Attention all butter lovers.
Homemade butter. All you need is one simple ingredient and 20 minutes. After you try it, you’ll never look at bread and butter the same.
Why you'll love making homemade butter.
Confidence in the kitchen
It’s a rewarding and satisfying experience to make butter from scratch.
Control of ingredients
Making butter at home gives you the ability to control salt content and flavor.
Perfect with homemade bread
There’s nothing like homemade bread and butter. Try my Easy No-Knead Artisan Bread or Butter Biscuits paired with homemade butter.
The origin of butter.
Did you know that butter was discovered on accident? According to Food Network, Herders would strap their milk to their animals and in the agitation of travel from one location to the next, curds were discovered. It was originally created from yak, goat and sheep milk.
Butter is a necessity for many recipes. It enhances the texture in cookies, adds richness to steak or creaminess to pasta sauce. Although it contains essential fats and vitamins like A and E, due to its high fat content, it’s important to mention that moderation is key.
Tools needed for making homemade butter.
A stand mixer or hand mixer
A stand mixer or hand mixer are the best options. This takes the hard part out of butter making and does all the hard work for you. You may also use a mason jar or a food processor. The tools used are based on personal preference and convivence.
Mesh strainer or cheese cloth
This is helpful when separating the butter from the buttermilk.
Large bowl with ice water
Ice water is used in the process of making butter to keep the temperature of the butter low, preventing it from melting. Kneading and churning the butter in ice water also helps separate the butter from the buttermilk. This gives you better flavor and texture.
Wooden paddles or molds
Wooden paddles or molds are optional but they do help provide a traditional and rustic touch to the entire process.
Why do I need to rinse my butter?
It is important to rinse and knead homemade butter in cold water for a few important reasons.
Prevents melting
Ice water keeps the temperature of the butter low, preventing it from melting. It also helps remove excess buttermilk, which is known to speed up the rancid process.
Freshness
By removing as much buttermilk as possible, you increase shelf life, decrease the moisture content and help prevent early spoilage. It also gives butter its smooth texture.
Heavy cream, whipping cream or half and half?
When you take a walk down the dairy isle, you will be met with many different cream options. When it comes to making butter, organic, grass-fed cream will yield the best flavor and nutritional value but whatever you have available at your local grocery store will work just fine. It can be overwhelming, especially for a novice cook. Let’s go through the options together, and learn about the differences.
Heavy Cream
The best choice for making homemade butter. Its fat content makes it easier for the cream to separate into butter and buttermilk during the churning process. It has the highest fat content, between 36% to 40%. Typically used in pasta recipes to enrich and thicken sauces.
Whipping Cream
Lighter in fat content, between 30% to 36%. Suitable for whipping.
Half and Half
A mix of equal parts of whole milk and light cream. Less rich than half and half. Lowest fat content, between 10% to 12%. Perfect to use in coffee or sauces.
Cost breakdown.
Homemade butter may have a higher initial investment due to equipment but it can be more cost effective in the long run if you make butter frequently. And of course, if you have your own cow and farm, then you’re one blessed human!
The cost breakdown can vary based on factors like local prices, brand and quality, store policy, location, supply chain and distribution, promotions and discounts, packaging and more. Let’s consider a basic estimate:
Homemade butter with heavy cream
- 1 quart of heavy cream costs around $5.99
- This entire carton produces around 2 lbs. of butter, depending on the efficiency of the churning process.
- 4 sticks of butter weigh about 1 lb. in total.
- This option would yield 8 sticks of butter, not including price of equipment, energy cost and optional additions.
Store bought butter
- Price of 1 lb. of butter costs around $6.99
Variation to homemade butter.
This recipe is a great base for making other flavored, compound butter. Once you’ve rinsed and formed your butter, feel free to add any of these popular aromatics:
- Sea salt
- Honey
- Honey cinnamon
- Chive, dill and parsley
- Basil
- Garlic and herb
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Homemade Butter
Ingredients
- 4 cups heavy whipping cream chilled
Instructions
- Pour the heavy cream into a stand mixer bowl. Whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.4 cups heavy whipping cream
- Reduce the speed to medium-low and keep mixing until the cream splits into buttermilk and butter solids. Towards the end of this process, you may need to place a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to prevent splashing.
- Place a mesh strainer over a large bowl and pour in the contents, catching the butter in the strainer and the liquid in the bowl. You can save the buttermilk to enjoy later or discard.
- Place the butter into a large bowl of ice and water. Squeeze and knead the butter between your fingers to release any more buttermilk. You may want to use kitchen gloves for this step. Press and form into a ball and repeat the process. Replace the water as needed and continue to knead and rinse with ice water until the water is no longer milky.
- Place the butter on a wooden board and pat down all sides using a butter paddle. Alternatively, you can place the butter in parchment paper, press and roll into a log. Label and store in the refrigerator wrapped in parchment paper in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- This recipe yields about 2 sticks of butter, 1 cup or 16 Tablespoons.
- Once the butter is clean and no more milky water is seen, feel free to mix in toppings like fresh herbs, cinnamon sugar or sea salt.
Nutrition
The provided nutritional value above is an estimate per serving. 100% accuracy is not guarenteed. Please see Nutrition Information Disclaimer in our Privacy Policy.
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
How much butter would you recommend to make salted butter?
You can make as much butter as you’d like. Generally speaking, 2 cups of heavy cream makes approx. 2 sticks of butter or one cup. Adjust the salt to your desired taste. I hope this helps!
Hi! I’ve been loving this recipe, so easy & delicious. What is the shelf life for the buttermilk?
Thank you
Thank you! For homemade butter, I suggest to consume within 1 to 2 weeks. It’s shelf life is slightly shower than commercially produced buttermilk due to the lack of added preservatives. You may freeze buttermilk. Pour leftovers into an airtight container, leaving some room for expansion and freeze for up 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator but be mindful, it may separate during freezing. I hope this helps! 🙂
question: how long does this butter keep?
Hi Drew, 1 to 2 weeks in the refrigerator and up to three months in the freezer.
Make butter with Vanilla. That is a Favorit in French breakfast…
Hi Kai, that sounds absolutely delicious!