How to Make Butter From Cream in a Mixer

Learn how to make butter from cream in a mixer.  Homemade salted butter tastes so much better than store bought butter, and it's very easy to make at home.  It has a shorter shelf life, but you can freeze it to preserve it longer.  This also makes buttermilk that you can use to make pancakes or biscuits.

How to Make Butter in a Stand Mixer

I enjoy cooking and baking.  I preserve a lot of food because I want to preserve our harvest to save money and eat better foods.

But sometimes I make things from scratch just to do it.  This easy homemade butter was one of those things.

Butter is fairly inexpensive.  I buy it at Aldi because they have the best price.  It's perfect for baking, but I do acquiesce that there are better tasting butters available.

If you want a truly amazing butter for a special dish or for homemade bread, then you'll have to learn how to make homemade butter.  It's amazing with this artisan sourdough bread recipe.

I also use this homemade salted butter to make garlic butter to freeze my homemade garlic bread.  I also use it when I make my moist zucchini bread recipe because a recipe that delicious has to have homemade butter.  It's also good on this beer bread recipe.

For more ways to cook from scratch, check out these posts:

• How to Make Onion Powder at Home
• How to Make Sourdough Starter Recipe
• How to Make Freezer Corn
• How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar From Scratch
• Homemade Onion Soup Mix Recipe
• Sourdough Discard Pancake Recipe
• How to Make Maple Syrup for Pancakes
• Essential Herbs and Spices for Pantry
• Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles
• Zucchini Flour Recipe
• How to Make Breadcrumbs at Home
• Taco Seasoning Mix Recipe
• How to Make Vanilla Powder

Keep track of your favorite recipes in my printable recipe binder kit.

How Do You make Butter With Cream in a Mixer?

Butter is made by stirring up cream.  Cream has a lot of fat in it.  When the fat molecules get shaken, they start to clump together.  After a lot of mixing, the cream eventually forms butter.

I learned how to make butter in a stand mixer because I already have a Kitchenaid mixer and love it.  I like using my existing appliances and not having to buy anything new.

This mixer makes easy homemade butter because you can turn on the mixer and walk away.  You will need to peek at it to know when to go to the next step, but you're not stuck at the mixer.

Can You Make Butter With a Hand Mixer?

Yes, you can use a hand mixer to learn how to make homemade butter.  It will take longer to turn the cream into butter, so plan to spend more time making it.

I also recommend letting your hand mixer rest every 5 minutes.  You could burn the motor if you use it too long without a break.

Which Cream is Best for Making Butter?

It's best to use heavy cream to learn how to make butter from cream in a mixer.  Heavy cream is about 40 percent butterfat and 60 percent milk solids.

I buy my cream from a local dairy.  Using fresh cream direct from the dairy will give you better results.  I've also used Aldi cream and the local big dairy's cream with good results.

Side note: Aldi cream is a lot cheaper than other places.  They get their dairy products from local dairies all over the country, so it's likely the same cream you'd buy at any other grocery store.  You can check the code on the container to see where it's from.

Is Heavy Cream the Same as Whipping Cream?

Heavy whipping cream has the same of fat as heavy cream.  However, whipping cream usually has less fat.  Look for a cream product with about 36 to 40 percent fat for best results for homemade salted butter.

Can You Make Butter With Store-Bought Whole Milk

I suppose you could make easy homemade butter with whole milk, but I don't recommend it.  I've heard that it works, but I haven't tried it.

When you learn how to make homemade butter, you'll learn that the fat from the cream is what you need.  Whole milk just isn't high enough in fat to make butter.

How Much Cream Makes a Pound of Butter?

One quart of cream makes about a pound of homemade salted butter.  It will vary based on how much water you get out of the butter.

Why is Salt Added to Butter?

Salt gives this easy homemade butter a better flavor.  Salt also acts like a natural preservative for the butter.

How Much Salt Should I Add to Homemade Butter?

When I learned how to make butter from cream in a mixer, I used 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of salt per quart of cream to make salted butter.

Why is Homemade Butter Not Yellow?

When you learn how to make homemade butter, you  might be surprised to see that it's paler yellow than what you buy in the store.  Homemade salted butter is usually pale yellow and can even be white.

The color of butter depends on the cow's diet and breed.  Carotene in the cream can affect the color of your easy homemade butter.  

Cows that eat more grass and flowers will store more carotene in their bodies, which makes the cream and butter look darker.

Can You Bake With Homemade Butter?

Yes, you can bake with your easy homemade butter.  Do note that when you learn how to make butter in a stand mixer, it's softer because it has more water content.  It can affect some recipes, like cookies. 

How Long Does Homemade Butter Last?

How long your easy homemade butter lasts depends on how much buttermilk you can get out of it.  The more water you squeeze out, the longer the butter will last.

Your homemade salted butter should last about 2 to 3 weeks in the fridge.  However, if there's a lot of buttermilk left, it might only last a week.

Homemade butter should always be stored in the fridge.  It can grow mold on the counter because it has a higher water content than store bought butter.

Can You Freeze Butter?

Yes, you can freeze the butter.  I make a batch and use half and put the other half in the freezer.  It may separate when you thaw it, but just stir or mix it.

Homemade Salted Butter Ingredients

You will need the following to learn how to make butter from cream in a mixer:

• 4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 quarts ice water
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

How to Make Butter in a Stand Mixer

Step #1

Let the cream warm up for half an hour on the counter.  This helps the fat separate from the cream quicker.

Step #2

Pour the cream into the bowl of your Kitchenaid mixer.  Place the whisk attachment on the mixer and use the splash guard.  I also recommend keeping a kitchen towel nearby.

Step #3

Turn on the mixer to speed 1.  Gradually increase the speed to 10.  Drape a towel over the mixer because it will splash all over.

Step #4

Continue whisking the cream on speed 10 until the buttermilk starts to separate from the fat.  This can take anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes, but it took 10 minutes for me.  It will look like the photo when it's done.

Step #5

Drain the buttermilk.  I saved it for pancakes.  You can pour it through cheesecloth, but I didn't bother for pancakes or biscuits.

Step #6

Add 2 cups of cold water to the mixer.  Mix on medium for about a minute.  Drain the liquid and discard it because it will be too water for buttermilk.

Step #7

Rinse the butter, mix, and drain the water three to five more times until the water runs clear.  I like to use my hands to squeeze out more water each time so I only have to rinse three times.

Once you are done, you should have about two cups of buttermilk and two cups of butter.  You can then press your butter into a butter mold, but I just put it into a container.

You can not remove as much water as a factory can, so always store your homemade salted butter in the fridge or freezer.

Now you know how to make butter in a stand mixer.  

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