There are about 7 grams in a tablespoon of milk powder when it's nonfat dry milk, measured level. King Arthur Baking lists 1/4 cup of nonfat dry milk at 28 g, and its dried whole milk is a little lighter at 50 g per 1/2 cup, or about 6.3 g per tablespoon.
| Amount | Nonfat dry milk | Whole milk powder |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 tsp | 0.6 g | 0.5 g |
| 1/2 tsp | 1.2 g | 1.0 g |
| 1 tsp | 2.3 g | 2.1 g |
| 1 tbsp | 7 g | 6.3 g |
| 2 tbsp | 14 g | 12.5 g |
| 1/4 cup | 28 g | 25 g |
| 1/2 cup | 56 g | 50 g |
| 1 cup | 112 g | 100 g |
So the answer depends on which milk powder is in your pantry. The two are close enough for a cup of cocoa, but in a bread recipe that calls for 1/4 cup, the difference is a few grams you can actually weigh.
Why milk powder spoonfuls vary
Milk powder is light, dusty and easy to compress. A few things change how much ends up in your spoon:
- Nonfat vs whole. As the chart shows, King Arthur's figures put nonfat dry milk at about 7 g per tablespoon and dried whole milk at about 6.3 g.
- Texture. Some milk powders are a fine, flour like dust. Others are fluffy granules made to dissolve quickly in water. They don't settle in a spoon the same way, so a spoonful can weigh more or less than the chart.
- Packing. Pressing the spoon into the bag compacts the powder. Spoon it in loosely and level it instead.
- Humidity. Milk powder soaks up moisture from the air and clumps. Clumps fill a spoon unevenly, so keep the bag sealed tight.
- Buttermilk powder is different again. King Arthur lists 2 tablespoons of buttermilk powder at 18 g, which is about 9 g per tablespoon. Don't swap it in using the dry milk weights.
How to measure a tablespoon of milk powder
- Fluff the powder in the bag or tub with a spoon if it's settled.
- Set your bowl on the scale and press tare to zero it.
- Spoon in powder until you reach your target, such as 7 g of nonfat dry milk for 1 tbsp.
- Whisk it into the dry ingredients so it doesn't clump when liquid hits it.
If you're using milk powder to make liquid milk, follow the mixing directions on your package. Brands differ in how much powder they call for, so the label is the right guide there.
Where milk powder shows up in baking
- Sandwich bread and soft rolls. Many bread recipes add a few tablespoons of dry milk to the flour. If yours calls for 1/4 cup of nonfat dry milk, that's about 28 g.
- Cookies and blondies. Some bakers add milk powder to cookie dough for a richer, toasty flavor. Weighing it lets you test small changes, like 7 g vs 14 g, and keep the version you like.
- Hot cocoa mix. Homemade mixes often combine cocoa, sugar and milk powder. Weighing each part makes every batch taste the same.
- Scaling. Halving 1/4 cup by spoon means 2 tablespoons. Halving 28 g is simply 14 g.
Common milk powder mistakes
- Using whole milk powder weights for nonfat, or the other way around. Check the label and use the matching column.
- Scooping from a packed bag. It adds grams fast. Fluff and spoon, or just weigh.
- Swapping in buttermilk powder one for one by spoon. It's heavier per tablespoon and tastes tangy.
- Adding it straight to liquid. Mixing it with the dry ingredients first helps avoid lumps.
A practical tip: milk powder puffs up and sticks to everything when you shake it onto a scale. A MeasureMate digital measuring spoon scoops and weighs in one step, and its display reads in 0.1 g steps, so you can see 7.0 g right in the spoon and tip it straight into your bowl.
Quick questions
How many grams is 1/4 cup of milk powder?
About 28 g for nonfat dry milk or about 25 g for dried whole milk, based on King Arthur Baking.
How many grams of milk powder are in a teaspoon?
About 2.3 g of nonfat dry milk or about 2.1 g of whole milk powder, measured level.
How much milk powder makes a cup of milk?
It depends on the brand, so follow the mixing directions printed on your package.
Weights based on the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart.