How to Soften Butter

Name: How to Soften Butter (4 ways)
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 stick butter

Yumna Jawad

Updated Jun 29, 2025

5 from 30 reviews

How to soften butter super fast 4 different ways: microwaving butter, cubing it, using a steaming cup, or pounding.

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Prep Time 5

Servings 8 servings

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Softening Butter Fast Without Melting It is Easy!
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Softening Butter Fast Without Melting It is Easy!

So many baking recipes call for softened butter, but they never tell you how to actually soften it. And if you’re like me, you forget to take it out ahead of time about 99% of the time. This tutorial walks through a few easy ways to soften butter quickly without melting it (which is key if you’re making things like cookies or cakes where the texture depends on it). I’ve got four methods here, pick whatever works best with the time and tools you’ve got.

Happy Cooking!
– Yumna

How to Soften Butter Quickly — Four Ways

Microwave Method

**Step 1:** Place unwrapped butter on a microwave safe plate. Cook for a total of 35 seconds, stopping and turning the butter ¼ turn every 10 seconds.

**Step 2:** Remove from the microwave and use as desired. This method softens butter quickly taking less than a minute.

Countertop/ Cubed Method

**Step 1:** Unwrap the butter. Cut length-wise and then dice into little cubes. Separate slightly to help them soften faster than a big stick.

**Step 2:** Allow to sit out on the counter for 30 minutes. Use as desired.

Steaming Cup Method

**Step 1:** Fill a tall, microwaveable glass with water. Heat for a minute. Carefully remove the glass from the microwave, dump out the water, and immediately place the glass over a stick of butter.

**Step 2:** Allow the butter to sit under the glass for 5 minutes to soften. Leave out on the countertop uncovered for an additional 10 minutes to continue softening.

Countertop / Pounded Method

**Step 1:** Put unwrapped butter in a large ziplock bag or between two sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap.

**Step 2:** Take a solid wood rolling pin (not one with handles which could break) or mallet and pound the butter until it is 1/2″ to 1/4″ thick. Allow to sit out continuing to soften for 10 minutes.

Butter on small plate after microwaving with indented finger mark.

How to Soften Butter (4 ways)

Author: Yumna Jawad

5 from 30 reviews

How to soften butter super fast 4 different ways: microwaving butter, cubing it, using a steaming cup, or pounding.

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Prep Time5

Total Time5

Servings servings

Ingredients

▢ 1 stick butter

Instructions

Microwave

Place unwrapped butter in 200W microwave and set power level to 5 or 50%
Cook for a total of 35 seconds, stopping and turning the butter ¼ turn every 10 seconds. Remove from the microwave and use as desired. For older microwaves, go only five seconds between checking and turning.

Countertop/Cubed

Unwrap butter and cut into cubes. Allow to sit out for 30 minutes on the countertop before using.

Steaming Cup

Place water in a microwave safe glass and heat it for about 1 minute. Pour the water out of the cup and place the cup over the unwrapped stick of butter.
Allow 5 minutes to soften the butter and then leave the butter out on the countertop for 10 more minutes before using.

Countertop/Pounded

Unwrap butter and place into a large ziploc bag or sandwich between two pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper.
Using a solid wood rolling pin (not a rolling pin with handles as it could break) pound the butter until it is ½ to ¼ inch thick. Allow to sit out for 10 minutes on the countertop before using.

Notes

Storage: Once softened, you can keep butter at room temperature for up to two days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 TBSP, Calories: 101kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 101mg, Potassium: 3mg, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 353IU, Calcium: 3mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

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Recipes to Make with Softened Butter

FAQs

How do I rescue melted butter?

When the stick is oozing liquid, the butter is a no-go for creaming properly, but the whizzes at America’s Test Kitchen have a solution, which involves cooling the butter quickly.
– Do not put the butter back in the refrigerator.
– Instead, take a few ice cubes and stir into the butter.
– The results: after less than a minute of stirring, the butter will cool to a softened stage – right below 70 degrees.
– Remove the cubes and use. The Test kitchen says the added water is negligible.

How to Soften Butter

Softening Butter Fast Without Melting It is Easy!