How To Soften Butter Quickly
Forgot to take out the butter so it had time to soften before making your recipe? Don’t worry! This hack on how to soften butter quickly will save the day!
GET THAT BUTTER SOFTENED- FAST!
We’ve all been there, you’re in the kitchen baking up something sweet and everything is going great. Then, you move on to the next step in the recipe and realize you needed softened butter, and guess what, all your butter is chilling away in the fridge. Don’t let that ruin your recipe or your day! In this post you’ll learn all the ways to soften butter so it is recipe ready, including a way to soften it fast when you’re in a pinch!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’S)
You can tell by touching it, if it is ready, your finger will give way easily without effort.
You can continue on with the method you chose (wait longer) or if your butter is not fully softened, if you whip it with an electric hand mixer or in a stand mixer, it should help it to soften fully by breaking it up.
INGREDIENT NEEDED:
- stick of butter
HOW TO SOFTEN BUTTER QUICKLY:
TRADITIONAL METHODS:
Total time: 1-3 hours (give or take)
Let it sit at room temperature: Depending on the temperature in your home, this can take anywhere from 1-3 hours. You can leave it in the packaging or open it.
Cut into cubes at room temperature: Cutting it into cubes will help speed up the process of allowing it to sit out at room temperature.
Thinly slice: Thinly slicing the butter will speed up the softening process at room temp. You can even place the slices separately on a plate to help.
GLASS METHOD: (PREFERRED METHOD IF YOU NEED TO SOFTEN BUTTER QUICKLY)
Total Time: 15-20 minutes
Hot water with a glass: Pour very hot water into a glass or bowl that will fit over your stick of butter. Allow the hot water to sit in the glass/bowl for 3-5 minutes. Pour out the water and place the glass/bowl over the stick of butter. The residual heat from the hot water will speed up the process of softening the butter. It will soften in about 10-15 minutes.
MICROWAVE METHOD:
Total time: 15 seconds (plus or minus)
Microwave: Although this is not recommended, you can soften butter in the microwave, but you have to be extremely careful while doing so. Remove any wrapping and place on a microwave safe plate of bowl. Only microwave in 5-10 second intervals until soft but not melted.
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How to Soften Butter Quickly
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter (salted or unsalted)
Instructions
Glass Method: Best quick method
- Pour very hot water into a glass or bowl that will fit over your stick of butter. Allow the hot water to sit in the glass/bowl for 3-5 minutes.
- Pour out the water and place the glass/bowl over the stick of butter. The residual heat from the hot water will speed up the process of softening the butter. It will soften in about 10-15 minutes.
Traditional Method: Let it sit at room temperature
- Depending on the temperature in your home, this can take anywhere from 1-3 hours. You can leave it in the packaging or open it.
- Cutting it into cubes will help speed up the process of allowing it to sit out at room temperature.
- Or you can thinly slice the butter to help speed up the process. Place the slices separately on a plate to help.
Microwave Method:
- Although this is not recommended, you can soften butter in the microwave, but you have to be extremely careful while doing so. Remove any wrapping and place on a microwave safe plate of bowl. Only microwave in 5-10 second intervals until soft but not melted.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Thank you for highlighting multiple methods for softening butter. Love all your recipes, by the way.
Oh my goodness – this is exactly what I needed!! I was getting ready to make cookies and realized I forgot to put butter out. I did the warm water in the glass method you suggest and it worked absolutely perfectly!! You saved the day LOL