon juice well.
2. Leave to thicken
Leave the mixture on the counter to thicken. 5 minutes should be enough.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN BUTTERMILK – ADDITIONAL TIPS
- Curdling works best at higher temperatures, so use room temperature milk instead of the one from the fridge
- If you find your soy buttermilk too thin, try adding some more lemon juice.

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How to use Vegan Buttermilk?
You can use vegan buttermilk in all the recipes that call for a dairy buttermilk. You can also drink it just as it is – it is very refreshing, especially when cold.
BAKING
People, who are not used to vegan baking, ask me how is it possible that my cakes are fluffy and rise so well without eggs. Vegan Buttermilk is one of the answers to that question. It is acidic, thanks to lemon juice and reacts with baking soda to leaven the cake perfectly.
SOUPS & STEWS
If you want to whiten, add creaminess, but also a little tang to the soup or stew, vegan buttermilk is a perfect addition. You can use it instead of plant based cream and stir it for example into Traditional Polish Beet Soup.
SMOOTHIES
Vegan Buttermilk is a fantastic substitute for milk in fruit smoothies and shakes. It adds a bit of a tang and has considerably thicker texture. This Blueberry Banana Oat Smoothie is a good example of that.

Questions and Answers
How to store Vegan Buttermilk?
This buttermilk is safe to store for up to 3-4 days in an air tight container in the fridge. Since the recipe is so easy and requires only two ingredients I haven’t tried to freeze it yet. It is best to prepare it every time you need fresh buttermilk.
What is a vegan substitute for buttermilk?
You can use couple of plant based products as a substitute for buttermilk:
- plant based yoghurt
- plant based cream
- cream made of cashew nuts
- silken tofu blended with plant milk
It is however super easy to prepare Vegan Buttermilk with only 2 ingredients and 5 minutes. So if you have plant based milk and lemon juice use this recipe to prepare plant buttermilk that is tasty and universal.
Can I use different acid to make dairy free buttermilk?
If you don’t have lemon, you can use any type of acid that doesn’t have a very strong taste.
- apple cider vinegar
- lime juice
- white vinegar
I do not recommend using balsamic vinegar or other dark types of vinegar.
Vegan Buttermilk
Course: SidesCuisine: VeganDifficulty: Easy1
servings5
minutes5
minutes5 minutes, 2 ingredients easy recipe for a vegan buttermilk, that is inevitable ingredient in vegan baking.
Ingredients
1 cup soy milk
2 tbsp lemon juice
Directions
- Measure 1 cup of plant milk. Squeeze 2 table spoons of lemon juice in, make sure to avoid pits.
- Mix milk and lemon juice well.
- Leave the mixture on the counter to thicken. 5 minutes should be enough.
Notes
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