Homemade Butter in the KitchenAid Mixer

Homemade butter…who doesn’t love it? It is creamy and smooth and spreads on homemade bread so easily. We use it here on my homestead on pancakes, English muffins, mashed potatoes and anything else we can get away with.

Did you know you can make homemade butter right in your KitchenAid Stand Mixer?  Well, you can and it is so easy that even the kids can help. You can also add other ingredients to it like salt, cinnamon, or herbs if you wish.

Making Homemade Butter

The Ingredients

The only ingredient that is absolutely necessary to make your own homemade butter is heavy whipping cream. For this recipe, I used Land O Lakes Heavy Whipping Cream because I got a good deal on it at Walmart. Usually, I go to Sam’s Club because it runs about $3.00 per quart compared to the almost $5.00 it usually costs at Walmart.

One quart of heavy whipping cream usually yields about one pound of butter. I also added 3/4 tsp. of salt to mine but that step is totally optional. You can also add spices, cinnamon or anything else you choose at the end.

The directions

I simply poured the 1-quart container of heavy whipping cream and 3/4 tsp. salt into the glass bowl of my KitchenAid mixer. I used the dough paddle for this batch but you can use the wire whisk that comes with the mixer also.

Let me tell you that it is very important to cover your mixer with a towel that completely wraps around the mixer! The reason is that you will be turning the mixer on full speed and it will make a mess. Trust me when I say I am telling you this from experience.

Once your bowl is covered, turn the mixer to high and let it do its thing.

Within a few minutes, the cream will separate into butter and buttermilk. This is when the splattering really goes into high gear. You will notice the thicker texture starting along the sides of the bowl. As you can see in the picture, the liquid goes everywhere as evident with the buttermilk puddle at the bottom of the mixer stand. Good thing I had “unpaper towels” on hand!

When the butter starts really sticking to the beater, your homemade butter is ready to come out of the bowl. An easy way to tell is to stick a rubber spatula into the butter. If it stands up, it’s ready.

The next step is to remove the butter and liquid from the bowl and pour it over a strainer or cheesecloth to separate the butter from the buttermilk. I couldn’t take a picture and hold the huge glass bowl for my mixer so you will have to wing it for this step.

Next, run some cold water over the butter to remove any leftover buttermilk and place the butter in a container for the refrigerator.

Other Options for Your Homemade Butter

There are many molds you can buy for butter. Amazon has some nice molds available.

Some people prefer shaping it into a ball and just placing it on a small plate covered with saran wrap. I keep mine in a reusable storage container in the fridge.

Also, I am told you can freeze it for months in the freezer, but I make it as I need it because it is so simple. It also makes a great gift too.

So now you know how easy it is to make homemade butter in your KitchenAid stand mixer! Try adding some herbs or spices to create your own flavors for your family! Do you have some favorite recipes for making butter? Please share them below.