Have you ever wondered how to make homemade butter? It’s easier than you might think! If you have some extra heavy cream hanging around, why not try this easy recipe? You’ll be the star of family movie night when you serve up the popcorn with your own butter. You can flavor and mold it however you’d like; it’s a fun family activity!
Many years ago, when my son was much smaller, we made some homemade butter as a kitchen activity. I took the no-appliance route that time; we shook heavy cream in a jar until it separated into butter and buttermilk.
It was a *great* arm workout. So. Much. Shaking.
Do you have a child who has a ton of energy and is always jumping around? Just hand them a jar containing heavy cream. Your butter will be ready soon!
I’m kidding. But seriously, this might be a fun activity for your budding cooks and bakers. If they aren’t ready to handle glass jars or a food processor, they may be able to help stir herbs into the butter. They might also be interested in packing the butter into molds if you are shaping the butter.
There’s also a learning component tucked in there since they will get to see how the butter is made. They’ll get to observe firsthand how solid butter forms out of the liquid cream, separating from the buttermilk.
So many valuable educational experiences can be had beyond what happens at a school desk.
(That is the former homeschooling parent in me talking. But it’s definitely true.)
A lot of times, heavy cream is sold in pint cartons. Thus, if you make a recipe like some delicious salmon with lemon cream sauce, you will have lots of
Some tips to help you successfully make homemade butter
In case you could not guess by the pictures, I used a food processor to help speed this slow food process along. Well, I had hoped to speed the process along. It ended up taking an hour, likely far longer than if I had just shaken cream in a jar.
The food processor I own has a very large capacity, so I needed to stop the processor and scrape it down often. By often, I mean every few minutes. It wasn’t a big deal since I was doing other things in the kitchen anyway, but it’s good to know.
If you have a small food processor, I highly recommend using that for this recipe. Another option is to use more cream in a larger food processor. The downside is that your homemade butter will not last as long in the fridge as store-bought.
Luckily, butter freezes well, so there’s no need to rush to use a large yield. If you are planning on molding the butter, freezing it in the mold is your best bet to get neatly formed shapes. I used a small star-shaped silicone ice cube tray, but I bet you could also use small candy molds.
Aside from aesthetic appeal, molding the butter is a great way to sneak in some portion control. This assumes, of course, that you use small molds, one teaspoon to one tablespoon in size. The ½-cup cocktail ice cube trays that I use to freeze bone broth is not the best choice here!
I didn’t flavor my butter with herbs, but I bet some fresh chopped thyme, sage, or rosemary would be fabulous. Spices, such as cinnamon and nutmeg, might be a nice alternative to the herbs.
And now for the disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The calorie information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don’t sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to this post. Let’s get cooking!
How do you make homemade butter? Easy recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- herbs or spices of your choosing (optional)
Instructions
- Blend the heavy cream in a small food processor. It will turn into whipped cream after a few minutes. Keep blending until the buttermilk separates from the butter. You may need to scrape down the sides of your food processor often.
- It may take 50-60 minutes for the butter to fully separate. Patience is key! It will look like the photo when it is ready for the next step.
- Lift the butter out of the buttermilk. The buttermilk left in the processor can be used in other recipes.
- Collect the butter into a ball and put it in a bowl of cold water. Squeeze out the rest of the buttermilk. Take the butter out and change the water out in the bowl. Add the butter back to the bowl, and squeeze it again. Repeat with another change of water if needed.
- Put the lump of butter in a bowl. Stir in the salt and any optional herbs or spices. I yielded approximately ⅓-cup of butter.
- This butter does not last as long in the refrigerator as store-bought butter. You can fill small (1 teaspoon-1 tablespoon) silicone ice cube trays with the butter and freeze. I used a small star-shaped cube tray. The butter will pop out easily once frozen. Enjoy!
Notes
This is a level 3 recipe (weight maintenance and active lifestyles). Butter is extremely delicious, but it counts as an added fat. One mistake I made when first trying to lose weight was adding an excessive amount of added fat to my foods. Butter actually contains fewer calories than olive oil (100 calories versus 120 calories per tablespoon, thanks to dairy solids). However, it still adds up quickly if you generously slather it on everything or add copious amounts to your coffee. If your aim is fat loss, I generally recommend trying to get most of your fat intake from whole food sources. Added fats (including butter) are extremely energy-dense and easy (for some) to overeat. Limiting foods high in saturated fat, such as butter, may also help those who are trying to lower their blood cholesterol levels.
Nutrition
If you’ve tried this process before, how do you make homemade butter? Have you tried the canning jar method, a food processor, or (wow!) an old-fashioned butter churn? Tell me about your adventures in butter making!
Terrified Amateur says
So cool, Summer!
I watched a YouTube video recently explaining how Victorian households made butter. Modern tools and gadgets doubtless make things easier, but still, it's a time-devouring process. As it was then.
Still, how awesome is that, to make your own butter! Strikingly impressive too.
Did you discern a difference, taste-wise, between yours and store-bought?
Summer Yule says
Thank you! The homemade butter spreads a little more easily but I find it very similar taste-wise. If you wanted something unique, I've been making goat milk yogurt lately and this got me thinking that it would be really interesting to make a goat milk butter. I'm thinking it would be the perfect thing to toast one of my favorite grilled cheese combos (chevre + basil + sun-dried tomatoes).
Terrified Amateur says
Yeah, I got that impression, too, from watching the video. Homemade is suppler.
Nice inspiration with the goat milk! Please...uncoil your curiosity. What a great balance to various sweet notes tomatoes and basil strike!
Summer Yule says
I'll post if I do! My homemade goat milk yogurt is far thinner than cow's milk yogurt, so I'm wondering about the differences I'll see between butters.