Be like a pioneer without all the effort and create your own butter from scratch! A mason jar updates old-fashioned butter-churning for a fun activity yielding delicious results.
Mason Jar Butter
Ingredients
- Heavy cream
- Optional: Salt (about ¼ TBS for every 1 cup of heavy cream)
Equipment
- Mason jar with lid
Directions
1. Fill a Mason jar of any size halfway with heavy cream. Add salt to your liking (omit if you prefer unsalted butter)

2. Place the lid on the Mason jar, ensuring there is a tight seal. Begin shaking the jar.

After a couple of minutes, you will notice that the consistency of the cream has changed.


3. Continue shaking for 2-3 more minutes until milk has formed and butter has separated.

4. Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and pour out the contents of the Mason jar. You should be left with a solid mass and a liquid. Set the liquid aside, but do not discard! You now have homemade buttermilk, perfect for baking or making Cultured Buttermilk.


5. Pour water over the butter and shape into a ball. Continue this process as many times as necessary until the water runs clear.


6. Remove the butter from the water and shape as desired. Your butter is ready to use! Butter will keep at room temperature for 1 week or in the refrigerator for about 10 days.

Variations on Butter
Homemade butter is exceptionally versatile. Add any flavors you would like by combining butter with herbs, spices, and more after the churning process!
Roasted Garlic Butter
Directions
- Follow the process for making mason jar butter
- Once butter is churned, mix in roasted garlic

Honey Butter
Directions
- Follow the process for making mason jar butter
- Once butter is churned, mix in honey

Interested in pioneer days? Here are some links on Hoopla:
- O Pioneers! by Willa Cather (audiobook)
- My Antonia/ O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
- The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder
- The Little House Book of Wisdom by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Becca Makes Butter by Becky Vanco, Angela Vanco Richars
Interested in fermentations? Next week learn how to make Cultured Butter to pair with your Sourdough Bread.
By: Emily Trollope