In the bowl of your food processor pour the cold cream and whip on high speed until it separates. After around 2 ½ minutes you will see it start to over whip and really thicken. Keep going. After around 4 minutes it should be fully separated. You can see yellow buttery solids and cloudy liquid at this point. (You can also do this using a handheld or stand mixer).
Once it separates, pour in your ice-cold water. This helps the butter fully separate from the liquid (buttermilk) and you will see even more buttermilk appear.
Place a sieve over a medium bowl and pour in the contents of the bowl. The liquid that remains is buttermilk. Save it in the fridge and use it in your baking or to marinate meat.
Squeeze the butter solids in your hands to make sure there is NO more buttermilk in there. You want to remove it all otherwise your butter will be wet. Also, you can squeeze it in a clean tea towel or a cheesecloth.
Stir in the salt or any flavors (if using) to your soft butter.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 6 weeks and use it in your baking, savory dishes, or even on toast.
Reviews
Elizabeth on 2025-11-28 (5 stars): I made this today and it turned out great! I split the batch into a couple pieces and made a few flavors, the best one was with some fresh garlic and dried basil & Rosemary along with a pinch of salt (I just mixed in with a fork in a bowl after squeezing out the buttermilk). Any recipe recommendations I could use the buttermilk for would be appreciated!
Barb on 2025-11-14 (5 stars): This was so much easier than the kitchenaid! Mine turned out great only made a pint. Will make more next time! I use raw cream😊 thank you for all your work giving us healthier recipes ❤️
Maryane (Siamesemama1) on 2025-10-10 (5 stars): I followed recipe exactly, using whip cream method (ice cold bowl, utensils) & it came out great. Used Kitchen Aid so it took about 6 min for separation, gonna try my food processor next time. Kneaded a sprinkle of sea salt into butter-yum. My cats agree.
Maryane (Siamesemama1) on 2025-10-10 (5 stars): Thanks for the tea towel tip! I had more to wipe down than my KA, lol!
Sue Goode on 2025-09-09 (5 stars): Hi Gemma, I made your homemade butter and I love it!! I just wanted to ask if you use just table salt or sea salt flakes? And I have noticed that most recipes tell you to wash the butter and then add flavourings and shape . One more question!! Can you put salt in when you put your cream in the food processor or do you have to add at the end? Thankyou and can’t get enough of your Recipes!!! 😊
Sue on 2025-05-16 (5 stars): Hi Gemma , Just wondering how long buttermilk keeps in fridge? Love your recipes !! Thankyou Sue
Maria Ruiz on 2025-05-04 (5 stars): I used heavy whipping cream from Sprouts brand 5% fat content. I mixed mine in my Cuisinart mini prep for 9 minutes. It came out delicious 😋 honestly I'll never buy butter again.
