In the states Buttermilk is usually substituted with milk with added acid, typically lemon juice.
this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2025
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I add vinegar to regular milk.
Which doesn't taste like buttermilk in any shape or form.
Its the fluffy you get from the chemical reaction.
Maybe they do this for flavor, but I really just think it's because buttermilk has a reaction to make the pancakes fluffier.
For this purpose the milk/lemon juice trick does what it need to without effecting the flavor negatively.
Edit, forgot they post was about ranch sauce. I know nothing about ranch. Ill get off the Internet now.
LMAO I read this as "aryan" and "buttermilk" as white race insults.
i'm totally calling my wife buttermilk from now on as a white race insult
I substitute sour cream thinned down with water in recipes calling for buttermilk.
Try it. If the ranch sauce is too thin with ayran, try again with whole yogurt.
I think ayran might be too salty
buttermilk is used for two main things in recipes both caused by lactic acid. In pancakes and baked goods you're looking for the reaction with baking soda or baking powder that gives a bubbly, fluffy lift.
In something like ranch dressing it's the tangy zip of the lactic acid. Kefir is a 1:1 substitute for buttermilk here because of its similar acidic tang so if your ayran has a similar tanginess it ought to work quite well in a ranch sauce!
Thank you this is the most helpful answer, I don't have kefir but my ayran is garlic and not the acidic type ayran, but I can easily buy kefir
Kefir would work but also,
If you have access to regular milk and vinegar (or a lemon) you can add a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of regular cows milk, let it sit for 5-10minutes and it's the same effect of buttermilk.