If you’re anything like me you take ordinary traditional recipes and tweak them to make them vegan and/or gluten-free. I do this a lot.
From time to time I’ll come across a recipe that asks for buttermilk – especially in baking – and depending on what kind of recipe it is, there are different types of substitutions you can make.
In Baking
If you’re baking a cake and the recipe calls for buttermilk, it’s likely for the acidic quality of buttermilk rather than for flavor. This one is easy. Take the amount of requested buttermilk and substitute your favorite (unsweetened, plain) non-dairy milk and add 1 teaspoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, for every 1 cup of non-dairy milk. Let it sit a few minutes before adding it in.
In Dressings, etc.
If you’re needing buttermilk for something that isn’t going to be ‘hidden’ in baking … think of a dressing, a dip, or a sauce, then you’ll want something that not only has the tartness of buttermilk but also the thickness/creaminess of buttermilk. This one is also easy but just takes a bit more time.
Vegan Cashew Cream ‘Buttermilk’
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup fresh water
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Directions:
- Soak raw cashews with first amount of water for at least 30 minutes.
- Drain water from cashews and discard. Place the cashews into the blender.
- Add fresh water and lemon juice.
- Blend until smooth and creamy.
This is a thicker consistency than the normal cashew cream I make which is exactly perfect for buttermilk. It makes about 1 1/2 cups worth of ‘buttermilk’.
Question: do I put the water or the nuts in the blender after draining? Thanks!
You put the cashews into the blender. Discard the water you soaked it in. I’ll update the post to make that a bit clearer.
I’m having trouble pinning this recipe.
Sorry YaYa, I didn’t have a picture added to allow pinning. I’ve created a simple graphic you can use to pin the recipe on Pinterest. Thanks for the heads up.
Any suggestions for GF/vegan ranch without cashews?
How about blanched almonds? You’ll probably need to soak them a lot longer and possibly add more liquid. A high-powered blender is likely a must for harder nuts like almonds. If you give it a try let me know how it turns out!
Use a little thinking here….why not use the slivered almonds you can buy in bulk in a lot of stores, why does it have to be whole nuts? I’ve been cooking for 60 years and there is always an easier way if you just put on a thinking cap. they would puree nicely.
I’m not vegan or vegetarian, but have friends who are and when I make treats, I take this into consideration.
Well of course you can use slivered almonds as long as they’re raw. You still need to soak them and purée them with a blender. I only recommended a high powered blender to make it easier and to get the consistency that I know is ideal.
Not everyone has been cooking for 60 years, and sometimes providing each and every possible option to a less than seasoned home cook may prove to be overwhelming for them. Thanks for sharing your tips Helen.
Hi. I am NOT vegan, nor vegetarian. I very rarely eat meat, but I will eat meat and I live respectfully with meat eaters. (That’s just a quick disclaimer, because I do promote the incorporation of more raw and living and plant foods in a person’s daily diet and when I share recipes, I would like to be able to include options for making them vegetarian or vegan.)
I am looking for a vegan substitute for buttermilk for a blueberry pancake recipe. Do you think the flavor of the ACV or lemon would leach through? (I suppose the lemon flavor might not be to terrible in a pancake if fairly subtle.)
Thank you.
To be perfectly honest, I don’t ever taste the vinegar or lemon in the end result. Your tongue feels the acidity but not really a specific flavor to it and especially once it’s cooked into something I am almost positive you won’t taste anything. Hope that helps.
Your buttermilk ratio of substitute milk to lemon juice/acv doesn’t seem correct.
e.g. 290ml of buttermilk substitute requires more than ‘1 tsp’ lemon juice/acv. An alternative recipe listed 2 tbs of lem j/acv per 1 cup of substitute.
Interesting. Honestly, I’ve never had a problem doing the 1 tsp lemon juice/vinegar to 1 cup milk.
Your buttermilk ratio of substitute milk to lemon juice/acv seems to be missing measurements.
e.g. 290ml of buttermilk substitute requires more than ‘1 tsp’ lemon juice/acv. An alternative recipe listed 2 tbs of lem j/acv per 1 cup of substitute. Hope I’m making sense!
Oh goodness, I understand what you mean now. My original notes don’t give a measurement of non-dairy milk to use, just the 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. So if it was a large measurement, 1 teaspoon wouldn’t be nearly enough. Sorry it took me forever to make that connection. I’ve updated my original post to include more clarification. Thanks so much for bringing that to my attention – twice! 😉
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How long do these buttermilks keep? I am particularly interested in the cashew-based version.
Fresh would always be best but I imagine it could keep stored in the fridge for a few days. I think it’ll separate but a quick re-blend will fix that.