How to Make Butter

Learn how to make butter with either a blender or stand mixer.  This easy recipe only requires heavy cream (raw cream or store-bought) and less than 15 minutes of hands-on time!

Making homemade butter with store-bought or raw cream is super simple and satisfying! Skimmed cream from raw milk churns beautifully. Here’s how to make it using two different methods: a blender and a stand mixer.

I will also go over the difference between sweet cream and cultured butter, helpful equipment, trouble shooting common woes and the best way to store it. Use the jump-to button below to skip right to the parts you need!

Jump to:

•  Why You Should Make Your Own Butter
• Cultured Butter vs. Sweet Cream Butter
• Find the Best Cream!
• Tips for Making Butter
• Helpful Equipment for Making Butter
• Making Butter in a Blender or Food Processor
• Making Butter in a Stand Mixer
• How to Make Sweet Cream Butter
• How to Make Cultured Butter (also called Sour Cream Butter)
• How to Store Homemade Butter
• Frequently Asked Questions
• More homesteading posts you'll love
• Pairing
• Comments

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 Why You Should Make Your Own Butter

• It’s satisfying to create something from scratch. Making butter is a hands-on, family-friendly activity, and it connects you to the simplicity of traditional food preparation.
• Homemade butter has a rich, creamy flavor that store-bought versions can’t match. It’s fresh, preservative-free, and you can customize it with salt, herbs, or spices.
• Making butter can be cheaper than buying premium store-bought options. Plus, you get fresh buttermilk as a bonus for baking!
• When you make it at home, you control the quality of the cream—whether it’s raw, organic, or from grass-fed cows. No hidden additives or unnecessary processing!

Here's Rosie (below) giving me several gallons of creamy raw milk to skim!

Cultured Butter vs. Sweet Cream Butter

Ninety-nine percent of the time, I make sweet cream butter because it is faster and easier. However, cultured butter can definitely be worth the effort! Let me explain when you'll want to take the extra steps to do it.

The difference between cultured butter and sweet cream butter really comes down to how the cream is handled before churning, and it makes a big difference in flavor and texture. I share the exact process for how to culture butter a little further down in this post if it's something you want to try!

Cultured butter, also called sour cream butter, starts with cream that’s been fermented with live cultures, like buttermilk, clabber or mesophilic culture. You let the cream sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours to develop that tangy, slightly sour flavor before churning. It has a rich, complex taste that’s a little more "fancy" and European in style.

Cultured butter is creamy and perfect for spreading on bread or adding a bold, tangy note to sauces and pastries. Since the cream is fermented, it contains live cultures, making it a healthier option than regular!

On the other hand, sweet cream butter is made with fresh, unfermented cream. There’s no waiting around—just churn the cream right away. It has a mild, clean, slightly sweet flavor that’s more common in homesteading American-style butters.

Sweet cream butter is super versatile and works for everything from baking to sautéing to slathering on toast. Like I said above, I almost exclusively make the sweet cream version!

Find the Best Cream!

I am obsessed with raw cream! While it is possible to make it with store-bought cream, and this is how I always made it until several years ago, there are a few draw backs.

Cream from the grocery store is very different from cream skimmed off raw milk, mainly because of how it’s processed. Raw cream is unpasteurized and non-homogenized, meaning it’s packed with natural nutrients like vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as enzymes and beneficial bacteria. Store-bought cream is pasteurized (or ultra-pasteurized) to extend shelf life, which destroys some of these nutrients and enzymes.

Store-bought cream often contains additives like carrageenan or gums to improve texture and keep it from separating. Raw cream is pure and reflects the cows' diet—grass-fed cream is especially flavorful and nutrient-rich. While store-bought cream is convenient, raw cream offers superior flavor, texture, and health benefits if you can source it responsibly.

Tips for Making Butter

• Cold cream churns faster and more easily. When using a blender, the cream should be straight from the refrigerator and as cold as possible. If making it in a churn or stand mixer, the cream can be closer to 55-60F. Usually setting the cream out on the counter for 20 minutes before churning will do the trick!
• Save the buttermilk! It’s perfect for pancakes, biscuits, or baking bread. Substitute the fresh buttermilk for water in my Sandwich Bread recipe or Sourdough Sandwich Bread and it will make the softest, easiest slicing sandwich bread EVER!
• Try adding herbs or garlic for flavored butter! We love to add black pepper, salt, parsley flakes, garlic powder and onion powder and use it as a drool-worthy topper to grilled steaks.

Helpful Equipment for Making Butter

Here’s a list of helpful tools for making homemade butter, including how each one can make the process easier and more fun:

1. Blender: A high-speed blender is great for churning cream quickly and efficiently. It’s perfect if you’re making smaller batches and want to save time. I have an old-school Vitamix that is more than 10 years old- I'll link a newer Vitamix model for you! And here's a food processor that works great, too.
2. Stand Mixer: A stand mixer with a whisk attachment is ideal for larger batches. It keeps your hands free and provides consistent mixing, making it easier to churn cream without much effort. Here is a modern manual butter churn that would work in place of a stand mixer!
3. Butter Molds: Molds allow you to shape your butter into neat, decorative blocks or pats. They’re especially handy if you plan to gift your homemade butter or want it to look pretty on the table. Find them at antique stores, etsy or garage sales! I use these molds for making sticks for easy baking.
4. Butter Press: A press is used to remove excess buttermilk and shape your butter at the same time. It’s a great tool for achieving a uniform texture and firm consistency. My vintage presses are from garage sales and antique stores. Here's a short reel of me using an old fashioned press.
5. Fine-Mesh Strainer or Cheesecloth: Mesh strainers are essential for straining the buttermilk. Cheesecloth can also be used for rinsing and squeezing the butter to remove any remaining liquid. These are the very best (reusable) cheese clothes I've found!
6. Spatula or Wooden Spoon: Helpful for kneading and rinsing the butter during the final steps of the process. A wooden spoon can also assist in pressing out the buttermilk.
7. Storage Containers: Small glass or airtight containers are perfect for storing your finished butter in the refrigerator or freezer. I also love using our Weston vacuum sealer and small vacuum seal bags from Pack Fresh USA, my code MEG10 saves you 10% off every order!

Making Butter in a Blender or Food Processor

1. Pour the cold cream, straight from the refrigerator, into the blender and secure the lid. Here is a butter in a blender tutorial reel I posted on instagram!
2. Start blending at medium speed, then gradually increase to high speed. After a few minutes, you’ll notice the cream thickening and turning into whipped cream. Keep going! I usually have to begin scraping the sides of the container and pulsing the blender at this point, as air pockets form around the blades. The cream will begin to separate into butter and buttermilk and you will hear a sloshing sound in the blender.
3. Once the buttermilk separates (you’ll see chunks of yellow globs floating in liquid buttermilk), stop the blender. Pulse it 3 more times for just a second or two each.
4. Pour the mixture through a strainer or cheesecloth to separate the butter from the buttermilk. Save the buttermilk for baking or drinking—it’s delicious!
5. Transfer it into a bowl and pour cold water over it until the water draining runs clear. Use a spatula or your hands to knead the butter, rinsing out any remaining buttermilk. Change the water a couple of times until it runs clear.
6. If you like salted, sprinkle in a little salt and knead it in. Knead to press out any buttermilk before stamping, molding or storing.

Pictured below: The butter and buttermilk has separated in the blender and is being poured into a strainer, allowing the buttermilk to be captured in a bowl for later. The second image is rinsing the butter with cold water to remove any buttermilk.

Making Butter in a Stand Mixer

1. Add your cream to the bowl of the stand mixer. Secure the whisk attachment.
2. Start the mixer at medium speed. After a few minutes, the cream will turn into whipped cream. Keep going! At this point I always cover my mixer with a damp tea towel-- as the buttermilk begins to separate from the butter, it will make a big splashy mess!
3. As you continue whisking, the cream will start to separate into butter and buttermilk. This may take 5-10 minutes. If the cream gets too warm before the butter separates, you may need to take a break and pop the bowl into the refrigerator.
4. Once the butter clumps together and buttermilk is visible, stop the mixer. Pour the mixture through a strainer or cheesecloth to separate the buttermilk. Set aside the buttermilk for later use.
5. Just like with the blender method, transfer the butter into a bowl, add cold water, and knead out the excess buttermilk. Change the water until it runs clear.
6. Knead salt into the butter if you want it salted. Knead the butter to press out any buttermilk before stamping, molding or storing.

How to Make Sweet Cream Butter

Use fresh or store-bought cream to make butter following either of the methods listed above. The butter made will be sweet cream butter! All homemade butter is considered sweet cream butter, unless it is cultured. Some people also add a tablespoon or two of sugar to intensify the sweetness of the cream, but I don't feel like it's necessary.

How to Make Cultured Butter (also called Sour Cream Butter)

1. Culture the Cream

• Pour one quart of cream into a clean jar or bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of cultured buttermilk, clabber (or a pinch of starter culture).
• Stir well to mix. Cover loosely with a lid or cheesecloth to allow airflow.
• Leave the cream at room temperature (around 70°F) for 12-24 hours, or until it thickens slightly and has a tangy smell.

2. Chill the Cream

• Once the cream is cultured, refrigerate it for a few hours. Cold cream churns better and makes the butter easier to handle.

3. Churn the Butter

• Use either of the methods explained above.

How to Store Homemade Butter

1. On the Counter: Use a butter crock or a sealed butter dish to keep the butter protected from air and light. Unsalted butter will last 1-2 days at room temperature, while salted butter may last up to a week. Salt acts as a preservative, but raw butter (especially unsalted) can spoil quickly in warm conditions. Only store a small amount of butter at room temperature if you plan to use it quickly. Keep it away from heat and direct sunlight.
2. In the Refrigerator: Wrap the butter in wax paper or parchment paper and place it in an airtight container to prevent it from absorbing odors. Homemade butter lasts 1-2 weeks in the fridge. Salted butter tends to last longer than unsalted. Label your container with the date you made the butter to track its freshness.
3. In the Freezer: Divide the butter into smaller portions and wrap each tightly in plastic wrap, parchment paper, or freezer-safe bags. I love using our vacuum sealer for this! I cut the butter into portions that are standard weights for baking recipes and wrap the pieces individually in parchment paper before transferring them to a vac bag. For extra protection, place wrapped butter in an airtight container or freezer-safe storage bag. Butter can last 6-12 months in the freezer without losing flavor or quality. To make it easier to use, freeze butter in small portions or use silicone molds to create individual-sized blocks. Thaw frozen butter in the refrigerator before using.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Pairing

If you have butter, you need some bread to slather it on! Check out these recipes!