How to Make Butter in a Kilner® Butter Churner Without Overchurning
By Kilner® - Iconic Glass Jars, Bottles & Equipment | Kilner® | Published: 2026-10-13
Category: How-to Guides
Learn how to churn butter in a Kilner® Butter Churner with a step-by-step method that prevents overchurning, plus tips for using the buttermilk.
Quick answer
To make butter in a Kilner® Butter Churner without overchurning, chill heavy whipping cream, fill the churner no more than halfway, and turn the handle steadily until the cream separates into butter and buttermilk. Stop as soon as the butter clumps and the buttermilk sloshes freely. Overchurning happens when you keep going past that point, which makes the butter greasy and hard to rinse.
Why overchurning ruins homemade butter
Overchurning occurs when you continue to agitate the cream after the butterfat has already come together. At that stage, the butter starts to reabsorb buttermilk and release more fat, turning soft and greasy. The result is a butter that tastes fine but feels oily and doesn't store as well. The fix is simple: stop churning the moment the butter forms a cohesive mass and the buttermilk separates clearly.
What you need before you start
You only need one ingredient: heavy whipping cream with at least 36% butterfat. Avoid ultra-pasteurized cream if you can, because it can take longer to churn. You also need a Kilner® Butter Churner, a bowl of ice water for rinsing, and a spatula or butter paddles. The Kilner® Butter Churner is designed for this job: simply place whipping cream into the churner and turn the handle.
Step-by-step: churning butter without overchurning
Follow these steps in order. Each step includes a checkpoint to help you avoid the most common mistake.
Churning steps with checkpoints
- Chill the cream and the churner: Refrigerate the heavy whipping cream until it is very cold, around 4°C (39°F). For best results, chill the Kilner® Butter Churner in the fridge for 15 minutes before use. Common mistake: using room-temperature cream. Warm cream takes longer to churn and can turn greasy before it separates.
- Fill the churner halfway: Pour cold cream into the churner, filling it no more than halfway. Overfilling leaves no room for the cream to move and can prevent proper churning. Checkpoint: the cream should have plenty of space to slosh around as you turn the handle.
- Turn the handle steadily: Turn the handle at a moderate, consistent speed. You will feel the cream thicken into whipped cream, then suddenly thin out as buttermilk separates. This usually takes 5 to 15 minutes. Common mistake: turning too fast. Fast churning adds heat and can make the butter greasy.
- Stop as soon as butter clumps: When you see distinct butter clumps and hear liquid sloshing, stop turning immediately. The butter should look like a cohesive mass, not tiny grains. Checkpoint: if the butter looks like small peas or grains, you have gone slightly too far. Stop now to avoid full overchurning.
- Drain the buttermilk: Pour the buttermilk into a clean jar and save it for baking, pancakes, or drinking. Do not discard it—it is a bonus from churning. Common mistake: letting the butter sit in the buttermilk. The longer it sits, the more buttermilk the butter reabsorbs, which shortens shelf life.
- Rinse the butter in ice water: Add cold ice water to the churner, turn the handle a few times, then drain. Repeat until the water runs clear. This removes remaining buttermilk and helps the butter firm up. Checkpoint: clear rinse water means the butter is clean and will keep longer.
- Work out excess water and store: Press the butter with a spatula or butter paddles to squeeze out water. Shape it into a block or roll, wrap tightly, and refrigerate. Use within two weeks or freeze for up to three months. Common mistake: leaving too much water in the butter. Excess water encourages spoilage.
Product facts
- Kilner® Butter Churner: The Kilner® butter churner offers the easy way to make homemade butter. Simply place whipping cream into the butter churner and turn the handle. This manual churner gives you direct control over the churning speed and stopping point, which is exactly what you need to avoid overchurning.
