In this post my friend Sharon Biggs Waller, a historical novelist, shares her recipe and method for making homemade butter. Rich, delicious butter can be made using heavy cream and a few simple kitchen items. No churn is required. Read on for the method, or watch the video for a tutorial!
Whenever I tell people I make my own butter they tend to look at me in wonder. “Making butter? Sounds like alchemy,” one person said. Invariably I’m asked if I use a butter churn. Although the idea of sitting on my porch using an old-fashioned churn appeals to my inner Little House on the Prairie, I don’t collect enough cream from my dairy goat to use such a device, nor do I possess the funds to buy one. The truth is, butter is a simple thing to make with ordinary kitchen tools, and you don’t even need to own a goat or a cow. You can make butter with store-bought whipping cream. But before we get into the details, let’s talk a bit about the history of butter.
People have been making butter for centuries throughout Europe and Asia. Humans initially used butter as a way of preserving the fat in milk. Butter rose to prominence as a spread and cooking fat in northern Europe during the Middle Ages, when it was eaten by peasants. The upper classes also ate it periodically, because it was the only animal fat allowed by Rome on days when meat was forbidden. In the 16th century it was allowed during Lent. In the early days, it took a little while to get enough cream to churn, and so it was collected over various days. Because the milk in these small old-timey dairies was not refrigerated, the lactic acid bacteria inherent in dairy would ferment slightly. This cultured butter has a very tangy and rich flavor, and is my personal favorite. Spread cultured butter on sourdough bread or a crusty baguette and you’ll know what heaven tastes like. Most butters made in Europe still taste this way, although they are made from pasteurized cream inoculated with lactic acid.
Uncultured butter made from straight-up pasteurized cream is called sweet cream butter, and is what we’re used to in the United States. Pasteurization of the cream kills the lactic acid bacteria, however butter made from such cream lasts longer. True cultured butter, made from raw cream, turns rancid after ten days. If you want your butter to taste cultured, Ricki Carroll, author of the book Home Cheese Making, advises using unpasteurized cream and letting it ripen at room temp (72 degrees) for several hours. Or use pasteurized cream, let it sit for 12 to 24 hours, add mesophilic starter and let the cream set out overnight before churning. If you’d like to taste European-style butter without making your own, try the brand Plugrá. Although technically not a cultured butter, Plugrá uses natural flavors from cultured milk.
At its very essence, making butter requires nothing more than agitation. What you’re doing is separating the fat from the milk. You can use a blender, a stand mixer or hand mixer, or just shake by hand (if your child has a lot of energy, enlist their help; kid-power goes a long way!). I usually use my stand mixer with the whip attachment for making butter. I’ve also used a blender in the past and it worked just as well. If you use a stand mixer, be sure to place a kitchen towel over the mixer and the bowl to stop the buttermilk from flinging all over your kitchen, which will happen when the butter globules form.
You’ll notice in the pictures below that some of the butter is white, not yellow. That’s because I have a herd of goats, so I usually use the cream we collect to make my homemade butter. Goat’s milk is white because it doesn’t have the beta carotene that causes the yellowish blush in cow milk. A goat turns the carotene present in her fodder into vitamin A, which is colorless.
Here is the process for making homemade butter, step-by-step!
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How to Make Homemade Butter
Ingredients
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream
- Large bowl of ice water
- Salt to taste (optional)
- Stand mixer, hand mixer or blender, or a jar with a tight fitting lid
Instructions
- Pour a pint of heavy cream or whipping cream into your device or into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. If using a machine, turn on low speed, then raise to medium speed. If you're using a jar, start shaking (you'll need some serious elbow grease if doing it by hand). First, the cream will turn into whipped cream with soft, then stiff peaks. Keep going until the cream breaks. If you’re shaking the cream by hand, you’ll hear a sloshing, then you’ll begin to feel something more solid hit the sides of the jar. If you’re using a stand mixer, you’ll see the butter clinging to the beater. This usually takes anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes -- by hand may take longer. In this process, you are separating the butterfat from the liquid.
- Once the butter has solidified, pour off the buttermilk and save it for baking (or drink it!). Scoop the butter into a bowl. Rinse the butter by pouring ice water over it and pressing the remaining buttermilk out with a small spatula or a spoon. Pour off the water and repeat the process. Keep rinsing and squishing the butter with the ice water until the water runs clear. Then add some salt if you like and work that through the butter.
- There you have it-- old-fashioned butter, no churn required! Spread on toast, corn on the cob, a baked potato, or whatever you like and enjoy!
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Research Sources
Belanger, Jerry (2001). Storey’s Guide to Raising Dairy Goats. Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA
Carroll, Ricki (2002). Home Cheese Making: Recipes for 75 Homemade Cheeses. Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA
McGee, Harold (2004). On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. Scribner, New York, NY
virginia says
I just tried this with whipping cream and it did not work out. I had regular whipping cream so I thought I would give it a try. Does it have to be “heavy” whipping cream? I lost my job last September and have been making and canning anything possible. Just made homemade ketchup and it is awesome! I would like to get the butter down too!
Tori Avey says
Hi Virginia, heavy whipping cream is best. How long did you whip it? It really needs to be whipped quite a long time to make the transition to butter, so perhaps you didn’t go long enough. What was your exact result– too watery? Not thick enough?
Gail says
I am on holiday in the US and keep getting given this in restaurants, thought you could buy it in supermarkets but nobody seemed to know what I was talking about. We have very rich double cream from the cattle in Jersey can I use this or will I need to use the whipping or single varieties. Looking forward to trying it out when I get back.
Tori Avey says
Gail I’ve never tried this with double cream but I’m guessing the richer the cream, the better the result here. 🙂
Emma says
How long will the butter keep in the fridge?
doctorrick says
One important point. I don’t think you could use the “buttermilk” this produces to replace buttermilk in recipes. Since this is not cultured, and thus no lactobacillus, that liquid won’t be nearly as acidic as “real” buttermilk, and you won’t react properly with baking soda and get a good rise on biscuits etc. If you make a cultured butter, different story.
Kitty says
You can, “clabber” the resulting butter milk with a small amount of lemon juice or vinegar.
I make a lot of quick breads and muffins, and when I have no real buttermilk I put a spoonful of vinegar or lemon juice in the milk that I’m using in the recipe and leave it set for a 15-20 minutes. The acid in the vinegar or lemon juice will thicken the milk slightly and create a soured taste. And work with the baking soda.
This has always worked for me and it’s quick and easy.
I don’t make rolled biscuits so, ymmv! Works fine for whatever I have baked
Coco Cana says
What a great blog. I’m looking forward to reading more. I can’t believe how easy it is to make butter! I’m excited because raw, organic butter is pretty expensive to buy in the store. I’m looking forward to making my own now and I bet the kids will have fun shaking the jars when they need to get their wiggles out! (However, I’ll be making mine in my stand mixer. haha!) Thank you!
kelly says
I have been enjoying making as many things from scratch as possible lately. Even my laundry soap and lotions. I am so excited to make this butter with my kids. I just spent $8 on hormone free butter. I can make my own from cream now. Thank you for thorough directions and photos. I am hesitant about the ice water bath pushing out butter milk step. I think it will make sense when I do it and see how it works.thanks again!
Gingersnap Farm says
Wonder how chocolate chip cookies would be with this homemade butter? Lots of my quick breads also call for butter, scones to….looks like i need to do some experimentation. Lol
Mandi says
Mine just looks like whip cream, am I doing something wrong? Need to keep going? Help please…
Tori Avey says
Keep going Mandi! It will look like whipped cream before it becomes butter.
Fara 2912 says
I can see two types of butter in the picture.Yellow and white.What make it different?
Tori Avey says
Fara, if you read the post above you’d see that the white is goat’s milk butter and the yellow is cow’s milk.
shanell s says
iam an 8th grader at Einstein middle school in sacramento California and me and my friends are doin a project on butter and we need different ways to make butter and saw this website to help mkla ebutter thank you for this website
Tori Avey says
You’re welcome Shanell!
faa says
can we use this butter to make chocolate butter frosting on birthday cakes???
Mia says
How could you make this into ghee? Would you heat it after it’s finished and then filter it?
Marianne Tshihamba says
Hi Tori,
I love the flavor of goat butter and I can usually find goat’s milk in the local grocery store. But how do you collect the goat cream to make butter since the milk is naturally homogenized?
Paul M. says
Tori, Good call on the salt/herb addition. I would have had to chuck the otherwise very tasty buttermilk. And, YO, if using a stand mixer, put the splash guard around the top of the bowl. When the butter starts to separate, things get a bit messy. My final product was a shallot and tarragon butter which goes great on warm, crunchy baguette.
Now, on to that almond ricotta pound cake. Looks great!
Tori Avey says
Sounds really delish! I could go for a warm, crunchy baguette right about now… 🙂
Angela Marie says
Remember making this as a kid and can’t wait to try again. So excited to experiment by adding honey and whatever else inspires me. Thanks for the great starter recipe!
Gilbert Tirado says
Better not let Paul Dean in on this secret.
Violet Helms says
Done it many a time.
Sari Fish says
How long will the butter last?
Teresa says
I wrapped mine in freezer paper and then seal – a – mealed it and put it in the freezer. It was good 2 years later!
Margie MacKenzie says
Fabulous! This confirms why it is AOK to eat butter! I can’t wait to make my own. Thank you!
Paul M. says
This just brought back such an ancient memory. We made butter in kindergarten (1957) and all got to sample some on a saltine. (Quaker schools were big on self-sufficiency, even back then.)
I’ve always loved herb butters and will make this with fresh tarragon, chives and garlic. My question is the same as Rose Anna’s: when should the added ingredients go in? Also I’d think the salt would blend better if added during the churning process rather than after.
Tori Avey says
Hi Paul– Tori here. Sharon wrote this article, but I think I can answer your question. My guess is that the salt and flavorings are added at the end is because during the churning and washing process, a lot of the liquid is squeezed out of the butter… and with that liquid, a lot of the flavoring would be squeezed out, too. Also, to add the flavorings during the churning would render the buttermilk flavored… most people would prefer their buttermilk plain, I’m guessing, not tarragon flavored or salty. Let us know how your herb butter turns out!