Ever thought about where butter comes from? Ever thought you could make it yourself?? Honestly, making your own homemade butter is not hard at all!!
HOMEMADE BUTTER!
They like to trick you into thinking it is though. They like to make you think that it’s long and laborious work and that you need a PhD education! Well, I’m here to show you that the process is so incredibly simple, it’s kind of ridiculous. It can actually happen BY ACCIDENT! Honestly! So today, I’m going to show you How To Make Your Own BUTTER!!
WHAT IS BUTTER MADE OF?
Butter comes from cream. Cows produce cream, cream becomes butter. (with a little elbow grease). When we whip our heavenly whipping cream, sweetened with sugar, and it forms into little pillowy clouds of everything good in this world, we obviously stop whipping it at that stage.
But did you know if you kept whipping it, (let’s say, by accident) it would eventually start to form into butter? Yes!! Unbelievable, right?!?
It’s the whole magic of chemistry and maybe a bit of physics thrown in there. I won’t go into the whole chemistry/physics explanation (because I COULD you know.. I COULD!… ahem.. yeah.) but just trust me that when the cream is whipped past its point of billowy clouds, it’s like the heavens open up, and butter starts to emerge in its loving splendor.
WHAT ARE THE BUTTER INGREDIENTS?
So this is the best part of all. You need ONE ingredient, maybe two.
- Heavy whipping cream
- Salt.
HOW IS BUTTER MADE?
The cool thing about is that you can make this so easily in your stand mixer, your hand mixer, or even just a plain old mason jar. The mason jar trick is perfect for when the kids “are boooored” and complain “there’s nothing to dooooooooooo”.
Ok, then give’em something to do! Throw some cream in a jar, put on the lid, and let them work their little biceps to death by shaking the living heck outta those jars to make their own butter!! They will complain to no end that it’s taking so long (15min or so), but when they begin to feel that separation “plop” in the jar and see the butter forming, they’ll be all over it!
I’ll show you how to do it your mixer. WAYYY easier.

Ok, so how do I make butter?
Take approximately 2 C of heavy whipping cream into your mixer bowl. Using your whipping attachment, start out at a medium speed until it starts to thicken. When it becomes whipped cream, keep going. The cream will become stiffer and thicker, and then get a sort of grainy appearance. Keep going.
Then, all of a sudden, like magic, it will begin to break apart and form the butter. Keep going. See, when you make butter yourself, you get an added surprise – because as you whip it further, you’ll see a milky substance forming as well.
This, my dear reader, is BUTTERMILK. Crazy, isn’t it??

So at this point, stop the mixer and drain out the buttermilk. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, for the love all things wholesome on this earth, keep this buttermilk. It’s not your traditional thick, tangy buttermilk from the store – this is true buttermilk that you can use as a substitute or addition to any baking recipe that calls for milk. Don’t throw it away!

Grab your favorite spatula and start pressing the butter in the bowl. Work it around and around and you’ll see more of the buttermilk come out. Drain it off. When you’re pretty sure there’s no more left, place your bowl back under the beaters and add about a half cup of ice-cold water. Give it a spin. The water will “wash” any more residue of the buttermilk away.

Drain this off (don’t keep it). Back under the beaters if you wish, or you can do this by hand, but you’ll want to add a bit of salt. Usually, a 1/4 teaspoon will do it but try it afterward. If you want to add more, then do so but I suggest only at 1/4 teaspoon amounts. As mom would say “you can add it, but you can’t take it out”. True enough.

The benefit of making your own homemade butter is that you can whip some up in a pinch when your doing a Sunday morning pancake marathon and discover the pantry is dry. Also, it’s nice to know EXACTLY what went into that butter because you made it! There’s no artificial colors, and you can control the salt content. Plus.. it’s just plainly SO DAMN GOOD WHEN YOU MAKE BUTTER YOURSELF!

So please, give making your own butter a shot. It’s so delicious, easy to make, and you’re littles will be amazed that they made butter at home! If you’re so inclined, you should try spreading the butter on some NO knead Homemade Bread!

How to make butter
Ever thought about how to make butter? Honestly, making your own homemade butter is not hard at all!! Learn how to make yummy, fluffy, chemical free and wholesome butter all by yourself, the old fashioned way!
Ingredients
- 2 c heavy whipping cream, chilled
- as desired salt
Instructions
- Place chilled cream into a stand mixer
- Whip the butter. It will form peaks like whipping cream, but continue to whip it.
- After about 10 minutes, the whipped cream will begin to break and separate into butter and buttermilk
- Pour off the buttermilk and with a spatula, press out as much buttermilk as possible.
- Rinse the butter with cool water while pressing the butter against the bowl of the mixer to squeeze out any more buttermilk. When the rinsing water remains clear, the butter is done.
- Salt the butter as desired. Start with a very small amount and taste it as you go.
- chill the butter if you prefer or put into a sealed container and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 32 Serving Size: 1 tablespoonAmount Per Serving: Calories: 51Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 22mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
**********SAVE THIS RECIPE ON HOW TO MAKE BUTTER ON YOUR PINTEREST BOARD FOR LATER REFERENCE! **********

Hi! How long is the butter good for? Does it need stored in the fridge or airtight container?
Hey there Ally! Thanks for commenting with your question. The butter will stay good (as long as it’s been ‘washed’) for up to two weeks in the fridge. If I have store-bought butter, I will store it at room temp, but if I make my own, I prefer to keep in the fridge, definitely in an air-tight container.
Now I’m angry with myself because I’ve thrown away heavy whipping cream that curled up in the mixer when making whip cream. How long will the butter stay good for.
Awwww Vanessa, that’s too bad!! But at least you know now not to throw that away!
The butter should stay nice for at least a few weeks covered in the refrigerator, or covered on a counter, about 2 weeks (as long as it’s not too hot!) lol.
I haven’t made homemade butter in ages and you’ve just reminded me of how easy and delicious it is. Thanks for sharing on MM.
Not a problem Erlene! I love making my own butter, I feel like I’ve accomplished something.. haha! Thank you for taking the time to comment!!
I never realized how easy making butter was and what a neat process. And OMG soooo good! Thank you for the great pics and well written instructions!
You’re so welcome Cherie, and I’m thrilled that you tried it!! It’s so cool and so easy right?? Yaay!! Thanks so much for taking your time to comment!
I’m definitely going to try this as I would also use the buttermilk for pancakes. How much butter and buttermilk does the 2 cups of whipping cream make?
Hi Jacqueline! Thank you for taking your time to write in! I find that the recipe will make about a cup or a cup and half of butter.
The butter milk would be PERFECT for pancakes, absolutely!
I’d love to hear your opinion of the recipe when you try it!
That sounds easy for me will try it, thank you.
That’s the best thing about this recipe, it IS super easy! Let me know how it goes when you try it, I’d love to hear what you think of the taste Lusiana!!
A blender works great for this
Great tip Beth, thanks for commenting!
I have always known how to make butter, just never have, HOWEVER, I NEVER KNEW ABOUT THE BUTTERMILK! Even though it makes so much sense. Thank you so much!