Instant Pot Clotted Cream Recipe

My Instant Pot Clotted Cream Recipe is a revelation, plain and simple.  Who’d a thunk you could use your Instant Pot to create the famously decadent spreadable cream that’s the highlight of a classic British afternoon tea?  I’ll show you how to make it easily in your own kitchen.

What if I don’t have an Instant Pot?

• No worries, check out my original post, How To Make Homemade Clotted Cream in the oven!

That recipe that has been a long time favorite on the blog.  I think it’s been so popular because it sets out an easy method for making a very special, exotic treat that most of us don’t have access to.  If you’ve ever had clotted cream on a scone in Britain, or at an afternoon tea, you’ll know how uniquely delicious this thick creamy spread can be.  If you haven’t experienced clotted cream, I suggest you stick around…

What the heck is clotted cream?

Fair question, it isn’t the most common thing in the world…

• Clotted cream is a thick creamy spread normally used on scones, and popular in Great Britain.
• It’s made from heavy cream that has been heated over a period of time until it thickens or ‘clots’ into a spreadable consistency with a unique cooked cream flavor.
• Clotted cream is world famous for its unparalleled rich texture, and it’s an essential part of a classic British afternoon tea, where it’s spread on scones and topped with jam.
• Normally the only way to get clotted cream is to visit Great Britain, or to spend big $$ on a very small imported jar at your local gourmet market.

What does clotted cream taste like?

• Clotted cream has a very simple flavor profile, like an unsweetened heavy cream with a subtle ‘cooked’ flavor.  The texture is equally if not more important than the flavor, it’s somewhere between a very thick whipped cream, and butter.

Clotted cream is an exotic treat, you might be able to find small imported jars in your better supermarkets, but you will pay a premium price for it.  I developed a way to make your own homemade clotted cream in your oven, which I’ve shared in my original post, here.

Today I’m unveiling another, even easier method for making homemade clotted cream, right in your Instant Pot  (see, I told you you should get one.)

The Instant Pot method is similar to the oven method, but takes a lot of the guess work out of the process.  For those of you who don’t have an oven that can be set precisely to 180F, this is an great alternative method, and just in time for Mother’s Day, Easter, Passover, and spring entertaining!  For either method you’ll need the same thing: non- ultra pasteurized heavy cream, 2 pints.

What does ultra pasteurized mean?

• All milk and cream sold in the US is pasteurized, meaning it’s heated in order to kill harmful bacteria and to help preserve it longer.
• Ultra pasteurized cream is simply heated to a higher temperature, at least 280F, and that kills even more of the bacteria and helps it stay fresher for even longer (before opening.)

Where to find non-ultra-pasteurized cream ~

• Most heavy cream sold today is what’s called ‘ultra-pastuerized’.  That just means it’s been heated beyond the regular pasteurizing method so that it has an extra long shelf life.  This can interfere with the clotting process, so the general rule it to use regular pasteurized cream when trying to make clotted cream.
• I have found non-ultra-pasteurized cream at Whole Foods and Trader Joes, for starters.
• Look for cream with a high fat content, mine is 40%.

While the cream is clotting, you’ve got time for a quick batch of scones!  I’ll share my currant almond scones on the blog next week, but in the meantime, I’ve got lots of scone recipes on the blog for you to try.  Clotted cream and scones is one of those combinations that is unique and can’t be duplicated.  But luckily you can make them both in your own kitchen :)

And trust me, there is nothing, and I mean nothing, like a warm homemade scone spread with homemade clotted cream.

TIPS for making Instant Pot Clotted Cream ~

• This is a simple but precise process.  Stick to the recipe as stated, this recipe doesn’t have much room for variation.
• You can try this with regular pasteurized cream, but at your own risk.
• Make sure you refrigerate the cream as per the recipe after you’ve cooked it in the Instant Pot, and before you disturb it, the cream thickens up further as it chills in the fridge.
• AFTER you’ve chilled the cream for at least 12 hours, or even longer, you can skim off the thick cream and put it into a jar.  There will be leftover liquid in the pot, and you can use that to make scones.
• You can stir some of the thinner liquid into your clotted cream if you want a looser consistency.
• If your clotted cream seems very thin, or you mistakenly mixed too much of the thin liquid into it, try blending it very briefly with an immersion blender, this works like a charm.  Just be sure not to blend it too much or you’ll get clotted butter.  Also good ;)  but not what we’re going for.

Why is there a crust on my clotted cream?

• Worry not ~ the crust is a characteristic of clotted cream, it can be creamy white or even darker yellow.  That signifies that the cream has cooked, and ‘clotted’ or clumped into an unbelievably delicious spread.  The clotted cream underneath the crust will be creamier.

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