Milk with all its water removed, ground to a fine powder. Shelf-stable and used both as reconstituted milk and as a dry enrichment.
What it does in a recipe: Concentrated milk solids - protein and lactose that boost browning and softness without adding liquid. Pick the swap that covers that job - the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
Also called: Dry milk powder, Powdered milk
2substitutes
Reliablebest available
Dairy & milkscategory
Quick answer
Liquid milk (reduce other liquid)
1/4 cup milk powder + 1 cup water = 1 cup whole milk (reduce the recipe's water by 1 cup)
All substitutes, best first
2 ways to replace milk powder
Liquid milk (reduce other liquid)
Reliable
1/4 cup milk powder + 1 cup water = 1 cup whole milk (reduce the recipe's water by 1 cup)
Reconstituting the powder is exactly what the recipe would be doing anyway, so using liquid milk and dropping the corresponding water is arithmetically identical.
Trade-offOnly works where the recipe has water to remove. In a bread dough that uses powder specifically to enrich without loosening the dough, this changes the hydration.
A dairy-free powder with a similar fat-and-solids role, so it enriches a dough the same way.
Trade-offAdds coconut flavour and lacks the lactose that drives browning, so crusts colour less.
BakingVeganVegetarianDairy-freeEgg-freeSoy-free
Allergen checkCoconut is no longer an FDA-listed tree nut (since January 2025) and is not listed in the EU or UK, but check before serving it to a guest with a nut or coconut allergy.
At a glance
Milk powder in summary
Milk powder at a glance: category, its job in a recipe, the diets it suits, the diets its substitutes can satisfy, and how many substitutes there are.
Can I use liquid milk (reduce other liquid) instead of milk powder?
1/4 cup milk powder + 1 cup water = 1 cup whole milk (reduce the recipe's water by 1 cup). Reconstituting the powder is exactly what the recipe would be doing anyway, so using liquid milk and dropping the corresponding water is arithmetically identical. Only works where the recipe has water to remove. In a bread dough that uses powder specifically to enrich without loosening the dough, this changes the hydration.
Can I use coconut milk powder instead of milk powder?
1/4 cup milk powder = 1/4 cup coconut milk powder. A dairy-free powder with a similar fat-and-solids role, so it enriches a dough the same way. Adds coconut flavour and lacks the lactose that drives browning, so crusts colour less.
Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter - confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.