We’ve been trying to make more of our food from scratch lately—not just for health reasons, but to help teach the kids the value of slowing down and learning where our food comes from. There’s something really special about taking the time to make things with your own hands, and butter turned out to be one of the easiest and most rewarding little projects we’ve done so far.
Seriously, homemade butter is so simple, and it tastes like a dream. Everyone loved it, and we all agreed: we might not be able to go back to store-bought after this!
Here’s how we made it using our KitchenAid mixer:
Homemade Butter (KitchenAid Method)
Ingredients:
• 2 cups (1 pint) of heavy cream (look for high-quality or local cream if possible)
• Pinch of salt (optional, for salted butter)
• Ice water (for rinsing)
Instructions:
1. Pour cream into the mixer:
Add the heavy cream to your KitchenAid mixing bowl. Using the whisk attachment, start mixing on medium-high speed.
2. Watch the transformation:
First, you’ll get whipped cream. Keep going! After a few more minutes, the cream will start to separate into butter and buttermilk. This is when the magic happens—it’ll look clumpy and watery, and you’ll hear a sloshing sound.
3. Strain out the buttermilk:
Once the butter has fully separated, pour everything through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Save the buttermilk for baking (hello, pancakes or biscuits!).
4. Rinse the butter:
Rinse the butter under cold water, kneading it gently with a spatula or spoon to get out any remaining buttermilk. Keep rinsing until the water runs clear—this helps your butter stay fresh longer.
5. Salt it (optional):
If you want salted butter, now’s the time to mix in a pinch or two of salt.
6. Store:
Store your fresh butter in an airtight container in the fridge. It’ll keep for about a week (if it lasts that long!).
This was such a fun and rewarding activity with the kids, and they were amazed to see cream turn into butter right before their eyes. It sparked great conversations about where food comes from, how it’s made, and how we can take small steps toward eating more intentionally.
If you’ve never made your own butter before—give it a try! It’s one of those little things that makes a big difference.
The Anker Homestead 