Homemade Butter
I made butter from scratch! So much fun. You can really tell the difference in flavor when it's made from scratch. I do have to buy cream from the grocery store, though. I wish I could have a cow.
I love this kind of butter with anything savory that I cook. It's also a perfect match for steak and baked potatoes. I flavored this batch with garlic and chives. So delicious!
Another great thing about making butter from scratch is all the buttermilk that you get. It can be frozen in canning jars for up to 3 months or up to 6 months if you don't mind it separating when you thaw it. It's so nice to have on hand when buttermilk is called for in a recipe.
Try it, you'll love it!
~ Dana
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| Homemade butter with garlic & chives |
Homemade Butter
Ingredients
5 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
Supplies
butter muslin or several layers of cheesecloth
a butter mold or container with a lid
Instructions
1. Pour the cream into a mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer, start on low speed to prevent spatters. As the cream starts to thicken up, raise the speed of your mixer. Keep going faster and faster as it thickens until you have it almost up to the high speed.
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| In the mixer before separating |
2. Keep mixing at that speed until you see the buttermilk start to separate from the butter in the bowl. When that happens, turn your mixer speed down again, or you will be splashed with buttermilk.
3. Once the buttermilk has separated as completely as possible, pour the contents of the mixing bowl over a large, cloth-covered bowl to catch the butter in the cloth and the buttermilk in the bowl. For the cloth, I prefer to use butter muslin, but you can use several layers of cheese cloth folded together.
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| Being drained in muslin over a bowl |
4. After pouring, pick the cloth up by the 4 corners and wrap it all the way around the butter with the corners sticking up at the top. Start to twist the top and squeeze as much buttermilk out of the butter as possible.
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| Ice water bath |
5. Place the cloth-covered ball of squeezed butter in an ice water bath for about 5 minutes.
6. Move the wrapped ball of butter back over the buttermilk bowl and squeeze out any remaining liquid.
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| Kneaded butter |
7. Place the butter on a clean cutting board and take the cloth off. Knead the butter just like you would knead cookie dough. Add the salt while you are working it, and knead it well to incorporate the salt throughout. You can also knead in 1-1/2 heads of roasted garlic and about 4 tablespoons of chopped chives.
8. Place the butter in a covered container or a butter mold and refrigerate.
You may enjoy your fresh, homemade butter from the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
You can freeze it for up to 1 year. Be sure to wrap molded butter tightly with foil and then put it in a plastic freezer bag. Or you may store your non-molded butter in a container with a tight-fitting lid. To be extra-sure, put each lidded container in a freezer bag.
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| Buttermilk drained from butter |
Buttermilk
Don't throw away the buttermilk! You can pour it into Mason jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace at the top, so the jars won't crack when the liquid expands during the freezing process.
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| Buttermilk in canning jars |
You may freeze buttermilk in canning jars for up to 3 months. If you keep it frozen for up to 6 months, the buttermilk may separate when it thaws, but don't worry! After thawing, just whisk it back together. It will go back to its original form and be safe to use.
There are so many uses for buttermilk. You can use it as a base in many soups. And it's great in baked goods such as cakes, pancakes, waffles and biscuits. The buttermilk reacts with the baking soda, breaking down the gluten, which leaves a nice, soft texture.
Buttermilk also tenderizes meat and is great for marinades. And it makes creamy mashed potatoes.
Buying the Cream for Butter
I love it so much when I can save money making my own butter and buttermilk. Two for the price of one! Be sure to look for sales on heavy cream at the grocery store. Get the highest quality heavy cream with a high butter fat content, which is not ultra-pasteurized.
You might be able to find fresh cream available from local farms. The rules are quite different from state to state, so be sure to double check online as to what your state's rules are. There is a lot of information on a website called realmilk.com. It's very educational!
Of course, the most popular way to source fresh cream is to get it from a farm in your area. There are also online dairy delivery services, but again you'll need to check to see if that's available in your area.
In some states, like California, raw milk and cream are available in specialty stores.
Some states offer what is known as a cow share program, in which you can buy a share of a dairy cow and receive a portion of the milk.
You can also check on social media platforms for local farming groups.
If you are able to purchase raw milk, let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of days so the cream can separate from the milk.
Printable Recipe Pages
copyright 2025, Dana Meier, My Olde Country Home
My Olde Country Home cookbook series:
Vol. 1 - Olde Fashioned Christmas Desserts
Vol. 2 - Vintage Cookie Recipes
available on Amazon®
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