If you’ve ever wondered how to make butter from scratch, you’re going to love this Homemade Butter Recipe. It’s surprisingly simple, incredibly satisfying, and the kind of recipe that makes you feel like a kitchen rockstar. Once you try making your own butter, you might never want to buy the store-bought stuff again — trust me, I’ve been there!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Pure and Simple Ingredients: You only need heavy cream and a pinch of salt if you want it salted — no weird additives.
- Quick and Fun Process: In about 25 minutes, you’ll see cream magically turn into butter right before your eyes.
- Customizable Flavor: You can easily adjust salt, herbs, or spices to suit your personal taste buds.
- Freshness You Can Taste: The homemade flavor beats anything you buy at the store, and your family will go crazy for it.
Ingredients You’ll Need
These ingredients come together beautifully to create rich, creamy butter. The key is the quality of your heavy whipping cream—fresh cream always makes better butter and can really enhance the flavor.
- Heavy whipping cream: Look for cream with at least 36% fat content for the best results; fresher is always better.
- Sea salt (optional): Adds a lovely touch of flavor if you prefer your butter salted — but feel free to skip for unsalted butter.
- Ice water: Helps wash the butter and squeeze out the buttermilk for a clean, creamy finish.
Variations
I love to experiment a bit with my homemade butter recipe, and it’s so easy to personalize. Whether you want to add a little something special or adjust for dietary needs, you’ll find plenty of ways to make this recipe your own.
- Herbed Butter: A sprinkle of fresh herbs like chives, parsley, or rosemary stirred in after you’ve made the butter instantly turns it into something special — my family adores this on crusty bread.
- Garlic Butter: Adding minced roasted garlic gives a deep, savory flavor perfect for melting on steaks or veggies — I discovered this when trying to jazz up a simple dinner.
- Clarified Butter (Ghee): If you’re into ghee, you can take your homemade butter a step further by slowly melting and separating the milk solids — it’s fantastic for cooking at high heat.
- Dairy-Free Substitution: Sadly, this homemade butter recipe needs real cream, but you might explore vegan butter alternatives if dairy’s a no-go for you.
How to Make Homemade Butter Recipe
Step 1: Whip That Cream Like a Pro
Start by pouring your heavy cream into a stand mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment. You can also use a hand mixer with a large bowl if that’s what you have on hand. Whisk the cream on medium speed — I usually set my mixer to speed 6 out of 10 — and watch it transform. At first, it’ll turn into whipped cream with soft and then stiff peaks, and that’s when you can add salt if you’re using it. Keep whisking beyond whipped cream; after about 10 minutes, the cream will separate into butter solids clinging to the whisk and a liquid called buttermilk. This is the magic moment!
Step 2: Strain and Rinse the Butter
Prepare a mesh sieve or fine strainer over a bowl to catch the butter while letting the buttermilk drain. Pour the contents of your mixer bowl into the sieve — you’ll see fresh, golden butter staying put as the buttermilk collects below. This buttermilk is great for baking or pancakes, so don’t toss it! Next, fill another bowl with ice water and dip the butter into it, using your hands or a spatula to squeeze out any leftover liquid. Rinse and squeeze a couple of times until the water runs clear. This step is key to preventing your butter from going rancid quickly.
Step 3: Shape and Chill Your Butter
Place your butter onto parchment or wax paper and shape it into a log, rectangle, or whatever shape you prefer. I like to mimic those classic butter sticks you find in the store — makes it easy to slice off perfect portions. Wrap it up tightly with kitchen twine or string, and for extra protection, put the wrapped butter in a resealable plastic bag. Pop it into the fridge for a few hours to firm up before using. Your homemade butter will stay fresh for up to three weeks in the refrigerator or freeze wonderfully for up to nine months.
Pro Tips for Making Homemade Butter Recipe
- Choose High-Quality Cream: Using fresh heavy cream with a high fat content makes a world of difference in flavor and yield.
- Don’t Stop at Whipped Cream: It’s tempting to stop once you get whipped cream, but keep going until the butter actually separates — that’s the golden moment!
- Use Ice Water for Rinsing: This helps remove excess buttermilk so your butter keeps longer and tastes cleaner.
- Avoid Over-Whisking: Once the butter separates, stop whisking to prevent it from becoming too soft — it’s better to err on the side of stopping early.
How to Serve Homemade Butter Recipe
Garnishes
I often sprinkle a sea salt flake on top of my homemade butter before serving because the contrast hits all the right salty-sweet notes. Fresh herbs like thyme or dill also give a vibrant pop of flavor — especially great when spreading on warm bread or roasted potatoes.
Side Dishes
This homemade butter recipe shines alongside freshly baked artisan bread, warm dinner rolls, or steamed veggies. I especially love melting it over roasted carrots or drizzling a dollop on steamed asparagus — it makes sides taste luxurious without extra fuss.
Creative Ways to Present
For special occasions, I like forming the butter into fun shapes, like stars or hearts using small cookie cutters pressed gently into a chilled butter log. You can also mix in edible flowers or colorful spices like paprika for festive presentation. It’s such a simple way to wow guests!
Make Ahead and Storage
Storing Leftovers
After shaping your homemade butter, I store it wrapped tightly in parchment and then in a sealed container or plastic bag in the fridge. It keeps well for up to three weeks, which gives you plenty of time to enjoy it in all your meals.
Freezing
If you want to make a big batch and freeze some for later, go for it! I freeze my butter logs wrapped in parchment and packed inside freezer bags, and it freezes beautifully for up to nine months without losing flavor or texture.
Reheating
When you pull butter from the freezer, let it thaw slowly in the fridge overnight. If you want it soft quickly, cut smaller pieces first; just avoid microwaving, which can melt it unevenly and affect the texture.
FAQs
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Can I make homemade butter without a stand mixer?
Absolutely! You can use a hand mixer with a large bowl or even whisk by hand if you’re feeling strong and patient. It takes longer and requires more elbow grease, but it’s totally doable and still rewarding.
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What’s the difference between homemade butter and store-bought?
Homemade butter is fresher and free from preservatives or additives, so it tastes cleaner, richer, and you can customize the salt level or add flavors. Store-bought butter often has stabilizers and might lack that fresh cream aroma.
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Can I use low-fat cream to make butter?
Not really. You need heavy whipping cream with a high fat content (around 36% or more) to successfully make butter. Lower-fat creams won’t separate properly.
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What can I do with the buttermilk leftover from making butter?
Don’t throw it away! Use the buttermilk for baking pancakes, biscuits, or as a tangy addition to salad dressings. It adds a lovely depth and moisture to recipes.
Final Thoughts
I absolutely love how this homemade butter recipe turns out every single time. It’s a simple kitchen magic trick that gives you buttery goodness that’s fresh, flaky, and full of flavor. Making butter yourself connects you to your food in a way that’s super satisfying—and honestly, it tastes amazing. So grab that heavy cream, whisk away, and make yourself some fresh butter you’ll be proud to spread on everything. You won’t regret it!
Print
Homemade Butter Recipe
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 32 tablespoons (approximately 1 lb or 4 sticks of butter)
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: American
Description
Learn how to make rich, creamy homemade butter from heavy whipping cream in just about 25 minutes. This straightforward recipe uses a stand mixer or hand mixer to whip cream until butter separates from buttermilk. It’s a fun kitchen project that produces approximately 1 lb of fresh butter, which can be salted or unsalted and stored for weeks or frozen for months.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 4 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp sea salt (optional, for salted butter)
- Ice water (for rinsing butter)
Instructions
- Prepare the equipment: Fit a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or prepare a large mixing bowl and hand mixer with a whisk attachment. Ensure the bowl is large enough to accommodate the expansion of cream during whipping.
- Whip the heavy cream: Pour the heavy cream into the bowl and whip on medium speed for about 10 minutes. When stiff peaks form, add sea salt if using, then continue whipping until the butterfat separates from the buttermilk, visible as solids sticking to the whisk and liquid collecting at the bottom.
- Strain the butter: Place a mesh sieve over a smaller bowl and carefully pour the mixture through it to separate the butter solids from the buttermilk. The buttermilk collects in the bowl beneath.
- Squeeze out excess liquid: Using your hands or a spatula, press the butter to release extra buttermilk. Then dip the butter into a bowl filled with ice water and squeeze again to rinse and remove remaining liquid.
- Shape the butter: Transfer the butter onto parchment or wax paper and shape it into a log or block shape similar to store-bought sticks of butter. Wrap tightly and secure with kitchen twine or string. Optionally, slice into individual sticks and wrap separately.
- Chill and store: Refrigerate the wrapped butter to firm up further. Homemade butter stays fresh for up to 3 weeks in the fridge or can be frozen for up to 9 months.
Notes
- This recipe yields approximately 1 lb of butter, equal to 4 standard 1/2 cup sticks or 32 tablespoons.
- Heavy whipping cream is necessary and cannot be substituted for this recipe.
- Adding sea salt is optional, enabling you to make salted or unsalted butter according to preference.
- Butter can be stored in the refrigerator or frozen for longer shelf life.
- The whipping time may vary depending on the mixer used; watch for separation of butter and buttermilk rather than relying solely on time.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 102
- Sugar: 0.1 g
- Sodium: 82 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 0 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
