Easy Homemade Grass-Fed Butter Using a Mason Jar

Step by Step Instructions

1. 1

   Pour the heavy cream into a clean quart (32 ounce) mason jar, filling it no more than halfway. Add the salt if making salted butter and tighten the lid. A 16 ounce jar is too small for one pint of cream.

2. 2

   Shake until the cream thickens into whipped cream, then keep shaking until distinct butter solids separate from the milky liquid. This can take about 10-20 minutes, sometimes longer. Follow the visible separation rather than a fixed minute mark.

3. 3

   Pour through a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl to catch the butter. Refrigerate the strained fresh buttermilk promptly; it can be used like milk, but is not a direct substitute for acidic cultured buttermilk.

4. 4

   Put the butter in a bowl and add about 1/2 cup cold water. Press and knead gently with clean hands, a spoon or butter paddles. Pour off the cloudy water and repeat with fresh cold water until the water stays clear.

5. 5

   Lift the butter out of the water and press out the remaining liquid. Transfer to parchment paper and shape, or pack directly into a clean airtight container.

6. 6

   Refrigerate at 40°F or below. Use the plain butter within one week for best quality, or freeze tightly wrapped portions for up to three months for best quality. Thaw frozen butter in the refrigerator.