It's exceptionally easy to make your own butter, and the great thing about doing so is that you can't make butter without also getting buttermilk. It's an automatic byproduct, so always a win-win! You can use it as-is, or get creative with compound butters, whipped butter, clarified butter or ghee, and so many other options. You can use the buttermilk straight away, or freeze it for later use.
Notes
- What Kind of Cream?: Any cream with a high fat percentage is suitable for making butter, it's just the yield that may vary slightly. Heavy cream, heavy whipping cream, and double cream are all great options.
- Avoid Thickeners: When buying cream at a store, always look at the ingredients. It can be difficult to do, but try to find cream that has as few extra ingredients as you can. Preservatives and thickeners, like gums and carrageenan, are often used to make a more marketable texture. They won't necessarily inhibit your ability to make butter, but they are controversial and may cause health issues over time.
- Local Jerseys: For the most amazing butter, take a look at your local area and see if there are any Jersey cow farms near you. Lots of small farms sell their cream and milk fresh, and Jersey cows produce more cream than other breeds of cow.
- Use a Splash Guard: To make sure your kitchen stays clean, I recommend using a splash guard on your mixer, or even just covering it carefully with a towel. The butter process starts as a thick cream and ends with fat solids sloshing around in liquid buttermilk. When the fat solids separate, many people are surprised to find they've accidentally whipped it all over their kitchen because of the sudden change in viscosity.
Storage
Butter from the store can be kept at room temperature, but homemade butter should be refrigerated for freshness and to prevent spoilage. You can wrap your butter in plastic wrap or keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. Both the butter and buttermilk can be frozen for later use as well.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Grace Says:
If you want your butter to remain more spreadable, you can try storing it in a butter crock. The butter is sealed off from air exposure by a layer of water, which prevents spoilage. Just be sure to change out the water regularly.
📖 Recipe
Homemade Butter and Buttermilk
Ingredients
- 1 quart heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add the heavy cream into a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until the butter fat solids completely separate from the buttermilk. This will take about 15-20 minutes. You might first notice that the cream has turned into whipped cream. That's ok, just keep beating past this stage. Drain the buttermilk away and reserve or freeze for other recipes.
- Pick up the butterfat solids and knead to bring it into a cohesive ball. Then put the butterfat back into the bowl and cover with cold water. Knead the butter under the cold water to remove any excess buttermilk. Drain the water when it is cloudy, and repeat until the drained water runs clear.
- Lay down some plastic wrap and place your butter on it, pressing it into a flat layer. Sprinkle your salt on top, and then knead again for 1-2 minutes to distribute the salt.
- Shape the butter into whatever shape you prefer, and wrap in the plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!