Homemade Butter

Fresh, silky butter you make in minutes from heavy cream. This simple technique yields rich butter and buttermilk you can save for biscuits or pancakes. Use fresh, high-quality cream for the best flavor — optionally culture the cream first for a tangy, bakery-style butter.

Ingredients

Equipment

• Stand mixer with whisk attachment or an electric hand mixer
• Fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth
• Mixing bowl, spatula, and a container or parchment for shaping

Instructions

1. Whip the cream. Pour the heavy cream into the mixer bowl. Whisk on medium-high speed. The cream will pass through stages: soft peaks → stiff peaks → grainy curds with a thin liquid (buttermilk). This takes about 8–12 minutes depending on mixer speed and temperature.
2. Separate the buttermilk. Once yellow butter solids have formed and the buttermilk is visible, stop the mixer. Pour off the buttermilk (reserve for recipes like pancakes or biscuits).
3. Rinse the butter. Transfer the butter solids to a bowl and add several tablespoons of ice-cold water. Knead or press the butter with a spatula (or clean hands) to expel remaining buttermilk. Pour off cloudy water and repeat the rinse 2–3 times until the water runs clear. Well-rinsed butter keeps longer.
4. Season & shape. If you want salted butter, sprinkle ¼–½ teaspoon salt over the butter and fold it in to taste. Press the butter into a block, roll it in parchment, or pack into a small jar.
5. Chill & store. Refrigerate wrapped butter up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 3 months. Save the buttermilk for other uses.

Chef’s Notes

• For cultured butter, let the cream sit at room temperature (about 70°F / 21°C) for 12–24 hours to develop tang before whipping.
• Use the reserved buttermilk in pancakes, quick breads, or savory batters — it’s liquid gold.
• To make flavored butter, gently fold in minced
  

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