If you haven’t made homemade butter before, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is! My homemade butter recipe only requires one ingredient, and is made in under ten minutes!
Why Make Butter at Home?
Though butter is readily available in every grocery store, making your own can be a fun process that connects you more deeply to where your food comes from and how it’s made.
When you make your own butter, you get to control the ingredients that the butter is made from. You can use high quality, organic or local cream, and add in the amount of salt and seasonings that you desire. You can also whip your butter if you’d like, and keep the leftover buttermilk to use in other recipes!
Plus, homemade butter tastes fresh, delicious, and even better than store-bought.
How to Make Butter From Scratch
The only ingredient you need to make butter from scratch is heavy cream!
Heavy cream is derived from whole milk. And if you’ve ever had farm fresh milk before, you know that the fat molecules from the milk naturally float to the top, creating a layer of delicious cream that you can skim off and use.
Butter is cream that has been whipped past the point of whipping cream.
To get butter you have to whip the cream long enough for the fat molecules to collect together. Once the fat molecules come together to create butter, buttermilk is left behind.
And voilá! You have butter and buttermilk.
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- Heavy cream
- Ice cold water
- Salt (if desired)
Equipment
- A food processor, hand mixer, or stand mixer. (I prefer to use a food processor)
How to Make Homemade Butter
1. Begin by pouring heavy cream into the food processor. Make sure not to fill it more than halfway to allow room for the cream to expand. Secure the lid and begin processing the cream.
2. After a couple of minutes you will see the cream thickening and turning into whipped cream. Keep processing until the whipped cream fully separates.
3. Once the butterfat has clumped together and separated from the buttermilk, stop processing. You will know its finished when it sounds like water is splashing.
4. Strain the buttermilk from the butterfat and save it for other recipes. (Like muffins, pancakes, biscuits, or buttermilk ranch!)
5. Transfer the butter to a bowl of ice cold water to remove any remaining buttermilk and allow the butter to firm up.
6. Knead the butter in the water. Repeat this process with fresh ice cold water until the water runs clear.
7. Remove butter from water and squeeze any remaining water out from the butter. If you prefer salted butter, you can knead in a pinch of salt at this stage.
8. Mold the butter into desired shape. (I like to mold it into a rectangle and put it right into my butter container!)
9. Place butter into a container or wrap in parchment paper, and refrigerate.
Keep butter refrigerated and use within 2-3 weeks!
Can You Freeze Homemade Butter?
Yes, you can freeze homemade butter.
Store in an airtight container and keep in the freezer for up to 9 months. However, for the best and most fresh flavor, use within a month of making!
Frozen butter is a great addition to homemade baked goods to create a tender and flaky crust. Use straight away from the freezer for pie or other dessert recipes, or thaw the butter to make it creamy and spreadable by placing it in the refrigerator for about 8 hours ahead of time, or submerging it in cold water until fully thawed.
Homemade Butter
Equipment
- A food processor, hand mixer, or stand mixer. , (I prefer to use a food processor)
Ingredients
- 1 quart heavy cream
- pinch salt (if desired)
- ice cold water
Instructions
- Begin by pouring heavy cream into the food processor. Make sure not to fill it more than halfway to allow room for the cream to expand. Secure the lid and begin processing the cream.
- After a couple of minutes you will see the cream thickening and turning into whipped cream. Keep processing until the whipped cream fully separates.
- Once the butterfat has clumped together and separated from the buttermilk, stop processing. You will know it's finished when it sounds like water is splashing.
- Strain the buttermilk from the butterfat and save it for other recipes. (Like muffins, pancakes, biscuits, or buttermilk ranch!)
- Transfer the butter to a bowl of ice cold water to remove any remaining buttermilk and allow the butter to firm up.
- Knead the butter in the water. Repeat this process with fresh ice cold water until the water runs clear.
- Remove butter from water and squeeze any remaining water out from the butter. If you prefer salted butter, you can knead in a pinch of salt at this stage.
- Mold the butter into desired shape. (I like to mold it into a rectangle and put it right into my butter container!)
- Place butter into a container or wrap in parchment paper, and refrigerate.
Notes
Want to Learn How to Make More Food Staples From Scratch?
Once you start swapping premade food staples for healthier, homemade alternatives– you won’t ever go back! There is nothing better than creating wholesome meals for your family and friends that are nourishing and delicious! Which is why I created a recipe guide full of healthier, from-scratch versions of your favorite kitchen staples that you and your family will love. Grab a copy today, and fill your kitchen with delicious and simple recipes just like this one!
Did you make my homemade butter recipe? Let me know in the comments! And to keep up with the latest recipes on the blog, check out my recent posts: