With the business of everyday life, it makes sense to prioritize convenience—but you can’t deny a homemade meal beats out those found in the frozen section any day of the week. The same even goes for some ingredients: namely (and perhaps surprisingly) butter. Plus with prices on the rise, whipping up your own may be worth it in the name of lowering your grocery bill.
In a TikTok video that’s amassed more than 3.3 million views, creator Kristine Yu (@kristine.yu) showed off how you can make butter yourself with just three items: high-quality cream, salt, and a jar.
“The fresher the cream, the better your butter,” Yu said in her video.”Preferably get a heavy whipping cream that is organic and not ultra-pasteurized.”
How to Make Homemade Butter, According to TikTok
Yu starts by filling her jar up 3/4 of the way and tightly sealing the lid to prepare to shake it. You can opt for a hand mixer or stand mixer—but if you’re dedicated to the “jar journey,” be aware that this process doubles as an arm workout. Yu recommends distracting yourself with a good song or a short video.
After about 15 minutes of shaking (and a couple breaks), Yu’s butter turned into a thicker, whipped consistency. The next few minutes of shaking was “the hardest stretch,” she said.
“I start to see the cream pull away from the walls of the jar—and this is when you know that the buttermilk is about to explode and the butter is about to curdle,” Yu explained. “All of a sudden, it’s separating.”
What you don’t want is your butter to develop a scrambled egg texture: This happened to Yu during her first attempt, and after dumping her jar’s contents into a bowl, she realized it was much too soft. She tried shaking it for a few more minutes, but the butter had merged back into the cream. You can still use it as a whipped butter, but it won’t last you as long (the more buttermilk, the quicker it spoils), and it’s only good for spreading.
“The second time around—and this is crucial—as soon as the buttermilk burst out of the mixture and I saw this kind of curdled butter, I knew it was ready,” Yu said.
She strained the buttermilk using a cheesecloth, and noted it would be perfect for topping biscuits, pancakes, and fried chicken. After squeezing out as much as possible and rinsing in cold water (don’t skip this step!), you get your final product of solid, buttery goodness. You can then add in any extra flavorings, like herbs, salts, and garlic.
Another bonus: butter-soft hands.
“Apparently, butter is a good moisturizer for your skin,” Yu says. “So enjoy soft hands after this.”
While you can keep store-bought butter at room temperature for a few days, you need to refrigerate DIY butter, as it doesn’t have any added preservatives.
Is Homemade Butter Better?
According to Yu (and thousands of people in her comments), this result is fresher and tastier than the store-bought version. And with the cost of butter projected to reach $3 per pound this holiday season, per reporting from Reuters, the jar method may be hard on your arms—but much easier on your bank account. Prices at most national chains have already surpassed that mark, as of October 21:
- Trader Joe’s Unsalted Butter: $4
- Walmart Great Value Salted Butter: $3
- Sprouts Unsalted Butter: $5
- Kroger Unsalted Butter: $5
- Costco Kirkland Unsalted Butter: $17 for a 4-pound package
So if you’re not totally booked and busy with festivities and shopping, this method is definitely worth considering. As for the improved flavor, you’ll have to be the judge—the perfect excuse for making a batch of Gooey Butter Cookies to taste test ahead of the holidays (as if you need one).