Best Dry Milk Substitutes - Daring Kitchen

Dry or powdered milk can replace regular milk at almost half the price. It has a longer shelf life and doesn’t need to be refrigerated due to its low moisture content. As it’s considered nonperishable, it is liked by campers, survivalists, and people who need simple-to-prepare food or a handy solution in case of emergency.

Milk powder is often used in baked goods and many bread machine recipes call for this ingredient. At times, however, it just so happens that you run out of it. Wondering whether there is something in your kitchen that can be used as a dry milk substitute?

The first option is to replace powdered milk with regular milk. But using a liquid dairy product as an alternative will require some adjustments so your recipe doesn’t end up becoming too wet.

What Is Dry Milk?

Dried milk or powdered milk is a dairy product usually produced by evaporating whole milk, nonfat skimmed milk, whey or buttermilk to dryness. Depending on the heat treatment and the drying method of the milk, certain properties of the dry milk powder such as the flavor, density, and solubility will vary.

Similar to raw milk, dry milk is packed with nutrients. It’s a good source of amino acids and is high in essential minerals and soluble vitamins. The evaporation process ensures that none of its health beneficial nutrients are lost. To prevent degradation of its nutrition value, store away from direct light and high humidity.

Dry milk is often used in bread recipes although it’s not strictly needed. It makes the bread softer and less chewy while adding flavor and enhancing the crust browning. Many bread machine manufacturers recommend the powder milk because it doesn’t spoil if you leave the machine on timer overnight.

Besides, it can replace raw milk in beverages and baked good recipes such as pizzas, cakes, muffins, cookies, and puddings. It is also used to add a thick texture to soups, and other dishes.

Powdered Milk Alternatives

Regular Milk

As powdered milk is a good replacement for raw milk, it only makes sense that the original product can be used in the same way: as a substitute for the powder. However, this can be feasible only for those dishes that require water as well.

Raw milk is a good substitution for milk powder in baking, but be cautious with the proportion used. You will want to replace some of the water in your recipe with milk so that the total liquid content is not altered.

For example, if the recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of powder, swap out ¼ cup water with regular milk. Similarly, for 2 tablespoons, you need to replace ½ cup of water with milk. Alternatively, you may want to replace all of the liquids in your recipe with the same proportion of liquid milk.

For making bread, you can scald the milk before adding it to the mixture. This will prevent the proteins of the milk interfering with the rising of the bread.

Nonfat Dry Milk

For those who don’t avoid dairy, but want to cut down on calories, there is an alternative to dry milk and it’s called nonfat dry milk powder. There is also skimmed milk powder. The difference between the two is that skim milk contains a small percentage of fat whereas nonfat contains no fat as the name clearly indicates.

Nonfat powdered milk is used as a baking or cooking ingredient. You can also enjoy it as a beverage. To make 1 cup of liquid milk from the powder, you simply mix one cup of water with ⅓ cup powder milk.

Buttermilk powder is another dairy powder milk with less fat content than whole milk powder but slightly higher than skim milk powder. It has emulsifying properties and adds a genuine dairy flavor and moistness to baked goods such as cakes and biscuits. It’s also used for soups and sauces.

Coconut Milk Powder

Coconut milk powder is often considered as a vegan dairy-free substitute for dry milk. However, many commercially available powders contain casein(a milk derivative) or milk among their ingredients. If you follow a vegan diet or you are intolerant to lactose, read the label on the package before buying.

This powder is as convenient to use as a dairy powder. You can easily produce a cup of coconut milk by mixing 1 cup of hot water with 3 tablespoons of powder or more if you like your milk creamier.

Besides, it makes a great addition to smoothies, hot chocolate, and golden milk latte concentrate. Plus, it’s a very popular ingredient in curry and other Southeast Asian recipes due to its capability to bind to spices.

For any recipe that calls for coconut milk, the powder form can work equally well. You can also use it to make coconut cream which is a must in certain recipes.

Soy Powder

Looking for an instant powder milk substitute that is good for lactose intolerant individuals? Soy milk powder is a good choice. It derives from soy milk by removing all of its water and can be used as a vegan replacement for cow’s milk as it’s a good source of vegetable protein.

It also contains naturally occurring phytoestrogens that are beneficial for heart and bone health. Plus, it’s free from cholesterol. It mixes instantly with cold or warm water and gives a creamier texture to sauces, baked goods, soups, and gravies.

When replacing powdered milk, it can be used in equal parts according to the requirements of the recipe. Organic soy milk powder is free from additional ingredients such as sugar and artificial flavors.

Rice Milk Powder

Although hard to find, rice milk powder is a great nut and dairy milk alternative and a lifesaver for travelers and those on the go. It contains the same amount of protein, vitamins, carbohydrates, and fiber found in whole grain brown rice.

This fine powder has an off-white color and is naturally creamy and sweet. It can be added to baking recipes in replacement of nut milk or milk powder and can be enjoyed in smoothies, cereals, tea, or coffee. Avoid adding it straight to your coffee or tea though, it’s best to have it premixed with water before use.