making butter and buttermilk - homemade butter and butter knife on a small square plate, a cut biscuit, and a bottle of buttermilk, all on a light aqua cloth

Homemade Butter Is Easier Than You Might Think

I really don’t know if I could live without butter. In my opinion, it makes everything better! :-) Butter is the world’s most popular fat, and has been a staple in the human diet since humans began making it thousands of years ago.

The process of making butter (and its tasty and useful by-product, buttermilk) hasn’t changed much since it was discovered. But fortunately for us, advances in modern technology allow us to make these prized dairy products much more quickly, and with a minimal amount of effort.

Whether you make your butter with an old-fashioned churn or a stand mixer, you’ll end up with a thick, luscious butter and a tangy, creamy buttermilk that store-bought products just can’t top. Once you try them, you’ll be hooked!

The process of making butter isn’t difficult: put heavy cream in your stand mixer, beat on high for about ten minutes until soft peaks form, then increase the speed and beat until it separates into butter and buttermilk. Knead gently to get all the buttermilk out, then season the butter with salt.

How To Make Homemade Butter (And Buttermilk)

making butter and buttermilk - red stand mixer plugged in on counter with a pitcher of heavy cream next to it.

Ingredients:

6 cups heavy cream (organic, if possible)
1/4 tsp fine salt (optional)

making butter and buttermilk - pouring heavy cream into bowl of a stand mixer

Instructions:

Pour the cream into the bowl of your stand mixer.

making butter and buttermilk - hand holding whisk attachment of stand mixer covered with whipped cream

Beat the cream with the whisk attachment on a moderately high speed until it holds soft peaks (about 10 to 12 minutes.)

making butter and buttermilk - butter and buttmild separated out in mixing bowl

Increase the speed to high until the cream separates, about 5 more minutes. The cream will separate into a thick yellow substance (the butter) and a thin, white liquid (the buttermilk.)

Note: The mixing times listed above will vary depending on your mixer and the quality of your cream.

making butter and buttermilk - hands kneading butter over a colander

Place a colander into a large bowl, and dump the contents of the mixer into the colander. Knead the butter gently to squeeze out the remaining buttermilk. Continue to knead the butter for about five minutes, until the butter is dense and creamy.

Rinse the kneaded butter under ice cold water until the water runs clear — this will help your butter last longer. Work out any excess water with a bit more kneading.

Then knead the salt into the butter, if desired, until well distributed.

making butter and buttermilk - homemade butter rolled up in plastic wrap

Place the butter onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Roll it up and twist the ends of the plastic wrap to form a log, and chill in the fridge to solidify.

making butter and buttermilk - fine sieve over a bowl, with small bits of butter in sieve.

Pour the leftover liquid from making butter through a fine mesh sieve, then pour your finished buttermilk into an airtight container for storage.

making butter and buttermilk - homemade butter on a dish with a butter knife, biscuit and buttermilk in background

Fresh butter and buttermilk will keep for a week in the fridge, or about a month if stored in the freezer.

making butter and buttermilk - glass bottle of buttermilk with cork stopper

Making your own butter probably won’t save you money, but it’s a real treat and makes a meaningful addition to holiday breakfasts, anniversary dinners, or birthday desserts. Making your own butter is definitely a labor of love, rather than a practical way to save time or money.

Wondering what to do with buttermilk from making butter? Buttermilk makes a surprisingly good substitute for cream of tartar in many cases, and for more buttermilk inspiration, check out my 12 ways to use up leftover buttermilk. (Don’t miss the buttermilk syrup recipe from that post — trust me!)

Ideas For Using Your Homemade Butter

How will you use your homemade butter?

Homemade Butter & Buttermilk Recipe

Jill Nystul

The unbeatable flavor of homemade butter and buttermilk will elevate any recipe or meal.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 0

Total Time 30

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings sticks of butter

Calories 3237 kcal

Equipment

Stand Mixer
Colander
Fine sieve

Ingredients

6 cups heavy cream organic, if possible
1/4 tsp fine salt optional

Instructions

Pour the cream into the bowl of your stand mixer, then use the whisk attachment to beat it on a moderately high speed for 10-12 minutes, or until it holds soft peaks.
Increase the speed to high until the cream separates, about 5 more minutes, into butter and buttermilk.
Place a colander into a large bowl, then pour the butter and buttermilk into the colander.
Knead the butter gently over the colander to squeeze out the remaining buttermilk.
Continue to knead for about 5 minutes until the butter is dense and creamy, then rinse under ice cold water until the water runs clear.
Knead the salt into the butter (if using) until well distributed.
Place your homemade butter on a sheet of plastic wrap, then roll it up and twist the ends of the plastic wrap to form a log and chill.
Pour the liquid from the bowl through a fine mesh sieve, then transfer the buttermilk to an airtight container and store in the fridge.

Notes

This recipe yields about 1 1/2 cups (or 3 sticks) of butter and 3 cups of buttermilk.

Nutrition

Calories: 3237kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 27gFat: 344gSaturated Fat: 219gPolyunsaturated Fat: 15gMonounsaturated Fat: 87gCholesterol: 1076mgSodium: 645mgPotassium: 904mgSugar: 28gVitamin A: 13994IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 629mgIron: 1mg