Making Butter at Home with Heavy Whipping Cream & Salt

 Welcome to the creamy world of DIY Butter! Whether you have a hand mixer, a KitchenAid, or just a mason jar and a little elbow grease, you can whip up your very own butter at home in no time. No fancy tools required—just some heavy whipping cream, a pinch of salt, and a lot of fun. 

What You Need:

• Heavy Whipping Cream (around 2 cups)

• Salt (optional, but I recommend it!)
  
  

A Tool of Your Choice:

• • Hand Mixer (easy and quick)

  • KitchenAid Mixer (for the tech-savvy butter makers)

  • Mason Jar 

Instructions For Using A Hand Mixer: 

Chill the Bowl & Whisk: Start by chilling your mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the fridge for a few minutes—this helps the cream whip up faster.

Pour Cream into the Bowl: Add the heavy whipping cream to the chilled bowl. If you want to make flavored butter, this is where you can add herbs or spices, but let's keep it simple for now.

Whip the Cream: Use a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium-high speed to whip the cream. At first, it will turn into whipped cream, then continue to mix until the fat separates from the buttermilk. You’ll see the butter clumps form and float in a pool of buttermilk.

Drain the Buttermilk: Once the butter has separated, pour off the buttermilk (save it for baking or pancakes—it's liquid gold!).

Knead the Butter: Take the butter and, using cold water, rinse it by kneading it gently with a spatula or your hands until the water runs clear. This removes any remaining buttermilk, which helps prevent spoilage.

Add Salt (Optional): If you're making salted butter, now's the time to add your salt. Taste and adjust as needed!

Shape & Store: You can shape your butter into a log or pack it into a jar. Store it in the fridge, and it’s ready to spread!

Instructions For Using A Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer: 

Prep the Mixer: Attach your whisk attachment to the KitchenAid and pour in your heavy whipping cream.

Whisk Away: Start on a low speed and gradually increase to medium-high. In a few minutes, you’ll see the cream turning into whipped cream, then, after a bit more mixing, the butter will start to separate from the buttermilk.

Separate & Rinse: Once you’ve got solid butter clumps, drain off the buttermilk (save it for recipes!). Use cold water to rinse the butter until the water runs clear, kneading the butter with a spatula to get rid of excess buttermilk.

Add Salt: Add your salt (if you like it), mix it in, and voila! Fresh, creamy butter made by your trusty KitchenAid.

Instructions For Using A Mason Jar:

Shake It Up: Pour about 1 cup of heavy whipping cream into a mason jar, filling it no more than halfway. Secure the lid tightly. Now, get ready to shake! This is the fun part.

Shake, Shake, Shake: Shake the jar back and forth for about 10-15 minutes. Yep, you’ll feel the cream turn into whipped cream first, and then after a bit of shaking, you’ll notice the butter separating from the buttermilk. Keep shaking until you hear a sloshing sound (that’s the buttermilk separating from the butter).

Drain & Rinse: Open the jar, pour out the buttermilk (save it for baking or cooking!), and rinse the butter under cold water. Knead it gently with your fingers to get all the buttermilk out.

Season & Enjoy: Add a pinch of salt, give it a quick mix, and you’re ready to enjoy your homemade butter!

Pro Tips for Perfect Butter:

Use Cream That’s Fresh: The fresher the cream, the better your butter will taste!

Chill Everything: Chilled mixing bowls, beaters, and even the cream help everything whip up faster and more effectively.

Save the Buttermilk: That liquid you just separated? It’s buttermilk, and it’s perfect for pancakes, cakes, or even in smoothies.

Play with Flavors: Want garlic butter? Fresh herbs? Honey butter? Just add your flavors right after you make the basic butter. Mix in a little garlic, rosemary, or cinnamon, and enjoy! 

Are you more visual and want to see how this is done.  No worries, I have added some YouTube tutorials below that I found to be quick and easy to watch and learn that you will be whipping up butter in no time.