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
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.
tvfgi recommends: 6 Quart Instant Pot on Amazon Prime
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot for this recipe, and I like it because the size is not too big or too small for most recipes. It’s currently under $100 on Amazon Prime and well worth it.
Reader Rave ~
“I just made the clotted cream in my 8Qt Duo multi-cooker. I used 5 C cream, which came 1 inch up the inside of the pot. I cooked it for 8 hours on warm and put it in the fridge overnight. AMAZING! I got about 2.5 C clotted cream and about the same amount in liquid (which has already been made into scones).” ~Kim
Instant Pot Clotted Cream Recipe
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 pints of non-ultra pasteurized heavy cream, make sure to find non-ultra pasteurized cream for this
Instructions
- Note: I like to plan to start my Instant Pot clotted cream in the morning, when I wake up. That way I can put it in the refrigerator before I go to bed and wake up to a finished product!
- Pour the cream directly into the Instant Pot. Close the lid (no need to set the vent, we're not pressure cooking.) Press the YOGURT button and press until it says BOIL.
- When the machine beeps, and has reached the boil stage, press the KEEP WARM button and let it go for 8-10 hours. I let mine go for 10 hours.
- Turn the machine off and remove the pot. Let cool at room temperature without disturbing. Then refrigerate the pot, as is, for 12 hours.
- Carefully scoop off the thickened layer of clotted cream, leaving the thin liquid behind. It's ok if you get some of the thinner liquid into your clotted cream, you can mix it in.
- Spoon your cream into a glass jar. You can leave as is, or stir it together to make it creamier.
- Enjoy within 2 weeks.
- The leftover liquid can be used to make scones.
Notes
Hi
I was excited to try this recipe in the Instant Pot. I have tried on several occasions to make clotted cream and all I get is the top “crust” with 2 cups of cream below. I search out for pasteurized cream and use it. This time I bought raw milk for a nearby farm and skimmed the cream off the top. I tried to keep the milk out. I didn’t see a milk line in the cream. looked to be all cream and I did have some cream left in the milk. Another botched batch. Just the crust and lots of liquid. What could I have done wrong? HELP. I would love to get this right.
Hey Betsey ~ when you finish ‘cooking’ the cream, are you putting it in the refrigerator overnight? The chilling thickens up the clotted cream considerably. And many people consider the crust to be the best part! I’m not sure about your farm milk, it’s hard to know what went wrong there since there are so many variables.
I’m so excited about this recipe. I am just confused with the Keep Warm. There are three choices: low, normal and more. I’ve chosen more because I’ve made clotted cream in the oven and it’s set at 180? as you’ve stated as well. I hope I did the right thing!
Hi Tina ~ my keep warm button has no choices, just one setting. Are you sure you’re pressing the keep warm button? What model Instant Pot do you have?
Were you ever able to determine which “keep warm” setting to use, low, normal, or more? I realize it’s been 8 months since you posted on this clotted cream recipe. Thank you.
Does the instant pot boiling point get to 212? And does it lower to 180 in the keep warm setting?
I wonder if you could do this using a sous vide – I can set the temperature to 180′. Could I make it in individual jelly jars?
I have no idea about the sous vide, interesting! You can’t really make it in individual jars because the clotted cream separates from the whey, and you need to scrape off the clotted cream and then jar it.
I just made the clotted cream in my 8Qt Duo multi-cooker. I used 5 C cream, which came 1 inch up the inside of the pot. I cooked it for 8 hours on warm and put it in the fridge overnight. AMAZING! I got about 2.5 C clotted cream and about the same amount in liquid (which has already been made into scones).
The question I have is: would cooking the cream for 10 hours have resulted in more clotted cream and less liquid? Or, would I have had more of the yellow “crust” on top?
Thanks for the great recipe!
I think you might get a little more clotting if you leave it longer, Kim, and keep in mind, that crust is considered gold by clotted cream aficionados!
Hi Kim! Do you remember if you put the warm setting on low, med, high, or custom? I have an 8qt Ultra as well and just put it on. Thanks in advance!
Can I use raw cream to make clotted cream? My Whole Foods and Trader Joes sources for non-ultra pasteurized cream have dried up. They just quit carrying it.
Oh wow, that’s unfortunate. I believe the original way to make clotted cream is with raw cream Jean, so I imagine that would work if you have a good source. I can’t say for sure, though, because I haven’t personally tried it.
I was excited to try the recipe until I realized it was for an IP with the yogurt function. Unfortunately, my Lux doesn’t have that, so I need to figure out how to do it in the IP without the yogurt button.
Your Almomd Scones look divine! I searched for the recipe & didn’t find it.
Try the oven method, I link to that in the post (here it is:https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/how-to-make-clotted-cream/) And I never did post the scone recipe, I’ll try to do that this week.
Hi! I would love some help here understanding this method of Insta pot use. I poured in the cream, selected “yogurt” and then pressed it again to get it on the “boil” setting. Once it beeped, I tried pressing the keep warm button. It didn’t automatically switch over, so I canceled the boil and then just switched it to keep warm. Is this what I was supposed to do?
Yes, that’s what I did.
Do you think a 3 quart mini instant pot is too small for this recipe?
I think it might be Debra, because the cream would be very deep. You could try it with one pint of cream.
Do you cover this when you refrigerate it overnight? I just had an amazing Victoria sponge and now I need clotted cream in my life. I’d given in to just using jam on scones…
I cover it, yes, but you don’t have to.