Homemade Butter (1 Ingredient)
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10–20 minutes (mixing time)
Total Time: 15–25 minutes
Yield: About ¾–1 cup butter (from 2 cups cream)
Ingredients
- 2 cups 480 ml heavy cream or heavy whipping cream (at least 30–36% fat; cold or room temperature both work, but cold often splashes less)
- Optional for salted butter:
- ¼ –½ teaspoon salt fine sea salt or kosher salt recommended
Instructions
- Pour the heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or use a large bowl with a hand mixer, food processor, or even a mason jar for shaking by hand).
- Start mixing on low speed to avoid splashing, then gradually increase to medium-high or high speed.
- Whip the cream — it will first turn into soft peaks, then stiff whipped cream, then become grainy and chunky as the fat separates. Keep going! (This usually takes 8–15 minutes in a stand mixer; longer by hand.)
- You'll see the butter solids clump together and separate from the liquid (buttermilk). The mixture will look sloshy and watery once fully separated.
- Stop the mixer. Pour off the buttermilk (save it for baking pancakes, biscuits, etc. — it's real cultured buttermilk!).
- Add very cold water (or ice water) to the butter solids. Mix/knead gently to rinse out more buttermilk. Pour off the cloudy water. Repeat rinsing 2–3 times until the water runs mostly clear. (This step helps the butter last longer in the fridge.)
- If using salt, knead it in now with a spatula or clean hands until evenly distributed.
- Shape the butter into a log, ball, or press into a ramekin/butter dish. Wrap in parchment or beeswax wrap and store in the fridge for up to 2–3 weeks, or freeze for longer.
Notes
The yield is roughly half the volume of cream you started with (mostly butter + some buttermilk loss).
For unsalted butter, skip the salt entirely — it's still delicious and truly one ingredient.
Use high-fat cream for the best results; ultra-pasteurized works but may take slightly longer.
Tools tip: A stand mixer is easiest and least messy. Hand-shaking in a jar works great for kids or small batches (takes 10–20 minutes of vigorous shaking). Enjoy your fresh, creamy homemade butter — it tastes richer and more "real" than most store-bought versions! Spread it on toast, melt it over veggies, or just eat it by the spoonful.
For unsalted butter, skip the salt entirely — it's still delicious and truly one ingredient.
Use high-fat cream for the best results; ultra-pasteurized works but may take slightly longer.
Tools tip: A stand mixer is easiest and least messy. Hand-shaking in a jar works great for kids or small batches (takes 10–20 minutes of vigorous shaking). Enjoy your fresh, creamy homemade butter — it tastes richer and more "real" than most store-bought versions! Spread it on toast, melt it over veggies, or just eat it by the spoonful.