Have you ever whipped cream too much and it started to separate and get gross? Did you know that you were actually on your way to turning your cream into butter?
The fat in cream is contained in tiny globules—think of them kind of like little sacs of fat suspended in the milk. When you agitate the cream (by shaking, whipping, or blending), the little sacs bump together and break apart, spilling out the fat molecules.
When whipping cream, you’re incorporating air into the fat molecules. When you continue to agitate your cream, the fat molecules bump into each other and clump together and your whipped cream deflates. The fat separates from the liquid, forming butter and buttermilk.
Now that our heads are hurting from all that science, let’s dive in and learn how to make butter!
Pour your cream into a blender pitcher. Here I used 2 cups of cream.
You can also make butter using a hand or stand mixer, but I think the blender is way less messy since it has a lid. Or you can get really hands-on and just shake your cream in a jar (if you’re looking for an arm workout).
Turn your blender on medium-high.
First, the cream will go to the whipped cream stage. Then it will start to get thicker and it will start to release watery buttercream. You’ll see little pieces of it splashing against the sides of the blender pitcher. You aren’t quite there yet!
Finally, the whole thing will start to become liquid-y again, swirl around in the blender, and the butterfat and buttermilk will separate completely.
You’ve successfully made butter!
This whole process should only take about 5 minutes on medium-high.
Carefully pour off as much of the buttermilk as possible. Either discard or save for later use.
Note: Unless you made cultured butter, this buttermilk will not perform like the buttermilk you buy from the store. You need to add vinegar or lemon juice if you want it to react properly with baking soda.
Now you’re left with (mostly) just the butterfat. Technically, you could eat the butter as-is, but if you do one more step, it will last longer.
That extra step is this: You need to wash any remaining buttermilk out of your butter so it doesn’t sour. Scrape your butter into a bowl of VERY cold water. You can even use ice water if you wish.
Squeeze and knead your butter to release the buttermilk.
Continue squeezing and changing your water until the water remains clear. This takes about 5-7 changes of water for me.
Now you can pat your butter dry on some clean butter muslin, a clean dish towel, or a paper towel.
To add more flavor to your butter, I highly recommend salting it, unless you plan to use it in baking. A scant 1/8 teaspoon is about right for 2 cups of cream. You might like it more or less salty. Start with less and increase the salt to taste. You don’t want your butter to scream “salty”—you just want it to be flavorful.
Mix the salt in very well.
You can simply store your butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or you can wrap it in parchment paper.
Form it into whatever shape you wish. I think regular ol’ sticks are the most handy.
Store the butter in the refrigerator for about a week, or in the freezer (well wrapped) for longer-term storage.
Just for reference, 2 cups of cream will make 1 stick of butter (100 grams, 3 1/2 ounces, or 1/2 cup). You’ll also get about 1 cup of buttermilk.
To sum up:
- Blend heavy or whipping cream on medium-high in a blender.
- First, you’ll get whipped cream. After about 5 minutes, the fat and liquid will separate, forming butter and buttermilk.
- Pour off as much of the buttermilk as you can.
- Scoop the butter into very cold water. Knead and squeeze it to release any remaining buttermilk. Wash in several changes of water until it remains clear.
- Pat the butter dry and stir in salt to taste. Start with a scant 1/8 teaspoon and increase as needed.
- Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for about a week or well-wrapped in the freezer for longer.
That’s all there is to it! This can also be a fun activity to do with kids in the kitchen. They’ll be amazed that they actually made butter at home, and it will make their breakfast pancakes or toast extra special.