How to Soften Butter Quickly

How to soften butter quickly when you realize someone needs a dozen homemade cookies for a bake sale and it's already 10 p.m.

If you bake even occasionally, you’ve probably run into the same problem I have: the recipe calls for softened butter and your butter is as hard as ice.

Softened butter isn’t just a suggestion.

Butter that’s too cold won’t cream properly with sugar and butter that’s too warm can wreck the structure of cakes and cookies.

Jump to:

• Five Ways to Soften Butter Quickly
• How to Tell When Butter Is Perfectly Softened
• Cookie Baking Advice
• Comments

Room-temperature butter for baking is technically about 65 to 67 degrees, which means the butter should bend easily when you press it, but it shouldn’t look greasy or melty.

Five Ways to Soften Butter Quickly

If you’re in a hurry, here are two fast ways to soften butter quickly, courtesy of Cook’s Illustrated.

Pound it Flat

Put the stick of butter in a resealable plastic bag and grab a rolling pin. Give the butter a few good whacks and roll it flat.

Flattening the butter dramatically increases the surface area, which means it softens within seconds instead of sitting on the counter forever waiting to cooperate.

However, the pounding method is easier said than done. You really have to let the butter sit out for at least 30 minutes, probably close to an hour if you're in a cold state like me.

Cut the Butter Into Small Pieces

Another fast method is simply cutting the butter into small chunks.

By the time you’ve preheated the oven and measured the rest of your ingredients, the butter pieces should be right around that ideal softened temperature.

My favorite way to do this is with a bench scraper.

I take a stick of butter and slice it lengthwise into four long strips.

Then I turn those strips and cut them crosswise into small chunks. In the end you’re left with a neat little dice of butter pieces that soften much faster than a whole stick.

Grate the Butter Like Cheese

Grab a box cheese grater and the butter you need softened. Unwrap the butter and grate it into tiny shreds.

Be sure to put a piece of wax paper or parchment underneath the cheese grater so you're not scraping it off the cutting board or worse your kitchen counter.

Don't love this method because in my experience, the butter gets warmer than room temperature pretty quickly, what with the heat from your hand and all.

The Classic Method: Let It Sit on the Counter

Of course, you can always just let butter soften naturally on the counter.

Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, this might take 30 minutes, an hour or sometimes longer.

I live in a drafty house in Maine. In my kitchen it usually takes at least an hour. I also keep my refrigerator extremely cold, which means the butter coming out of it is basically ice.

You could also put the butter on top of your fridge to speed up the softening a bit. The top of my kitchen appliances is always ten degrees warmer, at least.

If your fridge isn’t cranked to maximum cold like mine, your butter may soften a little faster, especially if you're in a hot state like Georgia or Alabama or Texas. Or it's summer time.

Warm Water Bath

Here’s another option:

Place the butter in a resealable plastic bag and then put the bag in a bowl of warm water for about 10 to 15 minutes. The warmth of the water gently brings the butter up to room temperature.

However, sometimes the outside of the butter gets too soft while the inside remains icy.

Using the Microwave to Soften Butter

You can also use the microwave, although this is my least favorite method.

The reason is simple: butter can go from “perfectly softened” to melted puddle in about two seconds flat.

And if butter melts, even partially, it can affect the rise and texture of your cakes and cookies.

If you do use the microwave, follow these tips:

• Place the butter on a plate.
  
• Heat it for 1 minute at 10% power.
  
• After the first minute, press the butter gently with your finger to check how soft it is. If needed, microwave it for another 10 to 20 seconds at 10% power. You may need to flip the stick over to ensure even heating.

For a full stick of butter, you may need up to about 1 minute and 40 seconds total at that low power setting.

The low power setting is crucial. If you microwave butter at full power, you’ll almost certainly end up with a melted buttery mess.

And if you really want to be precise, the best way to check butter temperature is with a digital cooking thermometer.

This is my favorite digital thermometer.

A Method I’ve Heard Of (But Haven’t Tried)

There’s also a method floating around the baking world that involves putting a stick of butter in a plastic bag and… sticking it in your front pants pocket.

Apparently the heat from your body softens the butter perfectly in about 10 to 15 minutes.

Have I tried this? No.

Am I recommending that you walk around with a stick of butter in your pocket? Also no.

But it’s out there.

How to Tell When Butter Is Perfectly Softened

When butter is the correct temperature for baking—around 65F° to 67° degrees you should be able to bend the stick without it breaking.

The butter will give slightly when you press it but it won’t collapse or feel greasy.

If the butter is too warm, it will look shiny or oily and will completely give way when you push on it.

One Last Butter Tip

When baking, stick with butter sold in sticks, not the tubs of spreadable butter.

Tub butter is formulated differently and often contains added oils that change how it behaves in baked goods.

Unless a recipe specifically calls for it, it’s best to avoid using it for baking.