Malted Milk Powder substitute

Best substitute

Dry milk powder plus barley malt syrup

Use 3 tablespoons dry milk powder plus 1 tablespoon barley malt syrup for every ¼ cup malted milk powder

Best for milkshakes and malts

Close match

The closest reconstruction, because it puts back both components separately. Malt syrup carries the same toasted-grain, faintly bitter caramel note, and the milk powder carries the creaminess. The result is very close, just a shade darker and more caramel-forward than a shop-bought malted powder.

Other malted milk powder substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Ovaltine or a chocolate malt drink powder
Different taste
Use the same amount
Built on the same malted barley base, so the malt flavour is genuinely there, but most versions are heavily cocoa-forward and sweetened.
What changes
A vanilla malted milkshake made with it becomes a chocolate malt, which is delicious but is a different drink. In baking, chocolate recipes swallow the change completely.
Best for
chocolate malt shakes, brownies and chocolate cake, hot malted drinks, chocolate ice cream
It contains added sugar, so cut the recipe's sugar by about a quarter. Some countries sell a malt-only version of the same brand, which is a straight 1:1 with no cocoa note at all.
3Plain dry milk powder
Different taste
Use the same amount
This is the honest least-bad option when malt is simply not available.
What changes
It delivers the milk solids, so shakes stay thick and cookies stay chewy and brown well, but the toasty barley flavour is completely absent. Expect a perfectly nice vanilla milkshake or a slightly richer cookie, not a malted one.
Best for
milkshakes where thickness matters most, cookies and cakes, bread doughs, any recipe using under 2 tablespoons
To claw back some of the roasty character, add 1/2 teaspoon of molasses or 1 teaspoon of dark brown sugar per 1/4 cup, plus a pinch of salt. It will not be malt, but it will not taste plain either.
4Non-diastatic malt powder or malt extract
Close match
Use 2 tablespoons malt powder plus 2 tablespoons dry milk powder for every ¼ cup malted milk powder
Malt powder without the milk.
What changes
The flavour is purer and stronger than malted milk powder, which is diluted with milk solids and flour, so use less of it and add milk powder to make up the volume. Baked goods come out with a more pronounced beery, bready malt note.
Best for
bagels and bread, malt loaf, cookies, ice cream
Check whether yours is diastatic or non-diastatic. Diastatic malt powder still contains active enzymes that break starch down, so more than about a teaspoon per loaf will make dough slack and give a gummy crumb. For flavour, you want non-diastatic.
5Crushed malted milk balls
Taste and texture differ
Use ⅓ cup crushed malt balls for every ¼ cup malted milk powder
A genuinely good kitchen workaround for shakes and ice cream, since Maltesers and Whoppers are essentially malt powder in solid form with chocolate around them.
What changes
The shake picks up real malt flavour plus chocolate and extra sugar, and a few larger pieces left in add crunch.
Best for
milkshakes, ice cream and semifreddo, no-bake cheesecake, toppings
Blitz to a powder in a spice grinder for a smooth shake, or bash in a bag for texture. Reduce the recipe's sugar by a tablespoon or two. Do not use this in a bread dough, where the chocolate fat will interfere.
6Horlicks or another malted drink brand
Close match
Use the same amount
Not really a substitute so much as the same product under a different name.
What changes
Horlicks in the UK and India, Carnation Malted Milk in the US and Ovomaltine in parts of Europe are all malted barley plus milk solids. If a recipe asks for one, any of the plain malt versions swaps directly.
Best for
milkshakes, malt loaf, baking, hot drinks
Sweetness varies between brands. Taste the powder on your finger before you commit, and adjust the sugar in the recipe accordingly.

What is Malted Milk Powder?

Malted Milk Powder is Malted milk powder is a fine beige powder of dried malted barley extract blended with wheat flour and milk solids, sold as malt powder, malted milk or under brand names such as Horlicks, Carnation Malted Milk and Ovaltine.

Cooking tips

Malted milk powder clumps badly in cold liquid. Whisk it into a splash of warm milk to a smooth paste first, then add the rest of the cold milk, or blitz everything at once in a blender.
It is strongly hygroscopic and will set into a solid brick if the tub is left open in a humid kitchen. Keep it airtight with the lid clipped shut, and break up any lumps with a fork before measuring.
Malted milk powder is not gluten-free. It contains malted barley and usually wheat flour as well, which matters if you are baking for someone with coeliac disease. There is no reliable gluten-free version, so use plain milk powder plus a little molasses instead.
For a classic diner malt, use 2 to 3 tablespoons per 12-ounce shake. Less than that and you cannot taste it at all, which is the most common reason a homemade malt tastes like an ordinary milkshake.
A tablespoon or two in a cookie or brownie batter deepens the flavour without announcing itself as malt, because malt amplifies browning and adds a savoury note that reads simply as better caramel.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just leave malted milk powder out?

In a milkshake, no, because it is the entire point of a malt. In cookies, brownies, bread or ice cream, yes: you will lose a layer of toasty depth and the result will be slightly less complex, but nothing structural fails. If the recipe uses more than about 1/4 cup, replace the volume with dry milk powder or flour so the batter is not too wet.

Is malted milk powder the same as malt powder?

No, though the names are used loosely. Malt powder is dried malt extract on its own and tastes much stronger. Malted milk powder is that same extract blended with milk solids and flour, which makes it milder and creamier. Swap malt powder in at roughly two-thirds the amount and make up the difference with dry milk powder.

Is malted milk powder the same as Ovaltine or Horlicks?

Horlicks is essentially plain malted milk powder and swaps 1:1. Ovaltine is built on the same base but most versions are chocolate flavoured and sweetened, so it swaps 1:1 only when a cocoa note is acceptable. Both contain added sugar, so reduce the recipe's sugar a little.

Can I use malt syrup instead of malted milk powder?

Yes, at about 1 tablespoon of syrup per 1/4 cup of powder, but it is a liquid and a sweetener, so you must reduce another liquid in the recipe and cut the sugar. It also brings no milk solids, so if the powder was providing thickness in a shake or chew in a cookie, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of dry milk powder alongside it.

Why does my homemade malted milkshake taste like nothing?

Almost always because there is not enough powder in it. Diner malts use a heaped 2 to 3 tablespoons per glass. The other cause is old powder, which loses its aroma quickly once opened and after six months or so tastes mainly of milk.

Related substitutes

More dairy substitutes

Malted Milk Powder substitute

Other malted milk powder substitutes

2Ovaltine or a chocolate malt drink powder

3Plain dry milk powder

4Non-diastatic malt powder or malt extract

5Crushed malted milk balls

6Horlicks or another malted drink brand