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.Â
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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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Can I substitute buck wheat for the whole wheat portion of the bread recipe? I have celiac disease and I yearn for a real brown bread.
I think that should work fine Carol, let us know!
I have made soda bread in the past, with white flour, and honestly, fresh out of the oven, it tastes like a crusty loaf of yeast bread. But about the butter, my mom was a farm girl, and she once told me that to make butter, you had to let the cream set out over night, which is why real cultured butter has a slight tang to it. The whey that is left after the butter is churned, is, as you said, buttermilk. But real buttermilk is tangy. Is the buttermilk you get off of making your butter, tangy like that? I’ve made butter like you do, before, but I always dumped the liquid, so I don’t know. If it’s not, don’t you need something to sour the milk, to react with the baking soda? (I never have buttermilk on hand, so I just add a little vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk when a recipe calls for buttermilk). Your site is amazing! Thanks!
It’s funny because the cultured buttermilk i buy in the supermarket is lovely, thick and flavorful…nothing like the whey that is leftover from butter making in my experience. I like your idea of leaving the cream out overnight before making the butter, I’ll definitely try that, thanks!
Sue, Darina is definitely the queen of Irish cooking, possibly in the same way as Martha is (or was!) in the US and Delia is in the UK. She has spent her whole life championing local, fresh, in-season food and bringing us back to “the land” in terms of reducing our reliance on processed food to fresh organic food. One of the most well respected chefs and authors in Ireland – and rightly so!
This bread looks absolutely delicious! I’ve never made soda bread before, but it looks so lovely and simple that I am definitely going to have to try it soon!
I have a lot of buttermilk to use up, this bread is going to make an appearance in our house very soon!
I love this – basic food for basic people.
soda bread needs to be wholemeal or a mixture I think, and this looks heavenly! And…how amazing are you making your own butter??? Have a great weekend x
I have read about Darina and her daughter in law some years ago. What wonderful bread and butter. Thanks for the inspiration as always.
This recipe definitely symbolizes all that Ms. Allen represents. Wouldn’t we all love to bake it in her ovens in her cooking school in the Irish countryside.
I think your bead looks much better than mine. I will have to try my hand at making butter. I am so glad we are doing this game changer series together.