This Easy Homemade Butter in a Jar is a fun kitchen experiment for grown-ups and kids alike! Grab some heavy whipping cream, salt and a jar, warm up those arm muscles, and get ready for some sweet, creamy, super yummy butter!
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There's nothing quite like freshly-churned homemade butter. You instantly say to yourself, "So this is what butter is supposed to taste like!" The best part? You can make butter from scratch in about 15 minutes, and you don't need any special equipment!
Once upon a time, I bought a bread machine that had this little insert for making butter. All I had to do was pour in some cream, turn it on, and a few minutes later, I had the most delicious butter!
Then we moved, and that insert went missing. I never did find it, and I pretty much forgot about making butter for a really long time.
Fast-forward to a few weeks ago when I was about to enjoy a magnificent toasted bakery bagel and realized I had no butter in the house. Grrrr!
As I searched the fridge, I spotted a carton of heavy whipping cream. My mind instantly went back to that bread machine insert. All it did was stir cream until it turned into butter, so how hard could it be to make some myself?
Off to the internet I went thinking I would find a recipe using my stand mixer, blender or food processor, but then I had not-so-fun thoughts of cleaning them up afterwards. That's when I stumbled upon making butter in a jar.
15 minutes later, I had butter for my bagel! Really, really good butter!
Yes, the process takes some elbow grease (you can ask the kids or a buddy to share in the shaking or just enjoy the arm workout), but the clean-up is easy. Plus, it's just fun to see the whole process happening right in your own hands!
Ingredients You Need
- Heavy whipping cream (or heavy cream)
- Salt (optional)
Equipment Needed
- One pint-sized (2-cup) mason jar with lid and ring (or any pint-sized jar with a tight-fitting lid)
How to Make Butter in a Jar
Tips & Tidbits
- If you don't have any butter buddies to help you with all that shaking, it's totally okay to take some quick breaks to give your arms a rest.
- Adding salt is optional, but it adds great flavor to your butter, which could be bland without it. Use whatever amount suits your personal tastes. I usually use ¼ teaspoon of sea salt for this recipe, but you might want to start with less.
- That ½ cup of thin liquid in the jar with the butter is real-deal buttermilk. You can discard it if you wish, or you can drink it. It's sweet and delicious!
- Don't use it in recipes that call for buttermilk, though, especially baking recipes with baking soda. It does not have the same acidity as store-bought cultured buttermilk (a totally different product), which is needed to react with the baking soda.
- This recipe will give you about ½ cup of butter. I suggest that you don't make more than you will use within a few days because fresh homemade butter doesn't usually last as long as store-bought butter.
- If you won't be using all of your butter immediately, the step of rinsing and kneading the butter is important to get rid of any excess buttermilk which can cause your butter to spoil faster. The more buttermilk you remove, the longer your butter will last.
- Keep your butter refrigerated in an air-tight container and use within a few days for optimal freshness.
I don't make homemade butter all the time, but I do like to make it every now and again, especially for holidays and special occasions. And I ain't gonna lie...people are impressed when you make your own butter!
So put on some fun tunes like KC & The Sunshine Band's Shake Your Booty, Harry Belafonte's Shake, Shake, Shake Senora, Peaches & Herb's Shake Your Groove Thing, or Taylor Swift's Shake It Off and just go for it!
I hope you try this Easy Homemade Butter in a Jar recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
Spread Your Butter on These Homemade Breads
If you make this recipe, I'd love to know how it went! Please leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
📋Recipe
Easy Homemade Butter in a Jar
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, or heavy cream
- salt, to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Pour the cream into a pint-sized (2 cup) mason jar or other pint-sized jar with a tight-fitting lid. Put on the lid and make sure it is nice and tight.
- Shake the jar vigorously for several minutes. After about 4 to 5 minutes, you will notice that there doesn't seem to be any liquid sloshing around any longer. At this point, you have whipped cream.
- Continue shaking vigorously for several more minutes. For a few minutes, it's going to seem like nothing is happening, and that's totally normal. Just keep shaking.
- At about the 9 to 10-minute mark, you will begin to notice a thin liquid starting to slosh around in the jar. Keep shaking. In another minute or so, you will see and feel a ball of yellow butter bouncing around in the jar with that thin liquid. You're done shaking!
- Rinse the butter with cold water as you knead it for a few minutes to remove any excess buttermilk. Note: This step is important, especially If you won't be using all of your butter immediately, as any excess buttermilk can cause your butter to spoil faster. The more buttermilk you remove, the longer your butter will last.
- Gently pat the butter dry with a paper towel. Place the butter in a bowl and add salt to taste (I use ¼ teaspoon of sea salt, but you may want to start with less); stir until well-combined. Adding salt is optional, but it adds a lot of flavor to the butter, which can be bland without it.
- If you are not using your butter immediately, place it in an air-tight container and keep it in the refrigerator. Use it within a few days for optimal freshness.
Notes
- If you don't have any butter buddies to help you with all that shaking, it's totally okay to take some quick breaks to give your arms a rest!
- The liquid in the jar is buttermilk (the real deal). There will be about ½ cup. You can discard the buttermilk or drink it if you wish (it's sweet and delicious!).
- Don't use it in recipes that call for buttermilk, though, especially baking recipes with baking soda. It does not have the same acidity as store-bought cultured buttermilk (a totally different product), which is needed to react with the baking soda.
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