Whipped butter is so much easier to spread than cold butter straight out of the refrigerator. Light and fluffy homemade whipped butter is perfect for spreading on warm dinner rolls, hot biscuits, or add fresh herbs to it for savory whipped butter.
Use the paddle attachment of your KitchenAid stand mixer or the beater attachments on your hand mixer to incorporate air into room temperature butter. The butter will not only be easier to spread but the color will be lighter than stick butter.
What type of butter is best for whipping?
As long as your butter is real butter and not a butter blend, it will be perfect for whipping. I like unsalted butter whereas others prefer salted butter. The choice is yours depending on what you are going to be serving with your whipped butter or if you are going to be adding flavors to it. See below for more whipped butter variations.
How to soften butter
Butter will start to melt at 90 degrees f. The average room temperature is between 68 and 72 f. So if your kitchen is at an average room temperature your butter should soften to a whippable consistency within about 30-45 minutes. I prefer to wait 2 hours or even leave it on the counter overnight.
- Microwave - soften butter in the microwave at 30% power on a microwave-safe place in 15-second increments until soft.
- Warm Glass - heat a tall glass of water in the microwave, or use hot water from the coffee maker, pour out the water and invert the hot glass over a stick of butter and allow it to gently warm it.
- Cut up butter - cut the butter into small cubed to allow more surface area to be in contact with the warm air.
- Pounding - place the cold butter in a heavy plastic zip top bag. Pound the butter with a flat mallet or a rolling pin to help the softening process.
Uses for whipped butter
Whipped butter is always on our Christmas, Thanksgiving, and special occasion dining room table. Easily spread on warm rolls, biscuits or even pancakes whipped butter is expected whenever we entertain.
Whipped butter melts so nicely over a baked potato or over roasted sweet potatoes. Corn on the cob calls for slathers of butter and it is lovely on perfectly cooked asparagus.
The best way to make whipped butter:
- First, soften the butter. Letting butter sit on the counter at room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes, but preferably an hour is best.
- Fit a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or use the beaters with a hand mixer.
- Add the softened butter to the mixer and stir on low speed to start to blend, 1 minute
- Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and whip for an additional 2 minutes.
Storage and serving tips
- Refridgerator – store in a closed container for up to 2 weeks.
- Room Temperature – let chipped chilled butter sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving
- Countertop – Butter can be left on the countertop for up to 4 hours
- Freezing butter– Whipped butter can be frozen for up to six months. Thaw in the refrigerator over night.
Whipped butter recipe variations:
- Cinnamon butter - ½ cup butter, 2 Tablespoons Sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Herbed butter - 1 stick (½ cup) butter, 3 tablespoons of your favorite fresh chopped herbs
- Brown sugar cinnamon butter - ½ cup butter, 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Cranberry, Walnut, Orange Butter - 1 stick (½ cup) butter, 1 tablespoon dried cranberries, chopped, 1 tablespoon walnuts, chopped, zest of 1 orange
- Roasted Garlic butter - 1 stick (½ cup) Butter, 1 Tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, 3 cloves of roasted garlic (See my recipe for roasted garlic)
🗒️ Frequently asked questions and tips:
I use whipped butter for spreading on bread, rolls, and other pastries when I want butter that is easily spreadable. No one likes to spread cold, hard butter on their Thanksgiving roll.
The short answer is no. Whipped butter has a different volume than cold butter that is used for baking. If you are weighing your butter instead of measuring your butter by cups then you are able to use it. But as a ruler whipped butter is not to be substituted for regular butter in baking.
Whipped Butter Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup of butter softened
Instructions
- First, soften the butter. Letting butter sit on the counter at room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes, but preferably an hour is best.
- Fit a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or use the beaters with a hand mixer.
- Add the softened butter to the mixer and stir on low speed to start to blend, 1 minute
- Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and whip for an additional 2 minutes.
Notes
- Refridgerator – store in a closed container for up to 2 weeks.
- Room Temperature – let chipped chilled butter sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving
- Countertop – Butter can be left on the countertop for up to 4 hours
- Freezing butter– Whipped butter can be frozen for up to six months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Cinnamon butter - ½ cup butter, 2 Tablespoons Sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Herbed butter - 1 stick (½ cup) butter, 3 tablespoons of your favorite fresh chopped herbs
- Brown sugar cinnamon butter - ½ cup butter, 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Cranberry, Walnut, Orange Butter - 1 stick (½ cup) butter, 1 tablespoon dried cranberries, chopped, 1 tablespoon walnuts, chopped, zest of 1 orange
- Roasted Garlic butter - 1 stick (½ cup) Butter, 1 Tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, 3 cloves of roasted garlic (See my recipe for roasted garlic)
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