Two Easy Ways to Make Your Own Homemade Butter

Butter is easy to make at home with some heavy cream and a jar or a stand mixer. All you need is heavy cream and a little patience to make butter yourself. Follow the recipes below to make your own, and keep reading on for inspiration to flavor and package your homemade butter.

How to Make Butter in a Jar

After demonstrating a quick and easy way to make 15-minute homemade ice cream, Illinois dairy farmer Karen Bohnert and her daughter, Cassie, are back to show us how to make butter in a jar.

Ingredients & Supplies

• Heavy whipping cream
• Glass jar with lid

Instructions

1. Fill the glass jar half full with the whipping cream. Put the lid on tight.
2. Shake the glass jar until you can’t hear the liquid moving around anymore and the whipping cream begins to solidify.
3. After shaking, you’ll end up with butter and buttermilk that’s ready to use!

How to Make Butter in a Stand Mixer

If you prefer to let your equipment do the work, this butter recipe works great in a KitchenAid stand mixer.

Ingredients & Supplies

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Stand mixer or hand mixer with whisk attachment

Instructions

 

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1. Add cold heavy whipping cream to a cold mixing bowl.
2. Turn the mixer on speed 8 (or high speed on a hand mixer) and cover the mixer with a towel. Follow the timemarks below to ensure the butter is developing correctly.
   2. At 2.5 minutes, the mixture should form soft whipped cream.
   3. At 4 minutes, the mixture should form stiff whipped cream.
   4. At 5 minutes, scrape down the bowl.
   5. At 8 minutes, scrape down the bowl.
   6. At 10 minutes, scrape down the bowl and increase speed to 10.
   7. At 13 minutes, the mixture should separate into butter and buttermilk.
3. Wash butter to rid of additional buttermilk by kneading the butter in a bowl of very cold water 2-3 times. Look for water to run clear.
4. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and work it into the butter.
5. If using seasonings, mix into butter.

Flavors to Add to Your Homemade Butter

Flavored butter makes a great homemade gift or addition to any gathering, as it is simple to make and customizable to individual taste. A general rule of thumb when flavoring butter is to add spices in small quantities to achieve the desired flavor profile.

To make these recipes, simply use a stand mixer or hand mixer to beat the butter and flavor ingredients together. For the strongest flavor, let the butter sit in the fridge overnight to absorb the flavors before serving.

Here are a few general flavor recipes you can follow.

Cowboy Butter Ingredients

A savory butter best used while cooking meats or as a dipping sauce. This recipe is for ½ a cup of butter.

• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• Additional salt to taste

Honey Cinnamon Butter Ingredients

This sweet classic is the perfect addition to toast, rolls, pancakes, and other bakery items.

• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Additional Butter Flavoring Ideas

Get creative and mix up your own flavor combination! Here are a few ingredients to get you started:

• Savory butter ingredients: garlic powder, red pepper flakes, onion powder, thyme, sage, rosemary and Italian seasoning.
• Tangy/Spicy butter ingredients: lemon juice, lime juice, ginger, hot sauce, and chipotle seasoning.
• Sweet butter ingredients: honey, cinnamon, vanilla, pumpkin spice, nutmeg, and powdered sugar.

How to Store Homemade Butter

Whether you’re gifting it or enjoying it at home, there are plenty of creative ways to store homemade butter. Homemade butter is good for 2-3 weeks in the fridge, and 1 year if it is stored in the freezer. Try one of these methods:

• Wrap in parchment paper: Place soft butter in the center of a piece of parchment paper. Roll and wrap into a cylinder. Twist each edge and tie off with a piece of string.
• Mold into unique shapes and single-serve sizes: Place soft butter into a cake mold and let it set in the fridge. Once hardened, it may be popped out and placed in a bag to store in the fridge.
• Glass Jar: Place soft butter into a glass jar and close tightly. Store in the fridge.

What to do with the Leftover Buttermilk

The liquid that is left in the bowl once you have your solid butter is buttermilk. Although not the exact same as the store-bought version, there are still plenty of uses for your leftover buttermilk.

The buttermilk you buy in stores is cultured with beneficial bacteria that makes it thicker and tangier. The buttermilk you have at the bottom of your bowl after making butter is not cultured, leaving it thinner and less acidic. This “traditional buttermilk” is a low-fat, high protein liquid that can be used as a substitute for milk in many instances. You can add buttermilk in place of regular milk to dishes such as:

• Baked goods
• Dips, dressings, and sauces
• Smoothies
• Pancakes and waffle batter
• Marinades
• Fried chicken or other fried meats
• Slaw and salad
• Mashed potatoes
• Curry
• Caramel cream
• Frosting

Did you know dairy is one of the most affordable sources of nutrition, and features nine essential nutrients? Learn more about the benefits of dairy, and enjoy your homemade butter!