Homemade Butter
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Learn how to make homemade butter from cream easily using a stand mixer, hand mixer, or mason jar.
You may think that making butter is a difficult process requiring a butter churn and an arm work out.
But it is actually super easy to make homemade butter from cream. (Unless you choose the jar method, more on that below.)
Once you try this easy homemade butter recipe you may never want to go back to store-bought!
How to make homemade butter
There are 2 different methods that you can use to make butter at home:
- stand mixer method: Add the cream to a bowl of a stand mixer and let the stand mixer do all the work. You can also use a hand mixer and a mixing bowl.
- mason jar method: Shake cream in a jar until it separates into buttermilk and butter. This method requires about 15 minutes of vigorous shaking so be prepared for a serious arm workout.
Ingredients
Which ever method you choose, the ingredients are the same:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ¼ – 1 tsp salt (optional, for salted butter)
Step-by-step instructions
Although I recommend using a mixer to make butter, I will include the instructions for making mason jar butter below as well, since it is a fun and educational activity to do with children.
To make butter using a mixer
Churn butter: Pour cream in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or into a mixing bowl if using a hand mixer. Turn mixer on low speed. Gradually increase the speed as the cream thickens.
Before turning it on to medium-high speed, I highly recommend placing a kitchen towel (or a splash guard if you have one) over the mixer to prevent splatter because things are about to get messy as the milk fat separates from the buttermilk.
Continue to mix at medium-high speed until the butter has separated from the buttermilk.
After a few minutes, whipped cream will form. Then after about 5 minutes, the butterfat will separate from the buttermilk. The butter will begin to stick to the whisk of your stand mixer and the buttermilk will
Strain: Use a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to strain the buttermilk off the butter. Reserve the buttermilk to use in other recipes (such as homemade buttermilk biscuits), if desired.
Wash butter: Transfer the butter to a bowl and add about ½ a cup of ice-cold water. Using a spatula or your (clean) hands, press/squeeze the butter to remove any remaining buttermilk. Drain the water. Refill and repeat until the water remains clear. This should take between 3-5 changes of water.
Squeeze the butter in a cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel to remove any remaining moisture.
Add salt (optional): If you would like to make salted butter, add ¼ tsp salt and knead it into the butter. Taste and then add more butter if desired.
Enjoy your butter on soft and fluffy 7-up biscuits, fresh strawberry scones, or simply on your morning toast. So delicious!
How to make butter in a mason jar
- Fill a mason jar halfway with heavy cream, close the lid tightly, and shake shake shake until the butter separates from the buttermilk and forms a solid mass. This can take 10-20 mins.
- Follow the instructions above to wash and salt the butter.
Although I haven’t tried it myself, this handy device claims to make butter in just a few minutes with the jar method.
Storage
Store your homemade butter in the refrigerator in an airtight container or wrapped in parchment or wax paper. You can even shape it into sticks using a silicone butter mold.
You can also save your buttermilk in an airtight container in the refrigerator to use in recipes such as buttermilk pancakes, coffee cake muffins, or maple walnut coffee cake.
Recipe FAQ
Homemade butter will last at least a week when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The exact amount of time it will last depends on the age of the cream and how well the butter has been drained of buttermilk.
Yes! Homemade butter can be frozen for up to 6 months. To freeze your butter wrap it in wax paper and place in a freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and enjoy.
This homemade butter recipe will yield between ½ cup (1 stick) and 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter. You will also get about 1 cup of buttermilk.
Homemade Butter
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste, optional
- 2-3 cups ice-cold water for rinsing
Instructions
Using a mixer
- Pour cream in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or into a mixing bowl if using a hand mixer. Turn mixer on low speed. Gradually increase the speed to medium-high as the cream thickens. I highly recommend placing a kitchen towel (or a splash guard if you have one) over the mixer to prevent splatter. Continue to mix until the butter has separated from the buttermilk.
- Using a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth, strain the buttermilk into a bowl and reserve for later, if desired. Transfer butter into a bowl and add about ½ a cup of ice-cold water. Using a spatula or your (clean) hands, press/squeeze the butter to remove buttermilk. Drain the water. Refill and repeat until the water remains clear. This should take between 3-5 changes of water. Squeeze the butter in a cheesecloth or kitchen towel again to remove any remaining moisture.
- If you want to make salted butter, add salt to taste and knead into the butter.
- Store your homemade butter in the refrigerator in an airtight container or wrapped in parchment or wax paper. You can also save your buttermilk in an airtight container in the refrigerator to use in recipes.
Using a mason jar
- Churn butter – Fill a mason jar halfway with heavy cream and close the lid tightly. Shake shake shake until the butter separates from the buttermilk and forms a solid mass. This can take 10-20 mins.
- Follow the instructions above to strain, wash, salt, and store the butter.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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I tried it twice. I tried it in my blender and blend it for 20 to 30 minutes it never separated. So I tried it with my hand make sure using a whip attachment and did it for about 20 minutes never did separate. It got thick but never formed into a ball or left buttermilk I don’t know what I’m doing wrong when I try to put it through a strainer it all straightened out into the sink. It was more like thick whipped cream then it was better so I don’t know what I
It sounds like the cream was almost there. Try using a stand mixer (I use a Kitchen Aid) next time.
This was my first time making butter, and I was so happy with how it turned out! At first, I was worried because it was just coming out like thick whipping cream, but after reading on another recipe that it could take up to 15-20 minutes for it to separate, I decided to just leave it mixing and see if there’d be any change. Sure enough, my butter separated and I couldn’t be happier with the creaminess and taste of it.
Hi there,
The only type of heavy cream I can find where I live is whipping cream. Will that work?
Hi! Is it heavy whipping cream? If so that is perfect. If it is just labeled “whipping cream” how well it will work will depend on what percent milk fat it has. Ideally you want something with 35% or higher.
Does it have to be stored in the fridge? At the moment the store bought stuff stays in my butter container in the pantry on the shelf ??? Thanks 🙂
Yes, I would recommend refrigerating your homemade butter. Store-bought butter typically has preservatives added and is pasteurized. (That said, I also keep my store bought butter in the fridge and always err on the side of caution when it comes to food storage / safety.)
not sure what I did wrong but mine wasn’t so successful.. 😔 😟 I will try again
Can you add garlic to make garlic butter? Would you add his at same time you would the salt if desired?
Yes! You can make garlic butter by mixing 1 clove minced garlic into the butter along with the salt after the butter has been rinsed and drained.