This homemade butter recipe transforms heavy cream into fresh yellow butter using a hand mixer. It requires only one main ingredient, produces homemade buttermilk at the same time, and needs no special butter-making equipment.
Why You'll Love My Homemade Butter
- Only One Main Ingredient: Heavy cream is all you need, with an optional pinch of sea salt for seasoning.
- No Special Equipment: A regular hand mixer does the work of separating the butter from the buttermilk.
- Two Homemade Ingredients: The process gives you fresh butter and liquid buttermilk for other recipes.
- Easy to Customize: Shape the finished butter into a block or leave out the salt when you need unsalted butter.
Homemade butter is one of those recipes that still makes me stop and watch the bowl, no matter how simple the process is. For the first few minutes, it looks as though I am only making whipped cream. Then the texture becomes grainy, the yellow butter begins gathering around the beaters, and the buttermilk suddenly separates underneath. That transformation is what makes this recipe so satisfying for me-the cream becomes two useful ingredients without anything going to waste. I can use the butter in my traditional shortbread cookies or spread it over warm homemade waffles, while saving the buttermilk for another recipe.
What I want from homemade butter is a clean, creamy taste and a smooth texture that becomes firm and sliceable after chilling. I leave the sea salt optional so I can keep the butter plain for baking or sprinkle a little over the shaped block when I want a lightly salted finish. Beating the cream continuously allows the butterfat to gather together and separate from the liquid, while rinsing the butter in cold water removes the remaining buttermilk and helps it stay firm. This simple sequence is why the recipe works so well: each stage improves the final texture without requiring specialist equipment. I can use the finished butter as the base for my easy garlic butter sauce or turn it into the seasoned filling for crispy Chicken Kiev.
Key Ingredients in Homemade Butter
You only need one essential ingredient, plus optional salt.
- Heavy Cream: This is the base of the recipe. Mixing it continuously separates the yellow butter solids from the liquid buttermilk.
- Sea Salt: I add just a pinch after shaping the butter when I want a lightly salted finish. It can be omitted for unsalted butter.
How to Make Homemade Butter
The cream passes through several textures before the butter completely separates. You can find the complete printable recipe with measurements below.
1. Beat the Cream: Pour the heavy cream into a large mixing bowl and beat it until it moves from whipped to grainy.
2. Control the Splashes: Just before the butter separates, cover the bowl with cling film. Make an opening in the center for the beaters and continue mixing through it.
3. Separate and Rinse: Once the yellow butter solids separate from the buttermilk, drain the liquid. Gather the butter and rinse it in fresh cold water until the water runs clear.
4. Shape and Refrigerate: Place the butter on parchment paper and shape it into a block. Sprinkle with sea salt if desired, wrap securely, and refrigerate until firm.
Tips for Homemade Butter
Choose a Large Bowl: I use a roomy mixing bowl because the cream increases in volume before it becomes grainy and begins separating.
Mix Beyond the Whipped Stage: The cream will look ready once it becomes thick and whipped, but I keep mixing until yellow butter solids separate completely from the liquid.
Keep the Opening Small: I make only a small opening in the cling film for the mixer beaters. This gives me enough room to continue mixing while containing the buttermilk splashes.
Shape It on the Parchment: I transfer the rinsed butter directly onto parchment paper and form it into a block there. This makes it easier to sprinkle with sea salt and wrap securely.
Storage
I wrap the shaped butter securely in parchment paper and refrigerate it until firm. It can also be placed in an airtight container if that is more convenient.
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Recipe
Homemade Butter
Ingredients
- 600 ml heavy cream
- 1 pinch sea salt - optional
Instructions
- Pour 600 ml heavy cream into a large mixing bowl.
- Beat the cream with a hand mixer for about 10 minutes. The cream will first become whipped, then turn grainy as the butter begins to form.
- Just before the butter starts to separate, cover the bowl with cling film. Make a small opening in the center for the mixer beaters. Continue mixing through the opening to prevent the buttermilk from splashing.
- Keep mixing until the yellow butter solids have completely separated from the liquid buttermilk.
- Remove the cling film and pour the buttermilk into a separate bowl.
- Gather the butter together, then place it in cold water.
- Press and rinse the butter to remove the remaining buttermilk. Drain the cloudy water and replace it with fresh cold water. Repeat until the water runs clear.
- Transfer the butter to parchment paper and shape it into a block.
- Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over the shaped butter, if using.
- Wrap the butter securely in the parchment paper and refrigerate until firm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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