Easy Homemade Grass-Fed Butter

Learn how to make rich, creamy homemade grass-fed butter using just one ingredient in about 15 minutes.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Once you make homemade butter, you'll never look at store-bought butter the same way. This simple recipe uses organic grass-fed heavy cream to create rich, creamy butter with incredible flavor using a stand mixer, hand mixer, blender, or food processor. It's an easy way to enjoy a wholesome kitchen staple made with just one ingredient, plus you'll get fresh homemade buttermilk to use in pancakes, biscuits, and other baked goods.

Recipe Snapshot

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: About 1 cup butter (16 tablespoons)

Difficulty: Easy

Meal Prep Friendly: ✅

Freezer Friendly: ✅

Yield

• 2 cups cream = about ¾–1 cup butter

• Plus about 1 cup fresh buttermilk

Ingredients

• 2 cups organic grass-fed heavy whipping cream, cold

• ¼–½ teaspoon mineral salt or sea salt (optional)

For Washing the Butter

• Ice water

Instructions

Step 1

Pour the cold heavy cream into your mixer bowl or food processor. Beat on medium-high speed. The cream will first become whipped cream before continuing to thicken.

Step 2

Continue mixing until the butterfat separates from the liquid, about 6–10 minutes total. Once separated, strain the butter from the fresh buttermilk, reserving the buttermilk for baking or cooking if desired.

Step 3

Place the butter into a bowl of ice water and gently knead or press it with a spatula or clean hands to remove any remaining buttermilk. Drain the cloudy water and repeat with fresh ice water until it runs mostly clear (usually 2–4 rinses). Stir in salt if desired, then shape the butter and refrigerate.

See It Come Together

Helpful Tips

• Use very cold heavy cream for the quickest results.

• Don't stop mixing when you reach whipped cream—it will eventually separate into butter and buttermilk.

• Washing the butter thoroughly helps it stay fresh longer.

• Save the homemade buttermilk for pancakes, waffles, biscuits, muffins, or bread.

• Homemade butter can be shaped into a log, pressed into butter molds, or stored in a glass container.

• For the richest flavor, choose organic grass-fed heavy cream.

Storage

Store homemade butter in an airtight glass container or wrapped in unbleeched parchment paper in the refrigerator for 2–3 weeks.

Freezing

Wrap tightly in unbleeched parchment paper and place inside a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Freeze for 6–9 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

Reheating

No reheating is needed. Simply allow refrigerated butter to sit at room temperature for 15–30 minutes if you'd like it softer for spreading.

Substitutions

• Heavy Cream: Use any high-quality heavy whipping cream, though organic grass-fed cream provides the richest flavor.

• Salt: Leave it out for unsalted butter or use your favorite mineral or sea salt.

• Mixer: A stand mixer, hand mixer, food processor, or blender all work well for this recipe.

Printable Recipe

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