How to Soften Butter

A stick of softened butter in an opened wrapper. A bowl of flour, sugar, and dairy surrounding it.

Learn how to soften butter quickly for your baking recipes! Use softened butter in cakes, cookies, and more for perfect baked treats.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 13

Total Time 13

Servings stick

Calories 810kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

Microwave-safe glass bowl
2 cup liquid measuring cup or pint glass

Ingredients

1 stick of butter
2 cups of water

Instructions

Place 2 cups of water in a microwave safe glass bowl. Microwave for 3 minutes until steaming. Pour out the water.
Keep the butter in its wrapper. Quickly place the empty bowl overtop of the stick of butter.
Let the butter sit for 10 minutes, then remove the bowl. The stick of butter will be softened.
(You can also boil water in a kettle on the stove and fill the bowl. Wait 1 minute to heat the bowl, then pour out the water and proceed with step 2).

Notes

How to soften butter without a microwave: If you don’t have a microwave, boil water in an electric kettle or stovetop kettle. Pour the water into the heat-proof bowl and wait 1 minute to warm the bowl. Then, pour out the water and place the bowl over the butter to soften.
Use room temperature ingredients in your baking recipe. Don’t forget to use room temperature eggs and dairy liquids (like milk, buttermilk, sour cream, etc.) alongside your softened butter when baking. Room temperature ingredients are easier to incorporate into a smooth batter and won’t cause your butter to firm back up during mixing.
Use a warm glass: Instead of a bowl, you can use a tall, heat-safe glass jar or measuring cup and stand the stick of butter up instead of laying it on the counter.
You can soften multiple sticks of butter. If you need to soften more than 1 stick of butter, just make sure your bowl is large enough to easily cover all the butter. Don’t stack the sticks of butter. Place them side by side for even, fast softening.

Nutrition

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