Making homemade butter is truly easier than you think. Once you try it, you will see how insanely cool the process is and wonder if everyone knows how simple it is. I know most of us don't live in a world that doesn't require us to make homemade butter - we can just easily pick it up at any grocery store. But I think it's a great skill to have in our back pocket, and all it takes is one ingredient.
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Why Should We Make Butter At Home?
To everyone reading this thinking "Why make it when we can simply pick it up at the store?!" I get it. I buy butter and I'm not in any way trying to convince people all their butter should be homemade. Life is hectic, and I keep a stash of store butter just like the rest of us. Just see the process once and you will understand. It's just FASCINATING to see simple heavy cream reacting before our very eyes to transform into something else entirely.
Besides that, many of you love being able to control the ingredients. Choose your favorite heavy cream, decide if you want it salted, and have fun adding in herbs or seasonings! The possibilities are endless.
Not only do you end up with creamy homemade butter, you are also left with buttermilk (whey) that you can use for other recipes such as my Best Buttermilk Pancakes, one of my go-to recipes that make amazing flapjacks with those buttery yet crispy edges. You can also use it for buttermilk scones, fried chicken, and so much more.
And my favorite reason of all - it could save you money! Depending on where you live and which butter brand you usually buy, it may be cost effective to make your own butter (and you get buttermilk with it!). Plus I am someone who always buys heavy cream for other recipes. I cannot tell you how many times I've thrown away a carton that's about to expire. Now I just whisk it in my mixer and freeze both my fresh butter and buttermilk until I'm ready to use it. I call that a definite WIN.
How Does Heavy Cream Turn Into Butter?
After milk is extracted from our cows, it is left out and the fat molecules float to the top. We skim it off and we are left with the cream. We commonly whip it and it transforms into whipped cream.
Homemade butter is essentially whipped cream OVER-WHIPPED. When this happens, the fat molecules start to clump together. It separates the fat (butter) from the liquid (buttermilk). You rinse out the excess liquid, save the buttermilk, and you have officially made butter! Science is crazy.
Do I Need a Stand Mixer?
Nope! All you need is the ability to mix and agitate the heavy cream. Many people will just shake heavy cream in a mason jar until it separates. Try it! This method does require the most arm strength so you'll definitely get in a workout, but it works. You can also use a food processor, blender, or handheld mixer.
One Ingredient
All you need is heavy cream or heavy whipping cream. They are essentially the same thing labeled different by brands because of their percentage of milk fat. Heavy cream is the thickest part of the milk, so it has a minimum 36% milk fat content, whereas heavy whipping cream is lower ranges from 30-36%. They will both work - use your favorite brand that's readily available to you.
How To Make Homemade Butter
Once heavy cream starts to thicken, it turns into whipped cream.
You'll see a curdled consistency when butter and buttermilk starts to separate.
Finish mixing when butter clumps together in whisk.
Place butter into bowl of icy cold water.
Sieve buttermilk and refrigerate to use later.
Rinse butter thoroughly with fresh cold water until it runs clear. Squeeze out any excess liquid.
Add salt if desired. You can also add herbs or any other seasonings.
Slather it on your morning toast, pancakes, and be proud of your homemade butter!
Suzy's Tips For Success
- Mix on low speed in the beginning and the end: Resist the urge to start your mixer on high from the start - you will end up with cream splashing everywhere! Crank up the speed when your heavy cream begins to thicken. Same idea at the end - reduce the mixer speed to prevent the separated buttermilk from spilling over.
- Rinse butter thoroughly: Any excess buttermilk left on the butter, the quicker it will go rancid. You can rinse it under your faucet, just be sure the water is COLD or the butter will start to melt. I prefer rinsing it in a clear bowl, the same way I rinse rice. This way, I can visually see when the water becomes clear.
Best Way To Store Homemade Butter
- Room temperature: It's a big debate how safe butter is left on the counter. I keep a few tablespoons to last me a few days in a covered butter dish and have had no issues.
- Fridge: Store wrapped in parchment paper/ziplock bags or airtight jars for 2 weeks.
- Freezer: Lasts up to 9 months. Defrost in fridge as needed.
- Buttermilk: Store in airtight jar for up to 2 weeks in fridge. To freeze, pour into ice cube trays and store frozen buttermilk cubes for up to 9 months.
FAQ
The original method that is still used today is shaking the cream in a mason jar, or a handheld butter churner. It definitely will give you quite an arm workout, but it will definitely yield you homemade butter! A handheld mixer is great, and although I have never tried it myself, people have told me they use their food processors and blenders. Do not overfill them and be cautious of the blades. Take into consideration when the butter separates, it will clump together so leave adequate room in the blender or processor.
The time will vary on a few factors - the amount and temperature of your cream and how it's being mixed. The colder your cream, the faster it will whip. The same goes for the amount - one cup will separate faster than ½ a gallon. For a stand mixer going on med-high speed, it may take 20-25 minutes. Shaking the cream in a mason jar may take 15 minutes, but requires more effort. A few people mentioned a blender or food processor on high speed could take around 10 minutes, but is harder to clean-up.
You can store homemade butter in the fridge for 2 weeks, and freeze for up to 9 months. It typically does not last as long as store-bought butter if stored on the counter or fridge, since homemade butter is absent of any preservatives. Rinsing it thoroughly to get out all the whey before storing is truly the key. Most of my homemade butter goes into the freezer and I defrost in the fridge as I need them.
The buttermilk extracted can be stored for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. To freeze, pour the buttermilk into ice cubes. Once frozen, store the cubes in a freezer bag and defrost when needed.
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Equipment
- Mixer of choice
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream aka heavy whipping cream
- salt to taste optional
Instructions
- Pour heavy cream in a stand mixer bowl and whisk on low speed. You can also use a blender, food processor, handheld mixer, or shake in a mason jar.2 cups heavy cream
- Increase mixer speed when cream begins to thicken. Continue whisking until whipped cream curdles, then you'll see the butter separating from the liquid. Reduce speed. Depending on your mixer and speed, the time this will take will vary.
- Transfer all the butter into a bowl of icy cold water. Sieve the remaining buttermilk and store in fridge in airtight container.
- Rinse butter thoroughly and squeeze until all excess buttermilk. Sprinkle on salt, if desired. Store in wrapped parchment paper, cling wrap, or airtight jars.salt to taste
Nutrition
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Rochelle says
When I first saw this post I couldn’t believe it was just one ingredient. The video made it fool proof and extremely easy to follow! Made mine with some dried herbs and it turned out super tasty. Thank you Suzy!
Suzy says
This makes me so happy, I bet your herbed butter came out amazing! Thank you for taking the time to let me know, Rochelle. Hope to see you again here soon!
Jozlynn Venditti says
Loved making this butter ahead of time for thanksgiving! So good!
Suzy says
Yes! Although we can buy butter anywhere, it feels good to make your own. Thank you, Jozlynn, and happy holidays!
Rose Roberts says
I made this butter and I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make. It tastes so great. Thanks for the recipe and showing how to make it.
Suzy says
Thank you for trying my recipe, Rose. Yes - so easy and delicious! I'm so glad you tried it.
Dhyanitha says
hello, thank you for this great recipe. how much butter does it yield for 500ml of whipping cream?
Suzy says
Hello! It will typically yield about half the amount of heavy whipping cream. So 500ml will probably turn into 250g (give or take) of butter, or a little more than 1 cup (2 butter sticks) PLUS all the buttermilk extracted out of it.
Wendy says
Since this was my first attempt at making butter I thought I would start small. I used a pint sized mason jar that I filled halfway with heavy cream. I then started shaking it. I shook it for approximately 10-12 minutes before getting whipped cream (that tasted more like butter and less like whip cream but I’m sure that is because I agitated it longer than you would to get whipped cream). After about 15-20 minutes I realized it wasn’t going to do anything further and I really feel that this is because there was no more room in the jar to move around. I finished it off in a steel bowl with my electric mixer in a matter of moments. After rinsing well, I worked in pink Himalayan salt and refrigerated. It does not have the stronger taste of store bought butter but it was good. Also, for half a pint of cream I got approx. 3.5 oz of butter. My tip out of this experience is that if you are going to use a jar then make sure that it is much larger than the amount of cream you are using. It really does need that room to move around freely.
Suzy says
That's a great point, Wendy. You need to be able to incorporate a lot of air to the cream. And I'm sure the quality of cream results in the quality taste of the butter. Thanks for the tips and giving it a try!
Taylor says
Tastes great and was super quick and easy!! I used the buttermilk too to make a birthday cake and muffins. Do you happen to know the percentage of butter fat for the butter? I know it’s normally 80-82% but I wasn’t sure if you had an exact number. Thank you!!
Suzy says
Hello Taylor. So glad you enjoyed the homemade butter recipe! That's a great question. I'm going to take a good guess and say it may depend on the heavy cream you use. I would guess it was what you thought - 80-82%, but Google actually says it's higher at 86%! Not sure of its accuracy, but it's safe to say it's somewhere in that range. Sorry I couldn't narrow it down to the exact number!