Learn how to make homemade butter with just one ingredient. It’s fresh, creamy, and so easy to whip up with a mixer in your own kitchen. Perfect for spreading, baking, or cooking!
Homemade butter is one of those simple recipes worth making for the flavor alone. Like homemade mascarpone and homemade ricotta, it starts with one basic ingredient and turns into something rich, fresh, and so much better than you might expect. Make it once, and the packaged kind never quite measures up again.
I make it often because unsalted butter is hard to find where I live in Italy. A carton of cream is all it takes, and I get a little buttermilk on the side to use in pancakes, biscuits, quick breads, or even my lemon buttermilk cake.
Why Make Your Own Butter
Making your own butter is very satisfying, plus you know exactly what goes into it, just cream. One batch gives you rich homemade butter and a little buttermilk too, which is always worth saving for baking.
It is also a great recipe to have on hand when you need unsalted butter, or when you want to try a flavored butter with herbs, garlic, honey, or a pinch of salt. Once you see how quickly it comes together, it becomes one of those little kitchen tricks you will use again and again.
Best Cream to Use
Use whole cream, whipping cream, or heavy cream with at least 30% fat. The fat is what separates from the liquid as the cream beats, so low-fat cream, half-and-half, or milk will not work for homemade butter.
For the best flavor, use the freshest cream you can find. Since cream is the only ingredient, the taste really does come through in the finished butter.
How to Make Homemade Butter
Chill the mixing bowl first, then add the cream and start beating. The cream will become whipped cream before it becomes butter, so do not stop when you see stiff peaks. Keep going until the cream looks broken and separates into yellow pieces of butter and attaches itself to the beaters and there is a thin liquid.
That liquid is buttermilk, so strain it into a clean bowl and save it for baking. The butter left in the strainer will be soft and a little wet, which is normal. The step that really matters next is rinsing it in very cold water to wash out the buttermilk trapped inside.
Once the butter is rinsed, squeeze out as much moisture as you can. This helps it stay fresh longer and keeps the flavor from turning, since leftover buttermilk is what can make butter spoil faster. Then shape it into a ball, log, or small block and refrigerate until ready to use.
homemade butter tips
- Use cream with enough fat: Choose whole cream, whipping cream, or heavy cream with at least 30% fat. Lower-fat cream, half-and-half, or milk will not separate into butter the same way.
- Use the tool that works for you: A stand mixer is easiest, but a hand mixer or food processor works well too. You can even shake it in a sealed mason jar if you want a fun, if tiring, version to try once.
- Expect it to look wrong before it looks right: The cream will first turn into whipped cream, then look curdled and broken. That is exactly what you want, so keep going until the yellow butter separates from the buttermilk.
- Rinse until the water runs clear: Once the butter and buttermilk separate, squeeze the butter in very cold water. The more buttermilk you wash out, the longer it keeps.
Flavor Add-Ins
- Salted butter: Knead in a small pinch of fine salt after the butter has been rinsed and squeezed. Start with less than you think, taste, then add more if needed.
- Herb butter: Mix in finely chopped parsley, rosemary, thyme, basil, or chives. It is lovely for spreading on bread, melting over vegetables, or serving with grilled meat.
- Garlic butter: Add a little finely minced garlic or roasted garlic for a deeper, savory flavor. I like roasted garlic best because it is softer, sweeter, and blends into the butter more easily.
- Sweetened butter: Try a little honey, cinnamon, or orange zest. It is delicious on toast, pancakes, muffins, or warm biscuits.
Making homemade butter is surprisingly simple and incredibly rewarding. With just one ingredient and a little patience, you’ll be rewarded with rich, creamy butter that tastes far fresher than store-bought. Whether spread on warm bread, used in baking, or melted over vegetables, homemade butter is a delicious reminder that sometimes the simplest recipes are the most satisfying. Enjoy!
- 2 cups cream (whole, whipping or heavy cream, with at least 30% fat content)
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Chill the mixing bowl for 30-60 minutes, remove from the fridge, add the cream and beat until stiff peaks appear, scrape the bowl every few minutes, continue to beat until the fats have completely separated from the liquids and the cream. Now the butter has turned yellow and the butter (fats) stick to the beaters.
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Turn off the mixer and pour the mixture through a sieve into a clean bowl. The mixture in the bowl is buttermilk, do not discard. Transfer the butter in the sieve to a bowl of very cold water, take the butter in your hands and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. This is very important as it will help the butter last longer and keep it from going rancid and oxidizing. Shape the butter into any shape. Enjoy!
Store it in an airtight container and refrigerate. It will last up to a month in the fridge or store in the freezer.
Placing the butter in the cold water removes leftover buttermilk trapped in the fat, which keeps it from spoiling.
I have a delicious buttermilk lemon cake I will be sharing.
Calories: 2158kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 229g | Saturated Fat: 146g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 58g | Cholesterol: 717mg | Sodium: 171mg | Potassium: 603mg | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 9330IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 419mg | Iron: 1mg | Phosphorus: 368mg
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