Homemade butter is easy and delicious ~ it’s one of those forgotten skills that anyone can master.
how to make homemade butter
Making butter at home is a simple process that requires only one ingredient – heavy cream.
Ingredients:
- Heavy cream, cold from the fridge
Tools:
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Bowl
- Spatula
- Cheesecloth or paper towels
method for making homemade butter
- Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the cream on medium-high speed until it thickens and becomes whipped cream. This should take around 5-7 minutes.
- Keep beating the whipped cream until it starts to look grainy and yellow liquid (buttermilk) separates from the mixture. This should take another 5-7 minutes.
- Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue beating the mixture until the butter has formed into a solid mass and the buttermilk is completely separated.
- Once the butter has formed, drain off the buttermilk by pouring the mixture through a cheesecloth or paper towel-lined colander. Reserve the buttermilk for later use.
- Rinse the butter with cold water to remove any remaining buttermilk. This will help preserve the butter and prevent it from going rancid quickly.
- Use a spatula to press out any excess water from the butter.
- Place the butter in a container or wrap it in parchment paper and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
to salt your homemade butter
- Sprinkle 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt per stick of butter (or to taste) over the surface of the butter.
- Use a butter knife or spatula to work the salt evenly into the butter.
- Taste the butter and adjust the salt if needed.
- Once the butter is salted to your liking, transfer it to a container or wrap it in wax paper and store it in the refrigerator.
Note: You can use any type of salt you prefer, such as sea salt or kosher salt, but it’s important to use a fine-grained salt to ensure even distribution.
storing homemade butter
Generally, if stored properly, homemade butter can last for up to two weeks in the refrigerator, or up to six months in the freezer.
more forgotten skills!
- How to Make Clotted Cream ~ 3 Ways!
- How to Set the Table!
- How to Use and Care for Silverware
- Homemade mayonnaise in 30 seconds
- 30 Second Hollandaise Sauce
- How to Make Lemon Balm Tea
How to Make Homemade Butter
Easy homemade butter made with just one ingredient ~ in minutes!
Servings: 1 cup
Equipment
- stand mixer or electric beaters
- cheese cloth
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream, cold
Instructions
- Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the cream on medium-high speed until it thickens and becomes whipped cream. This should take around 5-7 minutes.
- Keep beating the whipped cream until it starts to look grainy and yellow liquid (buttermilk) separates from the mixture. This should take another 5-7 minutes.
- Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue beating the mixture until the butter has formed into a solid mass and the buttermilk is completely separated.
- Once the butter has formed, drain off the buttermilk by pouring the mixture through a cheesecloth or paper towel-lined colander. Reserve the buttermilk for later use.
- Rinse the butter with cold water to remove any remaining buttermilk. This will help preserve the butter and prevent it from going rancid quickly.
- Use a spatula to press out any excess water from the butter.
- Place the butter in a container or wrap it in parchment paper and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Notes
*This recipe was updated in 2023. The brown bread recipe has moved to a new post, here.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 Tbsp · Calories: 101 kcal · Carbohydrates: 1 g · Protein: 1 g · Fat: 11 g · Saturated Fat: 7 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g · Cholesterol: 34 mg · Sodium: 8 mg · Potassium: 28 mg · Sugar: 1 g · Vitamin A: 437 IU · Vitamin C: 0.2 mg · Calcium: 20 mg · Iron: 0.03 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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Looks delicious! I haven’t made soda bread since I was a little kid and I’ve mostly been focusing on yeasted breads, but I should definitely try this.
I found that although white whole wheat is good for replacing white flour in things like cookies, it makes bread with a flavor that is neither as complex nor as pleasurable as red whole wheat (although, obviously, red whole wheat produces a heavier, slightly bitter loaf without a sweetener). Did you find that you liked the taste of the white whole wheat in the soda bread?
Sue, seriously drooling here!! tI have always wanted to try making soda bread, love the ease of this recipe…anf the homemade butter, divine! so easy and I bet the flavor is fresh. great pics!
Amazing, never thought of making my own butter. I will try it for sure! Thanks. 🙂
I want a big hunk of that gorgeous soda bread with some homemade butter for slathering on heavily. Looks amazing, Sue!!
Hah! I never knew that’s how buttermilk’s made. I’m sure Darina would’ve pooh-poohed me and given me a little figurative slap on the wrist for not being aware of such basics. But, it sure is fun to learn like this because I get to drool at pictures at the same time.
Wonderful write up Sue! Fun that so many of us made soda breads…and they all look different. Love the butter you made..you are so clever! What could be better than homemade butter with hot from the oven soda bread??
Sue, Such a wonderful post! Your bread looks perfectly beautiful! The butter looks so soft and creamy! I’m seeing beautiful breads all over the web today and they have inspired me! My grandson just asked this week if we could make butter…I sent a link for your blog to my daughter-in-law. You made it look so easy. Have a great weekend!
I love the instructions for making butter :-). The bread also sounds wonderful and I really liked the way you presented her biography. Have a wonderful weekend. Blessings…Mary
Susan—I completely agree, the soda bread was best warm from the oven. I gnawed on a piece of it this morning and it just wasn’t the same. I think we Americans are just too used to rich breads to be able to appreciate it!
Mireya—I should have weighed it, and now 1/2 of it’s gone 😉 I think I got about the equivalent of a stick of butter, so that would be 4 oz, maybe a bit more. Worth it, though, for guests, or to do with kids.