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homemade butter in wooden bowl with slide of bread and knife in the background.
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5 from 7 votes

How to Make Butter (Easy!)

Homemade butter is extra creamy and flavorful, with no added preservatives or fillers. And best yet, you only need two ingredients and 20 minutes to make it!
Prep Time20 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Sauce & Dips, tips & tricks
Cuisine: American, European, Irish
Servings: 8 tablespoons (1 stick)
Author: Grace Vallo

Equipment

  • Stand mixer (recommended) or hand mixer

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cold heavy cream not whipping cream
  • ½ teaspoon salt optional

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add cream and salt if desired. Turn mixer to medium speed (speed 4).
  • In about 2-5 minutes, cream will turn into whipped cream, starting with soft peaks and then to stiff peaks. Once it has turned to whipped cream, turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  • Turn mixer back on medium speed for roughly 5-10 more minutes, scraping down the sides of the mixer every minute or so (important!). The whipped cream will slowly transform to a crumbly-looking whipped cream, and then to solids (butter) and liquid (buttermilk).
  • Butter has formed when you see lots of liquid (buttermilk), and the buttermilk starts to fly out of the bowl and make a strong sloshing noise.
  • Stop mixer and use clean hands to remove all butter solids from the buttermilk. Set buttermilk aside for other uses!
  • Under cold running water, squeeze and massage butter until the water runs clear, about 30-60 seconds.
  • Place butter on a plate or cutting board lined with a clean kitchen towel or sturdy paper towels. Knead butter for 2 minutes, to squeeze out any liquid and smooth any lumps. Serve right away or store in the refrigerator!

Video

Notes

  • The better quality the cream, the better quality the butter!
  • ½ teaspoon salt is typically the amount of salt in a stick of butter. If you prefer saltier butter, add 1 teaspoon.
  • I prefer to work with cold cream, so when kneading the butter, it won’t melt in your hands.
  • You can shape the butter into a block, log, or use molds for a decorative touch.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 153mg | Potassium: 28mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 437IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.03mg