I’m about to show you how to make butter from powdered milk that is so rich and creamy you’ll want to use it on everything! It’s so quick and effortless that you’re going to wonder why you haven’t made it before. This butter is spreadable and delicious so it’s perfect for toast, buns, veggies, and more!
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The Secret To Making Homemade Butter From Powdered Milk
This is a quick and simple way to whip up some delicious homemade butter- using powdered milk! It’s even easier than making butter with traditional milk, but it tastes just as good!
Most powdered milk is non-fat, which is probably why people don’t typically use it to make butter (which is very high in fat). It is important that you use whole powdered milk for this recipe (or it won’t taste right), the brand Nido (made by Nestle) makes one that I recommend!
You can choose to use whatever oil you have on hand- olive, vegetable, avocado, sunflower, coconut, or anything else! It could alter the taste slightly, so pick your favorite.
You can use this rich and creamy spread to make toast, add to your oatmeal, put on veggies, or anything else you normally use butter for! My one exception is for baking- I have not tried using this in the oven, yet, so I’m not sure what would happen at such high temperatures. Feel free to try it and let me know how it worked out!
🥘 Butter Ingredients
You probably already have these ingredients at home, just make sure that the powdered milk you have is whole milk! The butter flavoring is all based on preference, I actually like it better without it!
- Powdered Milk – ¾ cup of powdered whole milk (*see note).
- Water – ⅓ cup of water.
- Oil – ¼ cup of whatever oil you prefer (olive, avocado, coconut, etc).
- Salt (optional) – A pinch of salt if you want salted butter.
- Yellow Food Coloring (Optional)
- Butter Flavoring (Optional)
Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!
🔪 How To Make Butter From Powdered Milk
This DIY butter recipe is incredibly simple to make! You’ll need either a food processor or a Mason jar.
Based on a serving size of 1 tablespoon (like standard butter), this recipe will yield 12 servings.
- Add ingredients. In your food processor (or Mason jar) add ¾ cup of powdered milk, ⅓ cup of water, ¼ cup of oil, and a pinch of salt, if using. If you’re wanting to add in the yellow food coloring or butter flavoring, add it in now.
- Blend. Blend (or shake), making sure to check occasionally to test the consistency. It will take a few minutes- you want it to be thick and creamy.
- Store. Once the butter has reached your desired consistency (*see note), it can be served immediately. Place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Spread this creamy butter on some rustic bread or whole wheat bread for some perfect toast. For a rich meal, use it to make some buttered noodles! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- You have to use whole fat powdered milk (Nido brand). If you use a non-fat variety, it will not have a very good flavor.
- This butter will not be quite as thick as typical butter, but it will be super creamy and easier to spread!
- Once the butter spends some time in the fridge, it will firm up considerably.
- The yellow food coloring and butter flavoring are not necessary- your butter will still be delicious without them! It is all personal preference.
- This recipe will make roughly ¾ cups of butter, or 12 tablespoons.
- To store: Put your butter into an airtight container and place it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Now that you know how to make butter from powdered milk, what are you going to be using your butter for? Let me know in the comments below!
🍴 More Cooking How-To's
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- Best Tips To Make Pancakes Fluffier
- How To Melt Chocolate Chips
- How To Reheat Pizza
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📖 Recipe Card
How To Make Butter (From Powdered Milk)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup powdered milk (whole, not non-fat)
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup oil (olive, avocado, coconut, etc)
- 1 pinch salt (optional for salted butter)
- yellow food coloring (optional)
- butter flavoring (optional)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- In your food processor (or mason jar) add powdered milk, water, oil, and salt, if using. Also, add in the optional butter flavoring and food coloring, adjusting it to taste.
- Blend (or shake), making sure to check occasionally to test the consistency. It will take a few minutes- you want it to be thick and creamy.
- Once the butter has reached your desired consistency (*see note), it can be served immediately. Place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- You have to use whole fat powdered milk (Nido brand). If you use a non-fat variety, it will not have a very good flavor.
- This butter will not be quite as thick as typical butter, but it will be super creamy and easier to spread!
- Once the butter spends some time in the fridge, it will firm up considerably.
- The yellow food coloring and butter flavoring are not necessary- your butter will still be delicious without them! It is all personal preference.
- To store: Put your butter into an airtight container and place it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Tricia says
Followed directions but remained extremely runny. Ended up looking like very thin cream of wheat. Never had a problem making butter until this recipe.
Angela Latimer says
Hello Tricia, could you help me out with more details? This has been tested across multiple homes and users so any specifics would be great. Time, brand of powdered milk (whole or skim?), equipment size (and brand). Thank you, this kind of information will help the next user(s) best.
Petra L. says
Hallo und vielen Dank für das Rezept. Leider fehlen mir hier ein paar zusätzliche Angaben.
Nach 30 Minuten rühren in der Maschine hat sich trotz genauer Beachtung der Angaben nichts getan. Jetzt habe ich noch 2 Esslöffel Pulver hinzugefügt und habe jetzt eine Substanz wie ein Wasser/Mehlgemisch ( in sich flüssig, doch mit dem Löffel wie Stein) 🤔. Geschmacklich finde ich es interessant. Werde das auf frischem Brot probieren. Mir fehlen eben ca. Zeitangaben und auf welche Stufe ich die Küchenmaschine einstellen muss. Wenn man beides nicht hat, weiß ich als Anfänger nicht, wann man mit rühren aufhören kann und ob die Geschwindigkeit passend ist.
Gruß aus Deutschland
"Hello and thank you for the recipe. Unfortunately, I'm missing some additional information here.
After 30 minutes of stirring in the machine, nothing happened despite careful attention to the information. Now I've added 2 tablespoons of powder and now I have a substance like a water/flour mixture (liquid in itself, but like a stone with the spoon) 🤔. I find the taste interesting. Will try this on fresh bread. I'm just missing approx. times and what level I have to set the food processor to. If you don't have both, as a beginner I don't know when to stop stirring and if the speed is right.
greetings from Germany"
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Danke, für ihre Frage. Beachten Sie, dass die Butter nicht so fest wird wie ein Stück Butter. Es muss nur so weit eingedickt werden, dass es am Löffel haften bleibt (nicht mehr flüssig ist). Im Kühlschrank wird die Masse fertig, bis eine streichfähige Konsistenz entsteht.
"Thank you for your question. Note that the butter will not setup to be firm like a stick of butter. It only needs to thicken to the point of clinging to a spoon (not being runny anymore). It will finish setting up to a spreadable consistency in the refrigerator."
Hanne says
Hej. Det var da fantastisk hurtigt at lave smør på den måde. Jeg har brugt koldpresset rapsolie, og det sødmælkspulver jeg kunne få, ellers har jeg fulgt opskriften til punkt og prikke. Smagen vil jeg ikke kalde for smørsmag, men mere saltkaramel smag. Men det gør absolut ikke spor, snarere tværtimod, smiler. Selv med en skive ost ovenpå smager det godt.
Så tusinde tak for en fantastisk opskrift.
Måske går karamel smagen væk hvis man bruger smøressens. Men som sagt gør det noget for mig.
"Hello. It was fantastic to quickly make butter that way. I have used cold-pressed rapeseed oil and the whole milk powder I could get, otherwise I have followed the recipe to the letter. I wouldn't call the taste a buttery taste, but more of a salted caramel taste. But it absolutely does not trace, quite the contrary, smiles. Even with a slice of cheese on top, it tastes good.
So thank you so much for a great recipe.
Maybe the caramel flavor goes away if you use butter essence. But as I said, it does something for me."
Hanne says
Ikke noget for mig, skulle der stå.
"Nothing for me, it should say."
Kukuku3turtle。Tâibûn台文 says
Actually just mix water and powder in a ratio then it will turn out butter by itself (but with 21.62 times more lactose, vitamins, minerals and protein), I already tried the 37% one(10 times more powder) and it freezes solid in the fridge like butter but softer I think, still trying to make all kinds of stuff with milk powder though it still tastes different than the fresh milk, well I'm not that miss the taste of it so it's ok.
Anna says
Hi made this firmed up well, but tastes very sweet, a bit like a cream cheese rather than butter. Wondering if didn't mix long enough, will also add a more salt to combat sweet taste...
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Definitely add salt to taste as needed, and if the butter isn't firm yet you do need to give it a few more minutes to come together. Watch your thickness toward the end and make adjustments as necessary until you reach your desired consistency. What brand powdered milk did you use (wondering so I can try it too and check the flavor)? Thanks so much!
FreeBeing says
I love having a way to make the butter from powder. Mine is not firming up in the fridge & is still almost liquid after 5 hours. Maybe I didn't mix it for long enough? Any ideas?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Yes, if it's still a bit runny try mixing it a little longer next time 🙂 Thanks for asking!!
Francisca says
Wauw wauw wauw!!! Ik woon in Cuba en er is hier al geen maanden boter te krijgen, zooooo lekker en makkelijk!!! Ik heb standaard melkpoeder gebruikt met olijfolie, heeeeeerlijk!!!
"Wow wow wow!!! I live in Cuba and there hasn't been any butter here for months, sooooo good and easy!!! I used standard milk powder with olive oil, delicious!!!"
Anne says
I made this using Nido whole fat milk with the water and coconut oil. It does not melt and had a very cheesy taste and texture. I make vegan butter all the time and you can't really tell the difference between actual butter and vegan butter.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Sorry that yours turned out that way, it's not my personal experience (that's why I prefer the Nido brand). Thanks for sharing!