Homemade Butter & Buttermilk – How to make it in 10 minutes!
Homemade butter is easy and fun. You HAVE to try it. This simple recipe shows you how… with one ingredient in just 10 minutes.
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DON’T LOSE THIS RECIPE! PIN Homemade Butter FOR LATER…
The simplicity of homemade butter
The first time I made butter it was a revelation. Homemade butter it seems is incredibly easy. All you need is 10 minutes, one ingredient (double cream) and a decent mixer. Seriously… It puts all those lessons at primary school, shaking jars of creamy milk until our arms were numb to shame… Or was that just the bygone era I inhabited?
But this week and as it is a while since I made it, I decided some homemade butter would be a treat. And making it has given me an opportunity to update the post and recipe. And to play with flavourings too.
Read on to see my step by step guide to homemade butter and you too will be making it at home in no time…
What’s the point of making butter when I can buy it in the supermarket?
Okay… It’s a good question. But there are a few reasons why you may want to give homemade butter a go…
Making butter is FUN
The number one reason for making butter at home is that it’s FUN. The joy of watching the process is satisfying. Its lack of complication is also quite mesmerising… From liquid cream to butter block in the blink of an eye…
Homemade butter is educational
The first time we made butter at home was when Miss GF was still at primary school. It followed on from a foray into the scientific world of making honeycomb and was another opportunity to use the kitchen to learn.
At its basic level, making butter and buttermilk can be used to teach children about emulsion. Cream is a liquid oil-in-water emulsion. But when it is shaken, agitated or whisked (for long enough), the fat (oil) molecules get shaken out of place and clump together to form butter… And that just leaves the buttermilk behind.
Check this article for a more advanced explanation.
Homemade butter tastes great and is versatile
Maybe it’s just because you made it yourself, but homemade butter tastes amazing. The pleasure of eating this normally luxurious but unremarkable spread, knowing that it started as a simple pot of cream is just too exciting!
But when you make butter, you also have the ability to flavour it as an integrated part of the process… before it hardens. That leaves endless possibilities. From savoury (think chilli, garlic, herbs, seaweed… and that’s just for starters) to sweet (salted caramel, cacao, maple, honey and even cinnamon spice), the only limit is your creativity.
One of my favourites is ‘salty seaweed’ butter… which has an extra pinch of salt and a little Shore seaweed that I bought at the Free From Show last year.
Making butter is cheaper
Homemade butter is actually cheaper than buying from the supermarket.
We worked out that from 600 ml double cream we got 11 oz (310g) butter and 250 ml buttermilk. That’s all for just £2.00 (your average 250g block of pure butter costs anywhere between £1.50 and £2.00 (2020 prices) plus an extra 70 pence for the buttermilk).
What to expect when making butter
Making butter is amazingly uncomplicated… but if you have never done it before, this is what you can expect.
As a caveat, the easiest way to make butter is using a good, high-powered stand mixer and a balloon whisk. I honestly love my Kitchen Aid mixer. It’s sturdy, speedy, solid and has lasted me for years. It has been worth every penny.
- Start with liquid cream.
- Whisk until it becomes whipped cream.
- Keep whisking and it will become ‘over-whipped’ cream and look like it’s beginning to curdle.
- All of a sudden, the cream will separate into butter and buttermilk and make a sloshing sound. At this point, make sure you turn down the mixer speed (unless you want buttermilk splattered round the kitchen).
- Thoroughly drain off the buttermilk using a sieve and jug. Save the buttermilk to use in cakes, scones, pancakes, banana bread, smoothies etc
- Give the butter a little squeeze to release any excess liquid, before shaping and chilling. If the butter softens too much when shaping, simply pop it in the fridge for a few minutes and then carry on.
I’ve even made you a video to show you how…
To salt or not to salt?
When making butter, add a little salt to the cream at stage 1 if you want salted butter. If you use the buttermilk in baking (it’s too good to waste), just remember to remove any added salt from your chosen bake recipe. Alternatively, add the salt after the churning process to keep the buttermilk pure.
Flavouring homemade butter
When you make butter at home, the options to add in flavourings are endless. The easiest time to add flavourings is when the butter has just been churned and drained of buttermilk. At this stage, it is still soft.
Simply transfer the portion of butter you want to flavour into a smaller bowl… Add the flavourings (I’ve added dried seaweed in the photograph below) and mash through with a fork before shaping into a cube or log and placing in the fridge to chill.
Can I freeze homemade butter?
Absolutely yes! Homemade butter freezes extremely well… in any shape. If you are wanting to use in pretty shapes (hearts are of course optional), then it’s definitely worth shaping/cutting and then freezing so that they are ready when you are.
Ready to make butter?
Like I said, you really should give butter-making a try. The flavour is simple luxury.
Let me know how you get on and whether you chose to flavour with anything. And don’t forget to stay in touch via subscription for all the latest at GFHQ (subscription box below). And to check out our complete Recipe Index. Enjoy.
Homemade Butter (and buttermilk)
Key equipment
- stand mixer
- sieve
- jug
- bowl
Ingredients
- 600 ml double cream
- ½ tsp fine sea salt optional
- herbs/seaweed flakes/other flavourings optional
- very cold or iced water to rinse
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash all equipment using very hot soapy water and air dry before you begin.
- Pour the cream into a large chilled, spotlessly clean mixing bowl. You can add the salt now if using, or wait until the butter has separated from the buttermilk to keep the buttermilk unsalted.
- Beat the cream with a balloon whisk until it thickens.
- Keep whisking. It will reach firm peaks before it begins to separate into butter fat globules.
- Continue to whisk until the buttermilk completely separates and the butter becomes firm, sloshing around in the bowl.
- Pour the contents of the bowl through a clean (preferably sterilised) sieve to collect the buttermilk in a jug, leaving the butter in the sieve.
- Save the buttermilk in the fridge to use later.
- With clean hands, bring the butter together and squeeze to force out as much remaining buttermilk as possible.
- Place in a clean bowl and cover with very cold or iced water to rinse.
- Drain and repeat the rinsing process.
- Shape the butter into a block or log.
- Wrap in baking paper and chill for a couple of hours before transferring to a butter dish.
- If you want to cut the butter into shapes, use a hot knife to cut slices after the butter has been thoroughly chilled and use a small cookie cutter (heated in hot water and dried) to cut shapes.
- Any 'off cuts' can simply be re-moulded back into the block when you have finished.
Notes
Nutrition
© 2019-2026 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist
Can you use the buttermilk in baking as is after separating, or does it need to be altered before used in a recipe?
Hi Chelsey. Yes this should be fine! I have used it myself many times.
Best wishes
Kate
I’ve made butter with my children, my grandchildren and today, with my great-grandchildren. It’s always so fun when they see the butter come together.
Fantastic. How amazing! It really is so much fun and a great science lesson too. x
I just made some butter and was wondering if i could leave it on the counter or if it must be stored in the fridge?
Hi Hannah
I guess it depends on how quickly you’re likely to eat it and how hot the air temperature is.
On the counter is fine for a couple of days… Maybe split the block and keep some in the fridge and some on the counter? It will need to come partially to room temperature anyway for best spreadability (like shop butter).
I hope that helps xx
I loved seeing you flavored it with a Scottish product, we were there a year ago and had such a wonderful time. Sigh…
Thank you so much for bringing this fun project to Fiesta Friday. It really does look easy and the store is almost always out to buttermilk.
Thank you Liz. You’re so welcome. And yes… the seaweed was an amazing addition. x
I’m a huge fan of homemade butter and make it regularly but I’ve never thought of making it into cute little hearts! Genius!
Ha ha… Thanks. It’s just so easy and delicious isn’t it?! I’d like to say ‘cute’ is my middle name, but I’d be lying… But I am a fan of heart shapes (probably because I have plenty of different sized cookie cutters that are that shape)… x
I should do this with the kids sometime. Haven’t made butter for ages. Thanks for sharing #cookblogshare
Goodness yes! The kids love doing it… So exciting to see it happen x
How easy to make your own butter, thanks for the inspiration…
You’re welcome. It’s got to be tried x
Its so cool to make your own butter, I will definitely try this recipe.
You must Sheeba. It’s so easy and really fun to do x
wow I had no idea it was so easy to make your own butter! My husband will be all over this thanks for sharing
Ha ha. Yes. Insanely easy. You have to try it! x
I love maing my own butter but dont make it nearly often enough. Thank you for sharing and giving me a reminder to make it again.
You’re welcome. It’s always such a revelation when I make it and I wonder why I don’t do it more. x
I learned to make butter from my grandmother. We would get fresh milk from the own cows in the stable, leave it overnight in the cellar and in the morning we would collect the thick cream on top.
Grandma would put it in a special pear shaped bottle and shake it for a while (hard work by hand!) until the cream would solidify and become butter.. it was delicious.
Your butter looks so good!!!
Wow. That's so cool Alida. It sounds as though you had some amazing experiences as a child…. I think your flair for food is in the blood!
Love this idea of getting 2 ingredients for the price of one and them being much cheaper, great idea. Thanks for entering #CreditCrunchMunch;-)
Thanks Camilla. Amazing that you can make it cheaper at home and something I will definitely be doing again soon!
I've made buttermilk but never butter – it's on my to do list! Your block of butter looks lovely, so that may be the motivation I need!
Thanks CC. It is so cools eating your own butter! I would try it xx
Ahhh, just been listening to all the grammar school talk up your way on R4 this morning. I hope you get things sorted out soon – really life should not be made so stressful for children. As for the butter, you know I was one of the lucky ones who went to RC. I've made butter plenty of times before, but I'd never added flowers before, so that was interesting. Also useful was that if you want salted butter, you add the salt after you've separated the buttermilk, so you don't have to have salty buttermilk. jAs a child, it was one of my jobs to shake the jersey milk in a jar until the butter was made. I think I prefer the KitchenAid method 😉
Thanks for the advice Choclette. I will do that next time….. I think I was just trying to avoid any extra processes, because I couldn't be bothered. Personally, I prefer unsalted butter anyway, but my daughter insisted on a bit of salt, so we threw some in!!
I remember the shake the jar method…. It always seemed a lot of work for little reward!
So glad you had a go at this! It's fun isn't it? Just a shame Roo and I can't eat butter! Sorry to hear you are having a rough time. We're thinking of you…
Thanks for your support Vicki. Results came and she passed!!! Gives us some reasonable options so fingers crossed we make the right choice x
I recently tried this with leftover cream donated to our food WasteCafe. I tried todo a large quantity all at once,very messy! So your quantity is just right as I found out on second attempt. You can rinse in salted water instead of adding salt at the beginning, salt helps it keep a little longer.
Thanks Jan. That's helpful to know. I will do that next time!