Step-by-Step How To Make Butter In Kitchenaid Mixer

Making butter at home is a simple process. You can easily make fresh homemade butter process using a KitchenAid mixer. This process involves taking cold heavy cream and whipping cream into butter using the KitchenAid whisk attachment or sometimes the KitchenAid paddle attachment. As you mix, the cream thickens, then becomes lumpy, and finally you will see the fat solids separating butter and buttermilk. The liquid left behind is buttermilk from butter making. We will show you how to make butter in mixer and talk about how long to make butter in mixer, storing homemade butter, and how to use the extra buttermilk.

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Why Make Butter Yourself?

Making butter at home is rewarding. It tastes fresher than store-bought butter. You know exactly what is in it. It is just cream, maybe salt, and nothing else. It is a fun kitchen project. It connects you to old ways of making food.

What You Need to Start

Getting ready is simple. You only need a few things.

Key Ingredients

• Heavy Cream: This is the most important part. You need fresh, cold, high-fat heavy cream. Look for cream that is labeled “heavy cream” or “heavy whipping cream.” It should have at least 36% milk fat. Do not use light cream, half-and-half, or milk. They do not have enough fat to turn into butter.

Helpful Tools

• KitchenAid Stand Mixer: Your main tool. Any model should work.
• KitchenAid Whisk Attachment: This is what you will use for most of the churning butter with mixer. Its wire loops whip air into the cream and help the fat molecules stick together.
• KitchenAid Paddle Attachment: You might use this later. It is good for mixing salt into the butter. Some people even start with the paddle, but the whisk is usually faster for the first stage.
• Large Mixing Bowl: Your KitchenAid bowl will work. Make sure it is clean and dry.
• Splatter Guard: This is very helpful! The cream will splash as it churns. A guard keeps your kitchen clean. Some KitchenAid mixers come with one.
• Fine-Mesh Sieve: You will use this to strain the buttermilk from butter making.
• Cheesecloth: Optional, but good for lining the sieve or squeezing extra liquid from the butter.
• Cold Water: You need a good amount of very cold water, maybe with ice cubes in it, for washing the butter.
• Spatula or Wooden Spoon: For pressing the butter and getting liquid out.
• Storage Container: An airtight container for storing homemade butter.

Getting Ready to Make Butter

A little prep makes the process smoother.

Chill Everything Down

• The Cream: Your heavy cream must be very cold. Take it straight from the fridge. Cold cream whips up best and churns faster.
• The Bowl and Whisk: Some people like to chill the mixer bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for 15-30 minutes before starting. This helps keep the cream cold and speeds things up a bit.

Set Up Your Mixer

• Place your KitchenAid mixer on a stable counter.
• Attach the mixing bowl firmly.
• Have your KitchenAid whisk attachment ready.
• Get your splatter guard handy.

The Step-by-Step Butter Making Guide

Here is how you make butter using your KitchenAid mixer. This is the core of the homemade butter process.

H4 Step 1: Pour the Cream

• Take your cold heavy cream from the fridge.
• Carefully pour it into the KitchenAid mixing bowl.
• Do not fill the bowl more than halfway. If you have a large amount of cream, you might need to do it in batches. Overfilling can cause lots of splattering, even with a guard.

H4 Step 2: Start Mixing

• Attach the KitchenAid whisk attachment to the mixer.
• Lower the whisk into the bowl.
• Put the splatter guard on if you have one.
• Start the mixer on a low speed at first (like speed 2 or 3). This helps prevent splashing before it thickens.

H4 Step 3: Watch the Changes

• Keep the mixer running. Watch the whipping cream into butter. It will go through several stages.
• Stage 1: Liquid: It starts as plain liquid cream.
• Stage 2: Thickening: After a few minutes, the cream will start to thicken. It will look like thick paint or a milkshake.
• Stage 3: Soft Peaks: The whisk will leave trails in the cream. If you lifted the whisk, soft peaks would form but quickly fall. This is whipped cream stage 1.
• Stage 4: Stiff Peaks: The cream continues to whip and gets firmer. Stiff peaks will form when you lift the whisk. This is fully whipped cream. If you stopped here and added sugar, you would have whipped cream for dessert. But we are making butter, so keep going!

H4 Step 4: Keep Churning

• This is where the magic happens. Keep the mixer running, maybe speed up a little (to speed 4 or 5).
• The cream will go past the stiff peak stage. It will start to look slightly grainy or curdled. This is normal! The fat clumps are starting to separate from the liquid.
• You will hear the sound of the mixer change slightly. It might sound thicker.
• Keep watching closely. The whipping cream into butter is happening now.

H4 Step 5: The Separation Point

• Suddenly, you will see a big change. The grainy cream will break down. You will see solid clumps (the butter) floating in a cloudy liquid (the buttermilk).
• This is the separating butter and buttermilk stage. It usually happens quite quickly after the grainy stage.
• As soon as you see clear separation – lots of liquid and a ball or clumps of solid butter forming – stop the mixer.

H4 Step 6: Drain the Buttermilk

• Carefully remove the mixing bowl from the KitchenAid.
• Remove the whisk attachment. Be careful, there will be butter stuck to it! Use a spatula to scrape the butter back into the bowl.
• Place the fine-mesh sieve over another bowl or container. This will catch the buttermilk from butter making.
• Pour the contents of the mixer bowl into the sieve. Let the liquid drain through. This liquid is valuable buttermilk!
• You will be left with the solid butter curds in the sieve.

Seeing What Happens During Churning

Let’s quickly look at how churning butter with mixer works. Cream has tiny balls of fat floating in liquid. When you whip or churn cream, you damage the covering around these fat balls. The fat balls then stick together. As you keep mixing, more and more fat balls join up. They form larger and larger clumps. Eventually, they clump together so much that they squeeze out the liquid. That liquid is the buttermilk, and the solid clumps are the butter.

The Important Washing Step

This step is very important for storing homemade butter and making it last. The liquid buttermilk from butter making left in the butter can make it spoil quickly. Washing pushes this extra buttermilk out.

H4 Step 1: Add Cold Water

• Put the butter solids from the sieve back into the clean KitchenAid bowl, or another clean bowl.
• Pour in some very cold water. Make sure there is enough water to cover the butter. Using ice water is best.

H4 Step 2: Gently Mix or Knead

• You can use the KitchenAid paddle attachment for this part on a low speed (speed 1 or 2) for just a few seconds, or you can do it by hand using a spatula or clean hands.
• Gently mix or press the butter in the cold water. The water will quickly turn cloudy. This cloudiness is the buttermilk being squeezed out of the butter.

H4 Step 3: Drain and Repeat

• Pour the cloudy water off the butter. You can use the sieve again.
• Add fresh, cold water.
• Repeat the mixing/pressing and draining steps.
• Keep doing this until the water you drain off is mostly clear. This means you have gotten most of the buttermilk out. This might take 3 to 5 washes.

Adding Salt (Optional)

If you want salted butter, now is the time to add salt. Salt adds flavor and also helps the butter last a little longer.

• Once you have washed the butter and drained off the final clear water, press the butter firmly with a spatula or spoon to get out as much water as possible.
• Weigh your butter if you want to be exact, or just estimate. A good starting point is about 1/4 teaspoon of salt per 4 ounces (about 1/2 cup or 1 stick) of butter. You can add more or less to your taste.
• Sprinkle the salt over the butter.
• Mix the salt into the butter. You can use the KitchenAid paddle attachment on a very low speed for a few seconds, or mix it by hand with a spatula or spoon until the salt is spread evenly.

Forming and Storing Your Butter

You have made butter! Now you need to shape it and store it right. This is the storing homemade butter step.

H4 Shaping the Butter

• You can shape your butter however you like.
• You can press it into a dish or mold.
• You can shape it into a log or block using parchment paper or wax paper. Press it firmly to get a nice shape and push out any tiny bits of leftover water.

H4 Storing It Safely

• Homemade butter does not last as long as store-bought butter because it does not have added preservatives, and you might not get every single drop of buttermilk out.
• In the Fridge: Wrap your butter tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper, then put it in an airtight container. It should last for about 1 to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Make sure the container is airtight to keep out other food smells.
• In the Freezer: For longer storing homemade butter, freeze it. Wrap it very tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, or place it in a freezer-safe bag or container. Frozen homemade butter can last for several months (3-6 months is a good guide). Thaw it in the fridge before using.

Using the Buttermilk You Made

Do not throw away the liquid left from separating butter and buttermilk! This is real, old-fashioned buttermilk. It is different from the cultured buttermilk you buy in stores (which is milk with added bacteria to make it thick and tangy). The buttermilk from butter making is thinner but full of flavor and good for baking.

H4 Ideas for Using Buttermilk

• Baking: It is excellent in recipes that call for buttermilk, like pancakes, biscuits, muffins, and cornbread. It makes baked goods tender and moist.
• Marinades: Use it to marinate chicken or other meats.
• Dressings: It can be used in salad dressings.
• Drinking: Some people like to drink it very cold, though its taste is quite tangy and less thick than cultured buttermilk.

Keep the buttermilk in a clean, airtight container in the fridge. It should stay good for about a week to 10 days.

How Long Does It Really Take?

People often ask how long to make butter in mixer. There is no exact time. It depends on several things:

• Amount of Cream: More cream can sometimes take a little longer.
• Temperature of Cream: Very cold cream works fastest. If your cream is not cold enough, it will take much longer or might not even work right.
• Fat Content of Cream: Higher fat cream works faster.
• Mixer Speed: Using a medium-high speed (like 4 or 5) usually speeds up the churning butter with mixer once the cream starts to thicken.
• Mixer Model: Different KitchenAid models might have slightly different power levels.

Generally, the process of whipping cream into butter until separating butter and buttermilk happens takes anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes of active mixing time. It can sometimes take a bit longer, up to 20 minutes, especially if the cream was not super cold. The whole homemade butter process, including draining, washing, and salting, might take about 20 to 30 minutes from start to finish.

Troubleshooting Common Butter Making Issues

What if things do not go as planned during your homemade butter process?

Problem	Likely Cause	How to Fix It
Takes too long (>20 mins)	Cream not cold enough, or low fat	Make sure cream is very cold next time. Keep mixing; it might still work.
Cream splashes everywhere	Mixer speed too high at the start	Start slower (speed 2-3). Use a splatter guard! Don’t overfill the bowl.
Cream stays liquid or won’t whip	Cream is not heavy cream (low fat)	You need cream with at least 36% fat. Low-fat cream won’t turn into butter.
Butter is soft or mushy	Did not wash it enough, or was warm	Wash it more with very cold water. Make sure your washing water is icy cold.
Butter spoils quickly	Not washed enough	Make sure the washing water is clear after the final wash. Push out all liquid.
Butter doesn’t clump well	Mixed too short a time	Keep mixing! Make sure you reach the separation stage clearly.

KitchenAid Attachments: Whisk vs. Paddle

Let’s look at the roles of the KitchenAid whisk attachment and the KitchenAid paddle attachment in churning butter with mixer.

H4 The Whisk Attachment

• This is your primary tool for turning the heavy cream into butter.
• Its design adds lots of air and forces the fat globules to collide rapidly.
• It is the fastest way to get from liquid cream through the whipped cream stages to separating butter and buttermilk.
• Use this attachment for the main whipping cream into butter step until the solids and liquids separate.

H4 The Paddle Attachment

• You can use the paddle attachment after the butter has formed and you have drained the buttermilk.
• It is good for gently mixing in salt or other flavors.
• It can also be used to help press out remaining liquid during the washing step, though doing this by hand with a spatula is also easy and gives you good control.
• Starting the entire process with the paddle attachment can work, but it usually takes much longer than starting with the whisk. The whisk is more efficient at first.

For the main butter churning step, the KitchenAid whisk attachment is usually the best choice for speed and ease.

Going Beyond Basic Butter

Once you are comfortable with the simple homemade butter process, you can try adding other flavors.

• Garlic Herb Butter: Mix in finely chopped fresh herbs (like parsley, chives, thyme) and minced garlic after washing and salting.
• Honey Butter: Mix in honey for a sweet spread, great on toast or muffins.
• Cinnamon Sugar Butter: Combine cinnamon and sugar for a sweet, spiced butter.
• Compound Butters: The possibilities are endless! Think about adding lemon zest, roasted garlic, chili flakes, or other spices. Always add these after the butter is churned and washed.

Learning the Stages of Butter Making

Seeing the cream change is part of the fun of churning butter with mixer.

H4 Seeing the Progression

1. Liquid Cream: Just regular heavy cream. Cold and pourable.
2. Thickened Cream: Starts to coat the whisk and the bowl. Looks like a thick shake.
3. Soft Peaks: The cream holds some shape, but peaks fall over.
4. Stiff Peaks: Cream holds its shape firmly. This is whipped cream.
5. Grainy/Curdled: The structure breaks down. Looks like cottage cheese starting to form. This means the fat is clumping.
6. Separation: Clear liquid (buttermilk) appears around solid clumps of yellow butter. This is the goal for separating butter and buttermilk.

Each stage is a necessary part of the whipping cream into butter journey. Do not stop too early! You must reach the separation stage to make butter.

A Few More Tips

• Start Small: If it’s your first time, use a smaller amount of cream, like 1 or 2 cups. Once you see how it works, you can use more.
• Use Fresh Cream: Fresher cream tends to work better.
• Scrape Down the Bowl: Sometimes, especially in the earlier stages, some cream might stick to the sides of the bowl. Stop the mixer and scrape it down with a spatula to make sure it all gets mixed evenly.
• Be Patient: If it seems to be taking a while, especially after it looks like stiff peaks, just keep going. The change from whipped cream to grainy to separated butter can feel sudden but requires continuous mixing.

In Summary

Making butter in your KitchenAid mixer is a rewarding and simple task. Starting with cold heavy cream, you use the KitchenAid whisk attachment to begin the homemade butter process. You keep whipping cream into butter through various stages until you see the clear separating butter and buttermilk. You drain the liquid buttermilk from butter making, then wash the solid butter with cold water to remove any leftover buttermilk. You can add salt if you like. Finally, you shape and store your butter, either in the fridge for a short time or the freezer for longer storing homemade butter. The whole churning butter with mixer process, including washing, usually takes less than half an hour. Now you have delicious, fresh, homemade butter ready to enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

H4 Is the liquid leftover real buttermilk?

Yes, the liquid you drain off after separating butter and buttermilk is real, old-fashioned buttermilk. It is the liquid left after churning butter from cream. It is thinner than the cultured buttermilk you find in stores, which has cultures added to milk to thicken it and make it tangy.

H4 Can I use ultra-pasteurized heavy cream?

Ultra-pasteurized cream can be harder to whip into stiff peaks and may take longer to churn into butter. While it often will work, regular pasteurized heavy cream is usually recommended for best results and faster butter making. Make sure it is very cold.

H4 What can I do if my butter is too soft?

Make sure you washed the butter thoroughly with very cold water. Soft butter often means there is still too much buttermilk mixed in. Keep washing and pressing out the liquid until the water runs clear. Then, make sure to chill it properly before using or storing.

H4 Can I add flavors later instead of when making it?

Yes, you can make plain butter and then soften a small amount later to mix in herbs, garlic, honey, or other flavors to create compound butters whenever you need them. This lets you keep most of your homemade butter plain.

H4 How much butter will I get from a carton of cream?

Generally, one quart (4 cups) of heavy cream will make about 1 pound (4 sticks or 2 cups) of butter and about 2-3 cups of buttermilk from butter making. The exact amount can vary based on the cream’s fat content.

H4 Do I have to wash the butter?

Yes, washing the butter is a very important step. It removes the leftover buttermilk from butter making. If you do not wash it, the buttermilk will quickly spoil, making your butter go bad and taste bad very fast. Washing helps the butter last longer.

H4 What speed should I use on my KitchenAid mixer?

Start on a low speed (2-3) to avoid splashes. Once the cream starts to thicken, you can increase the speed to medium (4-5) for the main whipping cream into butter and churning butter with mixer phase. Watch it carefully as it gets close to separating butter and buttermilk, and stop as soon as the separation happens.

H4 How long can I keep homemade butter?

Storing homemade butter in the fridge is best for short-term use, about 1-2 weeks. For longer storage, wrap it well and freeze it, where it can last for several months. Always keep it in an airtight container to prevent it from picking up odors.