What Can I Substitute for Milk Powder?

You're making a bread-maker or hand-kneaded loaf that calls for milk powder alongside water.

• milk — 250 ml milk for every 25 g milk powder, replacing 250 ml of the recipe's water
• soy milk — 250 ml for every 25 g milk powder, replacing 250 ml of the recipe's water

In bread the powder adds milk solids for tenderness and browning, and the recipe already has water, so swapping some of that water for fresh milk gives the same result; unsweetened soy milk does the tenderising and some browning for a dairy-free loaf but adds no milk flavour.

You're using milk powder mixed with water as the milk in a custard, sauce, pancake batter or pudding.

• milk — 250 ml milk for every 25 g milk powder, replacing 250 ml of the recipe's water
• evaporated milk — 125 ml for every 25 g milk powder, with 125 ml less water in the recipe

Here the powder is only standing in for liquid milk, so fresh milk covers the moisture and dairy flavour directly, and evaporated milk gives a slightly richer, more cooked-milk custard or sauce as long as you cut the water to match.

You're cooking barfi, milk fudge or coconut ice where the milk powder sets the mixture into a firm sweet.

• sweetened condensed milk — 90 g for every 25 g milk powder, with about 40 g less sugar

Condensed milk carries enough milk solids to give body and a caramelised milk flavour, but it brings water and sugar, so you must cut the sugar and cook the mixture down longer, and the result is softer and fudgier than powder-based barfi.

You're toasting milk powder into a crunchy milk crumb or adding it dry to cookie dough for a deeper, toasty flavour.

• malted milk powder — 25 g for every 25 g milk powder

Only another dry powder can give the dry body and browning that a crumb or cookie needs without wetting the dough, and malted milk powder does both, though the malt flavour will be obvious and the crumb browns faster.

You're making a curry or a Southeast Asian-style dessert and want a dairy-free dry powder for richness and body.

• coconut milk powder — 25 g for every 25 g milk powder

Coconut milk powder fills the same bulk and adds richness in dishes where coconut flavour suits, but it browns less and many brands contain milk protein, so read the label if the dish must be dairy-free.

You're making gulab jamun dough, powder-based peda or homemade milk or white chocolate where dry milk powder forms the base.

Nothing really replaces it here.

In these recipes the dry powder is the structure itself, binding into a dough or carrying the cocoa butter without any water, and every liquid substitute either makes the dough too wet to shape or splits the chocolate, so there is no workable swap.

Your bread dough is sticky and slack after you swapped the milk powder for fresh milk.

Why: The milk was added on top of the recipe's full amount of water, so the dough has too much liquid.

Fix: Knead in extra flour a little at a time until the dough is smooth and only slightly tacky, and next time replace an equal volume of the water with milk rather than adding it.

Your barfi made with condensed milk stays soft and will not set when cut.

Why: Condensed milk brings water that powder does not, and the mixture was not cooked long enough to drive it off.

Fix: Return it to a heavy pan over low heat, stirring constantly, until it pulls away from the sides in one mass, then press it back into the tin and cool.

Your milk crumb or cookies came out dark brown or scorched at the edges.

Why: Malted milk powder and condensed milk carry extra sugar that browns faster than plain milk powder, and an overseas recipe measured in tablespoons can end up with more powder than intended because an Australian tablespoon is 20 ml, not 15 ml.

Can't be fixed — next time: Scrape off any burnt bits and use the rest if it tastes sound; next time weigh the powder and bake about 10–15°C (25°F) lower, checking early.

Your gulab jamun dough made with coffee creamer is greasy and the balls fall apart in the oil.

Why: Creamer powder is mostly glucose solids and vegetable oil with little milk protein, so nothing holds the dough together.

Can't be fixed — next time: This batch cannot be rescued into gulab jamun; next time use real milk powder, and only use creamer in coffee and tea.

Is milk powder the same as powdered milk or dried milk?

Yes, milk powder, powdered milk, dried milk and dry milk are all names for the same product. The main thing to check is whether it is skim (non-fat) or full cream (whole), because full cream powder has about 26–28% fat and skim has 1.5% or less.

Can I use skim milk powder instead of full cream milk powder?

In bread, batters and reconstituted milk you can, with a slightly less rich result. For homemade chocolate, barfi and gulab jamun, full cream powder gives a softer, richer texture and skim powder can make the sweet drier and more crumbly.

How do I make milk from milk powder?

Whisk about 100 g skim milk powder or about 130 g full cream milk powder into enough water to make 1 litre. Mix the powder with a little of the water into a paste first so it dissolves without lumps, then stir in the rest and chill it before drinking.

Can I leave milk powder out of bread?

Yes, the loaf will still work, though it will be a little paler, less soft and will stale sooner. For a closer result, replace an equal volume of the recipe's water with fresh milk instead.

How much milk powder is a tablespoon?

It depends on whose tablespoon the recipe uses, so weigh the powder if a weight is given. An Australian tablespoon is 20 ml and a UK, NZ, US or Canadian tablespoon is 15 ml, so using an Australian spoon for an overseas recipe adds about a third more powder.

Can I use coffee creamer instead of milk powder?

No, not for baking or sweets. Creamer is mostly glucose syrup solids and vegetable oil with little milk protein, so it will not bind barfi or gulab jamun dough and adds sugar and fat the recipe has not allowed for.