Spent 45 minutes trying to find a sub for buttermilk in pancakes... turns out lemon juice + regular milk works in 5 mins

3 comments

3 Comments

Oh man, I totally feel your pain. I remember reading an article somewhere that said real buttermilk is actually just cultured milk anyway, so the acid trick makes total sense. It's crazy how many recipes make things sound complicated when the simple version works just fine. I tried that lemon juice trick last weekend and my pancakes came out so fluffy. I wish more cooking blogs would just say "hey, just use milk and a splash of lemon instead of making a special trip to the store." Honestly, it's one of those little life hacks that saves so much time and frustration.

terryw677d ago

Has anyone else just given up on buying buttermilk altogether? I haven't bought a carton in years, honestly. The lemon juice or vinegar trick works every single time, and it's cheap. Plus you can control how thick or thin you want it, which is nice (especially for waffles or cornbread where you might want a different consistency). My only tip is to let it sit for at least 5-10 minutes before using it, otherwise the acid doesn't really do its job properly and you end up with flat baked goods.

eva_thompson6d agoTop Commenter

lunag30 is right about the cultured milk thing... I read that too and it made me feel way better about using the shortcut. Last time I needed buttermilk for biscuits I just used milk with a little vinegar, let it sit for like 8 minutes, and they turned out perfect. It saves me from buying a whole carton that usually goes bad before I can use it all.