Homemade Butter Recipe (3 Easy Steps)

Homemade butter always tastes a little better.
Homemade butter always tastes a little better.
9/2/21 - By Ally Noel

Homemade butter is easy to make and requires nothing more than some heavy cream, a tightly lidded container, and a marble. It's fun to make, and kids love this at-home, rainy (or snowy) day project. We've made this homemade butter recipe several times, but really got into it during our covid-baking days. Give it a try! Not only does the butter taste fresher, you can evoke days of old without having to figure out how to make a butter churner. Plus, kids are super proud to serve butter they made by themselves.

Find more things to cook and create in our guide to Easy Recipes for Kids.

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Gather your supplies.

Ingredients and Materials for Homemade Butter

  • Heavy Cream

  • Sealable Jar 

  • Clean Marble 

  • Homemade Butter Recipe


    Pour the cream.

    Step 1

    Pour any amount of heavy cream you like into a jar or food storage container that has a tight-fitting lid. For little kids you can reuse baby food jars. Add a clean marble and seal tightly. The more heavy cream you add, the longer it takes to turn into butter. 


    Shake well!

    Step 2

    Shake! Shake! Shake! This is the fun part. Let kids shake the jar! Keep shaking until you feel the cream thicken and coat the jar—then shake some more. Our jar took about 30 minutes. A baby food jar will take about 10 minutes. You can also roll the jar back and forth on the floor with a partner, gently rolling it to the other. While you shake, let the kids take a peek in the jar to notice the changes in the cream. 


    Voilà! Homemade butter is here.

    Step 3

    As the butter solidifies, it separates from the buttermilk. You will know it is complete when you have a fairly solid mass at the bottom of your jar. Pour off the buttermilk, and place your fresh homemade butter in a food-safe storage container for use. I also like to sprinkle in a bit of kosher salt and give it one more good shake to add a little complexity to the butter taste. 

    This butter will keep in the fridge as long as any butter you purchase in the store. Tip: Remember to remove the marble before serving. Enjoy! 

    Making butter is somewhat similar to whipping up a batch of homemade ice cream, an equally easy recipe to try with kids with delicious results.