# Substituting buttermilk for heavy cream?



## Phantom of the Kitchen

Hey...got a quick question. I want to make cream of mushroom soup, but the recipe calls for heavy cream and I had already bought buttermilk for cream of broccoli soup, so I don't feel like buying heavy cream unless I have to. Is there any way I could replace the heavy cream for buttermilk? Maybe add more buttermilk than the recipe calls for in heavy cream? Thanks

brad


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## mudbug

quick but probably ineffective answer - depends

Buttermilk has plenty of butterfat, as does heavy cream.  Buttermilk may introduce a tangy flavor you don't want, but should contribute the buttery mouthfeel you may or may not want.  Personally, I think it's a nice twist. 

I say go for it.


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## Aurora

Where I shop buttermilk is available in low fat and nonfat versions.

I'm not sure that low fat and nonfat are universally available.


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## Piccolina

I think that in a soup recipe I'd be inclined to use half buttermilk and half regular milk in place of the heavy cream (or light/half&half if I had it on hand). In baking you might not notice the tangy bit of acidity that buttermilk has as much, but in a mild soup like broccoli I'd be veer on the side of caution and try and keep the veggie flavour a lot stronger than that of the buttermilk


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## ironchef

You can use it, as long as you're prepared that the resulting flavor will be much different with buttermilk than with heavy cream. Will it clash or go well with the mushrooms? Who knows? The only way is to do it and find out.


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## Andy M.

It will be different but still possibly very good.  Since you already bought buttermilk for the other soup, I assume you know and like the taste of it.

Try it.  You may find you really like it better


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## CharlieD

Ooh, I don't know, I think you will end up with completely diferent soup, and Imean completely. Personaly I wouldn't go for it. You'd probably end up with closer to the original result, with some milk and maybe a bit of flower for thickness rather than buttermilk.


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## Andy M.

The norm for cream of mushroom soup is milk or cream, thus the name.  I make a sour cream mushroom soup and the sour cream adds a very nice flavor component that would be absent with just cream.  

Using buttermilk as part or all of the dairy in your recipe can provide a similar extra flavor component.


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