Using butter instead of milk in baking recipes is a common substitution, but there are some important things to consider before making the swap. In this article, we’ll go over when and how to substitute butter for milk, how it affects texture and flavor, and how to adjust the other ingredients in your recipe to account for the differences between butter and milk.
When to Substitute Butter for Milk
The main reason you may want to use butter instead of milk is if you don’t have milk on hand or need a dairy-free option. Some people are lactose intolerant or follow a vegan diet, so substituting the dairy milk for butter can allow them to still enjoy baked goods. Butter is also shelf-stable and has a much longer shelf life than fresh milk, so it can be more convenient to stock up on.
Recipes that use milk often do so to provide moisture and tenderness. The water content in milk hydrates flour proteins like gluten, preventing tough or dense results. The fat in butter can provide similar moisture and tenderness, making it a suitable 1:1 substitute for milk in most recipes.
Some examples where you can successfully use butter instead of milk include:
- Cakes
- Muffins
- Quick breads like banana bread or zucchini bread
- Scones
- Biscuits
- Pancakes and waffles
- Cookies
However, there are a few recipes where butter may not work as well:
- Yeasted breads and doughs – the fat can interfere with gluten development
- Custards or flan – not enough moisture
- Milk-based sauces – can separate or curdle
How to Substitute Butter for Milk
When substituting butter for milk, use the same amount of butter as the milk called for in the recipe. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of milk, use 1 cup of softened or melted butter instead. The substitution ratio is 1:1.
Butter is about 80% fat, whereas milk contains about 3.5% fat. All the extra fat from butter can change the texture and richness of the baked good. To avoid greasy or dense results, you also need to reduce other fat in the recipe when swapping in butter.
Here are some tips:
- Reduce oil or other fats by about 50%. If the recipe calls for 1/2 cup oil, use only 1/4 cup.
- Limit egg yolks to 2-3 per recipe instead of 4-5.
- Use milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate.
- For cakes, reduce eggs slightly and substitute milk powder + water for the milk.
You can use melted or softened butter in place of milk. Melted butter incorporates more easily, but solid butter provides more distinct flecks of fat that can create flakes in pastry. It depends on the texture you want.
How It Affects Texture and Flavor
Using butter instead of milk affects both the texture and flavor of baked goods.
Texture:
- More tender and richer.
- Increased moisture and softness.
- Cakes and muffins have a fine, velvety crumb.
- Cookies spread more due to extra fat.
- Pastry is more flaky.
- Can be greasy if too much fat overall.
Flavor:
- Much richer flavor from the extra butterfat.
- Can have a pleasant buttery taste.
- Not as sweet due to less lactose sugars from milk.
- No tangy, milky flavor.
- Browns faster due to milk proteins being absent.
The Science Behind Butter and Milk Substitution
To understand how swapping butter for milk affects baked goods, it helps to look at the roles both play.
Milk provides:
- Moisture – allows spreading before starch gelatinization.
- Tenderness – fat tenderizes gluten.
- Color – milk proteins brown from Maillard reaction.
- Flavor – lactose caramelizes; provides tang.
- Nutrition – calcium, vitamin D.
- Browning – milk proteins brown easily.
Butter provides:
- Tenderness – fat coats flour proteins.
- Flakiness – fat forms flaky layers in pastry.
- Moisture – water hydrates starches and gluten.
- Richness – higher fat content than milk.
- Flavor – creamy, buttery taste.
As you can see, both milk and butter provide tenderness, moisture and richness. Replacing milk with an equal amount of butter maintains those properties. However, you lose the caramelized milk flavors, browning, and nutrition from the milk solids.
Example Recipe
Here is an example of how to modify a cake recipe to use butter instead of milk:
Original Recipe
Vanilla Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk
- Combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in eggs one at a time.
- Stir in vanilla.
- Add flour mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
- Divide batter between two greased cake pans.
- Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes.
With Butter Substitution
Vanilla Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- Combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
- Cream 1/3 cup softened butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in eggs one at a time.
- Stir in vanilla.
- Add flour mixture alternately with melted butter, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
- Divide batter between two greased cake pans.
- Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes.
Notes:
- Reduced softened butter from 1/2 cup to 1/3 cup
- Used melted butter instead of milk
- Kept other ingredients the same
This maintains moisture and richness while preventing the cake from being too greasy. The flavor will be more buttery and less sweet due to the lack of lactose sugars from milk.
Tips for Substituting Butter for Milk
Here are some top tips to get the best results when using butter in place of milk:
- Reduce other fats in the recipe by about half.
- Limit egg yolks to 2-3.
- Use melted or softened butter depending on desired texture.
- For cakes: replace milk with milk powder + water.
- For biscuits: use heavy cream instead of butter for flakiness.
- Reduce baking temperature 25°F to prevent over-browning.
- If batter seems thick, add water by tablespoons until desired consistency.
- For dairy-free option, use vegan butter or coconut oil instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why use butter instead of milk in baking?
The main reasons to use butter instead of milk are:
- You don’t have fresh milk on hand
- To make recipes dairy-free or vegan
- For convenience – butter has longer shelf-life
- To enhance flavor and texture
- To reduce carbs by omitting lactose sugars
What ratio of butter to milk should be used?
Use a 1:1 ratio when substituting butter for milk. For every 1 cup of milk, use 1 cup of melted or softened butter instead.
Can you use butter instead of milk in cupcakes?
Yes, butter can be used in place of milk in cupcake recipes. Follow the tips above, and reduce other fats slightly to avoid greasy cupcakes.
Is it better to use melted or solid butter instead of milk?
Melted butter incorporates more smoothly, while solid butter provides distinct flecks of fat that create flakiness. Use melted butter in cakes and cookies, or solid butter in scones, biscuits or pie dough depending on the desired texture.
How does using butter instead of milk change the chemistry of baking?
Butter adds more fat and richness but loses the caramelized milk flavors, browning, and nutrition from milk sugars and proteins. The higher fat content can also inhibit gluten formation in breads. Reduce other fats to account for the extra butter.
The Bottom Line
Butter can be an ideal 1:1 substitute for milk in most baked goods like cakes, cookies, muffins and quick breads. The richness balances well in these recipes. Just be sure to reduce other fats called for by about half, and add a touch more leavening if the batter seems thick.
While it won’t provide the exact same flavor or chemical reactions as milk, butter can add moisture, tenderness and flaky textures in place of milk in a wide range of baking recipes.