The invention relates to a process for producing dry powders of one or more carotenoids by a) dispersing one or more carotenoids in an aqueous molecular or colloidal solution of a mixture of lactose and a protective colloid and b) converting the dispersion which has formed into a dry powder by removing the water and, where appropriate, additionally used solvents and drying, where appropriate in the presence of a coating material, wherein at least one soybean protein is used as protective colloid in process step a).