Recipes

Homemade Butter (and Buttermilk) from Double Cream

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frugal kitchen victory 🧈👏

Homemade Butter (and Buttermilk) from Double Cream

Making butter at home is surprisingly easy, deeply satisfying, and — when cream is reduced — cheaper and better than supermarket butter. From two 300 ml pots of double cream, you get fresh butter and real buttermilk for pancakes.

🧾 Ingredients

  • 600 ml double cream (cold, not ultra-heat-treated if possible)
  • Pinch of salt (optional, to taste)
  • Cold water (for rinsing)

🛠 Equipment

  • Stand mixer, hand mixer, or jar with a lid
  • Fine sieve or cheesecloth
  • Bowl
  • Spatula or spoon

🧈 Method: How to Make Butter

Step 1: Whip the Cream

Pour the double cream into a mixing bowl.

Whip on medium speed:

  • First it becomes whipped cream
  • Then stiff peaks
  • Keep going — it will look grainy
  • Suddenly, it splits into yellow butter solids and liquid buttermilk

Don’t panic. This is exactly what you want.

⏱ Time: 3–6 minutes with a mixer (longer by hand or jar).

Step 2: Separate Butter and Buttermilk

Place a sieve over a bowl and pour everything in.

  • Butter solids stay in the sieve
  • Buttermilk drains into the bowl

👉 Save the buttermilk — it’s perfect for pancakes, scones, soda bread, or marinades.

You should get about 250 ml buttermilk.

Step 3: Rinse the Butter (Important!)

Put the butter into a clean bowl.

Add cold water, gently knead and press the butter with a spoon or your hands.
The water will turn cloudy.

Drain and repeat until the water stays mostly clear.

🧠 This step removes leftover buttermilk and prevents the butter from spoiling quickly.

Step 4: Salt (Optional)

If you want salted butter:

  • Sprinkle in a small pinch of salt
  • Knead gently to distribute evenly

Taste and adjust.

Step 5: Shape and Store

You should now have about 320 g of fresh butter.

  • Half into a butter dish (immediate joy)
  • Half wrapped tightly and frozen (future you will be grateful)

🥞 What to Do with the Buttermilk

Use within 2–3 days in the fridge.

Perfect for:

  • Pancakes
  • Waffles
  • Soda bread
  • Tender cakes
  • Marinades for chicken

(Assuming no teenagers intercept ingredients mid-process.)

💰 Cost Breakdown

  • 2 × 300 ml reduced double cream: £1.74
  • Yield:
    • ~320 g fresh butter
    • ~250 ml real buttermilk

Cheaper than supermarket butter, no additives, and far better flavour.

📝 Final Notes

  • Butter freezes beautifully for up to 6 months
  • Homemade butter tastes cleaner and richer
  • The process feels oddly therapeutic
  • Shoe size irrelevant, banana theft unavoidable 🍌

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