Homemade Butter in a Stand Mixer
Make homemade butter in just 15 minutes with heavy whipping cream! This easy recipe creates fresh, creamy butter perfect for bread, biscuits, pancakes, and more.
Ingredients
- 4 cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon fine salt optional
- Ice-cold water as needed
For Cinnamon Honey Butter
- 4 ounces prepared homemade butter softened
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Allow the heavy whipping cream to sit at room temperature for 30–45 minutes. The cream should still feel cool, but letting it warm slightly will help it turn into butter faster. You can use cream straight from the refrigerator, but it may take longer.
- Pour the heavy whipping cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
- Begin mixing on low speed. Gradually increase the speed to medium-high as the cream begins to thicken.
- Cover the mixer bowl with a splatter guard or securely drape a clean kitchen towel over the bowl. Make sure the towel stays away from the whisk and all moving parts. Always stop the mixer before adjusting or removing the towel.
- Continue mixing as the cream passes through the soft whipped cream, stiff whipped cream, and grainy stages. After approximately 10–15 minutes, the butterfat will separate into pale-yellow clumps and liquid will collect in the bowl. You will usually hear the liquid sloshing when this happens.
- Turn the mixer to low or stop it as soon as the butter separates. If the butter is still in very small pieces, mix on low for another 10–15 seconds to help it gather together.
- Pour the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container. Reserve this sweet-cream buttermilk for another use.
- Transfer the butter to a bowl of ice-cold water. Knead and press the butter with clean hands or a sturdy spatula to release the remaining buttermilk.
- Drain the cloudy water and repeat the washing process with fresh ice water until the water remains mostly clear.
- Transfer the washed butter to a clean cutting board. Press it with a spatula or bench scraper to remove as much remaining water as possible.
- Sprinkle the salt over the butter and knead until it is evenly distributed. Taste and adjust the amount of salt if desired.
- Use a bench scraper to divide and shape the butter into blocks or logs. Wrap tightly or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.
Cinnamon Honey Butter
- Place 4 ounces of softened homemade butter in the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Add 1 tablespoon of honey and ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
- Mix on low until combined, then increase to medium speed and whip until smooth and creamy, about 30–60 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Serve immediately or transfer to a covered container and refrigerate. Allow it to soften slightly before serving.
Video
Notes
- Very cold cream will still turn into butter; it will simply take longer. Slightly tempered cream separated in approximately 13 minutes during recipe testing.
- The reserved liquid is sweet-cream buttermilk, not the thick, acidic cultured buttermilk sold at the grocery store.
- Refrigerate the buttermilk or pour it into a pop-out freezer tray and freeze it in convenient portions. Leave room for the liquid to expand.
- Homemade butter should be kept tightly covered in the refrigerator. This is especially important for flavored butter containing honey, garlic, or fresh herbs.
- For gifting, chill the shaped butter until firm, wrap it tightly, and then cover it with parchment paper secured with twine. Add a label instructing the recipient to keep it refrigerated.