About Soy Milk

• Soy milk is a plant-based milk made by pressing the juice from soaked, dried soybeans. Although it's a relatively new concept in the U.S., soybeans have been a staple in China for at least 5,000 and soy milk has been produced for roughly 2,000 years. It's commonly used as a dairy-free alternative by vegans and those with dairy or lactose intolerance.

Buttermilk Substitute

• There are no commercially available nondairy buttermilk substitutes, but you can make your own at home using soy milk. For every cup of soy milk, add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Stir the soy milk and lemon juice mixture and leave it to sit for 10 minutes so it can curdle. The resulting liquid has a deep flavor, with some sour notes, and tastes similar to the dairy version. It can be used in any recipe that calls for buttermilk.

Egg Replacement

• Soy milk curdled with lemon juice can work in conjunction with baking powder to replace eggs that are used for leavening, for instance in cakes, muffins or quick breads. Baking soda is a leavening agent that needs an acidic ingredient to activate it. For each cup of soy milk in your recipe, add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and leave it to curdle. Then add a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda for each egg you're replacing, in addition to any baking soda or powder that's already in the recipe.

Lemon Juice Substitutes

• If you need to curdle some soy milk, but you don't have any lemon juice to hand, there are some substitutions you could make instead. The reason lemon juice performs these functions when mixed with soy milk is because it's acidic. Therefore, any acidic liquid will do instead -- so long as it's edible. Replace the lemon juice with the same amount of lime juice, apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar. Other vinegars will suffice, but may have too strong a flavor.