All About Powdered Butter

Most traditional long term food storage calculators do not cover items such as powdered butter, powdered sour cream, etc. These are not considered “life-sustaining” foods but we definitely consider them to be useful additions to any food storage plan. Today we want to cover powdered butter to help you decide if it’s something that you would like to add into your supplies and give you a few ideas on how to use it.

What is Powdered Butter?
Powdered butter is a light powder that can be used to replace butter in a 1-1 substitution in most baking recipes. It generally has a 5 year shelf life in an unopened can.

How Do I Use Powdered Butter?
If you have a recipe that calls for 1 cup of butter, you would replace that with 1 cup of powdered butter and 1 cup of water. You do not need to mix them together first. It normally works best to add the butter powder in with the dry ingredients, and the water in with the wet ingredients in your recipe. Some people recommend doing a slightly higher ratio than 1-1. So use 1 1/2 cups if it calls for 1 cup. Experiment with your recipes and see which way you prefer.

Will My Recipes Turn Out Differently?
Almost definitely, yes. Powdered butter tends to make things turn out a little lighter and fluffier. We recommend opening up one of your cans and practicing with the butter powder in some of your favorite family recipes until you get the hang of how it will work and any adjustments you might need to make.

Can I Use Powdered Butter as a Spread on Bread?
If you reconstitute according to the directions on the can, you will find that the butter is too runny to use for a good spreadable butter. Try using 1 T. butter powder, 1 tsp. water, 1 tsp. oil, and a dash of salt or sugar (depending on how you prefer your butter).

Can I Use Powdered Butter to Fry Foods?
No, powdered butter does not melt in the same way that regular butter melts so it will not work in recipes calling for melted butter to pan fry your foods.

Is Powdered Butter More Expensive than Fresh?
Prices vary on both fresh and powdered butter. In general the powdered form is going to be slightly higher than fresh butter. Because of this, we don’t recommend always using powdered butter in your everyday baking. But we definitely recommend storing it and using it enough to rotate (remember the 5 year shelf life) and to practice it in your own recipes.

Where Can I Buy Powdered Butter?
Here are links to three of our favorite sources for all food storage items including powdered butter!