Homemade butter is a simple and fun activity that I do with my kids sometimes
And honestly, it tastes sooo good freshly made!
I even add things like honey to make a honey butter
I don’t make it often since it doesn’t make sense where I live right now, but it is fun to do sometimes!
Is it cheaper to make your own butter?
The answer to this depends on your area
In my town, 1 qt of heavy cream is $5.50
I can get about 11 oz of butter from that quart
I also will get about 2 cups of buttermilk
To make it easier, I will just subtract the store bought cost of buttermilk
That is $1.69 for a pint
So I can make 11 oz of butter for $3.81
Or 35 cents per oz
I buy 32 oz of butter at the store for $7.49
That is about 23 cents per oz
In my area, it is not cheaper to make my own butter
It is fun to do sometimes, but definitely not cheaper
That may be different for you
So feel free to check your local costs to find out!
How long does homemade butter last?
Homemade butter doesn’t have anything preserving it so it lasts about 3 weeks in the refrigerator or 9 months in the freezer
It will go bad faster if you didn’t get all the buttermilk off before storing it
Do I have to use a stand mixer to make butter?
The first time I made butter, I didn’t even know you could use a stand mixer!
I was teaching a 4th grade summer camp and decided to make butter as an activity
All you need is heavy cream and a jar
Fill your jar half way with the heavy cream and close the lid tight
Now it is time for teamwork or a crazy arm workout!
Violently shake the jar for a very long time
It took me 30 minutes by myself last time I did it
You will hear the cream at first, but then it will fluff up
While it looks like whipped cream, you won’t hear it while you shake the jar
But keep going!
You’ll know it’s done when suddenly you hear liquid again
Separate the butter from the buttermilk and enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 cups of heavy whipping cream
Instructions:
Pour the 2 cups into a stand mixer
Attach the whisk attachment and turn on medium speed
You will see the cream get fluffy in a couple of minutes like whipped cream
Keep mixing for another 5-10 minutes
You will see the cream get dense again before slightly lifting from the edge of the mixer bowl
When it is whipped enough, solids and liquids will separate quickly
The solids is butter and the liquid Is buttermilk
Separate the butter from the buttermilk and wash the butter in very cold water
The butter will spoil faster if buttermilk is left inside of it
Wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper
Add salt to taste if you want salted butter
Use the butter and the buttermilk however you want!
Homemade butter with 1 ingredient
Equipment
- 1 Jar or stand mixer
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Heavy whipping cream
- Salt Optional
Instructions
- If you are using a jar, pour heavy cream in thr jar until it is half full
- Seal tightly and shake vigorously
- This will take a while. You will hear it, stop hearing it, and then hear it again
- It is done when you hear it again
- You will see butter and buttermilk in the jar
- Rinse the butter with cold water and add salt if desired
- If you are using a stand mixer, it will work a lot faster
- Add 2 cups of heavy cream to the mixer with the whisk
- Beat on medium until it thickens and then separates into butter and buttermilk
- It will be obvious
- Rinse the butter with cold water to get off any buttermilk and add salt if you desire!
