Have you ever made Homemade Butter? If not, I bet you never realized just how easy it is! All it takes is a one (maybe 2) ingredients to make fresh easy homemade butter that you can flavor however you'd like!
So how do you make butter from scratch?
Butter is just heavy cream that has been whipped past the point of whipped cream and separated into the butter fats and the butter milk. It's that simple!
The easiest way to make homemade butter is with a hand mixer or stand mixer. If you have strong arm muscles and about 30 minutes, you can also make this by shaking the cream in a mason jar. My kids (Coco and Ash) thought this was fun for about 5 minutes then gave up and gave the jars back to me LOL.
Can you make butter from milk?
Unfortunately no. Butter has to be made from heavy cream or heavy whipping cream. Milk does not contain enough fat to make butter.
I choose to make butter the easy way - in my stand mixer. If you don't have a stand mixer, you can add your cream to a bowl and use a hand mixer or even use a blender. To start making the butter, you'll add your cream to the mixer or bowl and start mixing on medium low and just keep it going.
As it thickens (and gets less "splashy") you can increase the speed to medium high. I'll take you through the steps the cream will go through so you can make sure you're on the right track.
As you begin beating the cream, it will first start to thicken and almost look frothy then turn Into a thick whipped cream. If you want to make a really yummy whipped cream, all you have to do is add in a couple tablespoons of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract! But, lets keep going for the butter!
If you've gotten to the whipped cream stage, you're almost done. Just keep beating! In just a few more minutes you'll have butter! You'll notice the mixture getting "splashy" again and the liquid start to separate from the solids. The solids are your butter, and the liquid is your buttermilk! 
Once your cream has separated like the photo above, you can turn off your mixer. You'll want to strain the mixture into a bowl. You can reserve the buttermilk for other recipes (like these Caramel Apple Pancakes) or discard if it you won't be using it. After straining the butter, run the butter under cold water while moving it around with a spoon. This will rinse off all of the excess buttermilk and give you a longer shelf life.
Do you need to refrigerate homemade butter?
Not necessarily. I leave mine on the counter for about a week. If you'd like to leave yours our on the counter, here are a few things you can do to ensure it stays fresh:
- Make sure to rinse the butter quite a few times before storing to remove every bit of buttermilk.
- Add salt. Salt helps to preserve the salt and it stays fresh longer than unsalted butter.
- Make sure your home does not get too warm. If your home tends to get above 75 degrees, I would refrigerate the butter.
- You could also use a butter bell to store your butter for an air-tight seal for extra freshness. But this is optional.
If you want to add seasonings or salt to your butter, you can do it at this point. Just mix it in with a fork or spoon and enjoy!
How much butter does cream make?
The cream almost always separates in half. It might vary slightly depending on the fat content of your cream, but if you use 2 cups of cream, you'll end up with close to 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of buttermilk.
Once your butter is strained and rinsed well, you can store it in an air
What to make with your left over buttermilk:
Easy Homemade Butter
Equipment
- Stand Mixer, hand mixer, or mason jar
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon salt (leave out for unsalted butter)
Instructions
- Add your heavy cream to a bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer.
- Beat on low speed then increase to medium as the cream thickens and makes less of a splash.
- You'll notice the cream will turn to whipped cream. Keep beating past this step to make butter.
- The cream will then separate into a liquid and chunky solids. The liquid is your buttermilk. The solids are the butter.
- Strain the everything over a bowl to catch the buttermilk if you plan on keeping it.
- While the butter is still in the strainer, rinse it with cold water while stirring it. This will remove any excess buttermilk and give you a longer shelf-life for you butter.
- You can now add in the salt, or any other seasonings you'd like!
Susan Dubose says
Oh my goodness it worked!!! I’m so excited to try it on my homemade bread!
Coco and Ash says
Awesome!!
Martha Savard says
I use the dough hook to beat the water from the butter. Diligence in water removal is required.
Beekite says
A great guide. You shared very wonderful article with us. Thank you for sharing it. Really love this reading.
King P says
Thank you for sharing these directions. I didn't know butter was so easy and simple to make! I tried it for the first time and, for a first timer, I think it turned out pretty good. Straining the buttermilk out was the hardest part, but its still not bad. 5 stars!
Jason says
Gonna try it today or tomorrow. Thanks for the tips. Does the salt have to wait until the end?
Coco and Ash says
I would wait until the end and adjust for taste as needed 🙂
Jason says
Tried it today. Kept the salt until the end. It's seems like nothing is ever going to happen and then the changes come fast. Going to make another batch Monday.
Julie says
Super easy - I had almost 4 cups of whipping cream that I was able to save! Thanks for a great explanation and easy recipe.
I was able to make mine in a food processor.
Julie says
We did the shake-it method in Girl Scouts about 30 years ago. Because there were so about 10ish of us, we only had 2 (jars? cartons? don't remember what the troop leaders put it in, and I'm not sure they believed it would work) and passed them around.
Pro tip: definitely a great way to keep your kid entertained on a snow day, when quarantined, pr from general boredom.
Rachel says
You mention extending the shelf life but I don’t see mention of what the shelf life is, how long is it good for?
Coco and Ash says
Your butter should be good for about 3-4 weeks if you rinse it well 🙂
Lanny says
No one mention the TASTE - does it taste good?
Amanda says
I made it when I happened to have whipping cream but no butter. It tastes like good, fresh butter! So good on homemade bread!
Mary W. says
Will straining and squeezing the butter through a cheesecloth help remove some of the milk and help form it into a shape you'd like or will that make a mess of the butter?
Coco and Ash says
You don’t need to squeeze it THROUGH a cheesecloth. Just strain and rinse 🙂
Karen says
Does it have to be refrigerated or can it be left on the counter?
Rain says
So mine never really separated. Did I not mix it long enough?
Coco and Ash says
Most likely that’s the problem. It will look like it’s turned to just whipped cream but you have to keep going for it to actually separate. Hope that helps!
brian k patton says
does it have to be refridgerated or can it be left out
Coco and Ash says
I like to leave my butter on the counter for about 1 week. However, you have to make sure you rinse this extremely well. The excess buttermilk is what can make it go rancid.
Kent S says
has anyone done more than 2 cups per batch. How about doubling ?
Coco and Ash says
You can double it!
Kent S says
How can you tell if you have rinsed the butter well?
Mila says
I am old fashioned and shake it in a jar like the kids. What a great full body workout. I find if I buy the right whipping cream and leave it out at room temperature it takes kess time. My family loves homemade butter and may never go back.
Lisa says
I am excited to try this. How do you store the butter milk and how long will it last?
marci says
Can you freeze this butter, want to use to bake cookies during the holiday...thanks great receipe
Coco and Ash says
Yes! You can freeze it up to 9 months 🙂
Susie says
I bought some homemade butter in jars from a friend.
How long will it last??
Coco and Ash says
It should last about three weeks. Enjoy!
Karin says
Didn't know making butter was so easy an better tasting. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Coco and Ash says
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Ingrid Freeborn says
why is it that when u make it in a jar by shaking you dont need to rinse it?
How are these 2 processes different?
thanks!
Coco and Ash says
You would still have to take it out of the jar and rinse it once the butter forms. 🙂
Dawna says
Q: can this be frozen to preserve for later?
Bethany Peake says
OMG this makes me think back to when my Mom was growing up and she helped my grandma and probably great-grandma make homemade butter back in the day!! But 1,000,000 times easier! 🙂 I can't wait to try this! I will definitely save both because buttermilk makes any baked/cooked flour product 10x tastier. Thank you for the awesome recipe
Amanda says
Can you use hole milk or donyou have to use heavy cream
Coco and Ash says
You have to use heavy cream 🙂
Teresa Bienssz says
Best tutorial ever! You have my heart! I made butter!
Jannette says
How do I store the buttermilk and when I use do I need to add vinegar or lemon juice to activate it??
Cathy says
I haven't tried this yet, can I add fresh herbs?
Coco and Ash says
Absolutely! 🙂
musicyo says
Best tutorial ever! You have my heart! I made butter!
Kim says
Such an easy recipe! I split it in two, blended half with smoked salt and half with honey and cinnamon 🙂 So good!!
Tommie Leigh says
after straining, can I continue whipping for a fluffy whiipped butter and can I add honey and vanilla for homemade honey butter?
Thanks
Coco and Ash says
Absolutely!
Delores watson says
Omy goodness! I ran out of butter, and looked up how to make it. Came across your recipe wow! I bake and use alot of butter, so of course I had the heavy cream. It was great, turned my back for a sec and butter milk was everywhere! LOL I've looking to see if it was cheaper to make, but looked like the same except you get butter milk... Thank you great recipe.
Coco and Ash says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Delores! 🙂