How to soften butter: 4 easy ways (no microwave necessary)

Dec 13, 2023

Let me guess — you’ve forgotten to take the butter out of the refrigerator. Don't worry, it happens to the best of us. Softening butter is a crucial step in many recipes, and if you’ve forgotten to take it out of the fridge soon enough, your batter or dough will be full of gross lumps and chunks. The most common solution to this is to go straight to the microwave. That said, what if you don't have one or prefer not to use it?

Fortunately, there are several ways to soften butter quickly without one. With just a few common household items, it can be done in a blink of an eye.

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When butter is kept in the refrigerator, it becomes hard and difficult to spread, which can be inconvenient when you need to use it in a recipe or on toast. What if I told you that you could soften your refrigerated butter? Here are my favorite ways:

The key to softening butter without a microwave is to get it into pieces that are as small as possible. This increases the surface area of the butter, enabling the air to help warm it up. A metal mesh strainer is definitely the easiest way to do this.

If you don't have a mesh strainer, a handy knife and cutting board will also do the trick. That said, be careful which knife you pick! A bench knife is a lot safer for cutting butter due to its broad blade, which allows you to put even pressure as you cut. Here's how:

If you’ve ever tried to use frozen butter for a recipe, you know how difficult it can be to work with. Frozen butter is incredibly hard, and it can feel like you’re scraping a rock when you try to cut it. However, there are a few methods you can use to quickly soften frozen butter and make it easier to work with.

Unsure of how to soften frozen butter? Try grating it like cheese. This could work with refrigerated butter as well, but you might end up with some greasy hands afterward.

One of the quickest and most effective methods for softening butter is to use a hot glass.

Softening butter without a microwave is not only possible, but also easy with the right techniques. Whether you’re making cookies or cakes or you just want to enjoy some buttered toast, these methods will come in handy when you need to soften cold or frozen butter quickly. Give these methods a try and enjoy perfectly softened butter every time.