How To Make Butter with Raw Milk

This easy step by step guide will show you how to take fresh raw milk and turn it in to deliciously golden creamy butter plus alot of other products in the process. Making butter from scratch is both an economical and healthy choice for you and your family!

Raw Milk Health Benefits

Raw milk is a great choice over pasteurized milk due to all the health benefits it contains. Unfortunately, milk loses alot of these benefits once it goes through the pasteurization process. Here are some of the many ways fresh raw milk can transform your health:

• Enzymes: Raw milk contains natural enzymes like lactase that can aid in digestion, particularly for people with lactose intolerance. I have noticed I do not get IBS flares and indigestion near as often as I used to.
• Probiotics: Some beneficial bacteria may be present in raw milk, potentially boosting gut health. Since we have switched to raw milk, we have noticed a big difference in our gut health and overall well-being.
• Immunoglobulins: These antibodies found in raw milk may support immune function. Some studies suggest that raw milk may reduce the risk of certain diseases, such as allergies, asthma, and eczema.
• Nutrient profile: Raw milk may contain a wider range of vitamins and minerals compared to pasteurized milk.
• Rich in Vitamins: It is a rich source of vitamins (A, D, K, B12), minerals (calcium, phosphorus), and protein. 
• Healthier Skin: Raw milk contains vitamin A and antioxidants, which may improve skin health and reduce wrinkles.
• Weightloss: Raw milk may promote weight loss by increasing satiety and boosting metabolism. (Complete opposite of everything I have ever been taught about milk.) We have actually been losing weight simply by switching to fresh dairy products and milled whole grains! With PCOS, I have always been told to avoid dairy and carbohydrates due to insulin resistance so this has been a wonderful surprise!

The Raw Milk Controversy

Banning Raw Milk

After reading all of the wonderful benefits of raw milk, you’re probably wondering why anyone would ever want to pasteurize milk. Did you know that there are several states where raw milk is actually banned?! Sadly this is true. Raw milk is illegal for human consumption in Hawaii, Louisiana, Nevada, and Rhode Island. In other states, laws vary, with some states allowing the sale of raw milk in grocery stores and others requiring a doctor’s prescription.

Cows and the Industrial Revolution

In the beginning of the 19th century, the world was in the beginning of a new era, the Industrial Revolution. Industry began booming across the land. New factories were being built bringing in an influx of new jobs and populations rapidly grew in many cities. Due to the rising population, the demand for milk and spirits were at an all time high.

When making spirits, barley grains are ground, mixed with water, heated, and sparged. This helps create the sugar that ferments to make beer. Someone got the bright idea to combine the dairy industry with the spirit industry and began feeding the cows the barley mash leftovers which left them with virtually no nutrition in their diet. Cows were crammed by the hundreds into confined areas where they marinated in their own filth. As you can imagine, this became a recipe for disaster. Bacteria and disease ran rampant throughout this deplorable environment. Some cows were so ill, they even lost their ability to stand. In spite of this, the cows were still milked and that milk was served to the public.

To mask it’s unpleasant taste and bluish appearance, the milk was “enriched” by adding Plaster of Paris (to make it more white), molasses to sweeten, and eggs and starch to thicken it. The cows were not healthy enough to produce milk fat so the milk was unsuitable for butter or cheesemaking. This milk was referred to as “swill” milk.

The Concern Over Illness

As you can imagine, drinking milk from sick cows can cause those who consume the swill milk to become very ill themselves. Bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, and Brucella caused severe illness and even death. In fact, in New York City in 1870, infant death soared to over 20% for four years due to babies being fed the diseased milk from their unknowing mothers.

As you can see, this created quite the scare and people blamed milk itself. It is honestly really sad that raw milk has developed such a bad reputation when in fact the source of this controversy was greed. Making the green was more regarded than good animal husbandry, sanitation, and producing a quality product.

The Birth of Pasteurization

The French scientist, Louis Pasteur, developed the “germ theory” in 1862. He found that by heating milk just below boiling, he could kill most germs. Pasteurizing killed bacteria, yeast, mold and viruses.  It seemed simple, it seemed doable, it was new-fangled science to the rescue! This indeed did make the milk “safer” but did not address the reasons why the milk was unsafe in the first place. All of the good stuff was taken out of the milk through this process and eventually lead to problems like chronic inflammation, lactose intolerance, and diminished gut health. Pasteurizing milk disrupts the natural balance in the milk. This balance is necessary for proper digestion and absorption of the essential vitamins and minerals that fresh milk contains. Raw milk is not the bad guy, nor has it ever been.

Now that we have addressed the rumors, let me show you how to make butter from raw milk!

How To Make Butter with Raw Milk

What You’ll Need

• Fresh Milk with the cream intact
• Stand Mixer with whisk attachment
• Spoon, ladel, or measuring cup
• Tea towel or fine mesh strainer

Skim The Cream

First, using a measuring cup, spoon, or, ladel, gently skim the cream from the milk. You will see the cream line on your jar of fresh milk. Make sure you do not go too deep or you will accidentally mix the milk in with the cream. This can cause the cream to become too diluted and will not set up properly to make butter. If your milk is very fresh, you may have to let your milk sit unmoved for about 24 hours to allow the cream to rise to the top of the jar.

Stage 1: Making Cold Foam for Your Morning Coffee

Once you have added the cream to the mixing bowl, turn on the stand mixer and set speed to medium. After a couple of minutes, you will see the cream start to thicken and foam. This makes a great topping to your morning coffee, especially a cup of this delicious homemade cold brew. Simply add in a little vanilla and a sweetener of choice and it’s ready to use!

Stage 2: Whipped Cream

After a few more minutes of continuous mixing following the cold foam stage, the cream continues to thicken even more. Soft, airy swirls of white cream begin to fill the bowl. Congratulations, you now have from scratch raw whipped cream! Add this to desserts and hot chocolate to complete a delicious treat!

Stage 3: Buttermilk Begins to Separate from the Milk Fat

After several minutes, you will notice the once fluffy whipped cream has started to deflate and the texture begins getting grainy with pockets of liquid. Keep going!

The Buttermilk is Fully Separated From the Milk Fat

You will know when the butter is ready because the mixture will be very separated. The buttermilk will splash around the bowl and the butter will collect inside the whisk.

Strain the Buttermilk

Using cheese cloth or a fine mesh strainer, strain the buttermilk into a bowl and set aside. Do not throw this away! Buttermilk is great for many things like marinating meat to tenderize, pancakes, broths, or try it in these Sourdough Buttermilk Biscuits! One jar of milk makes these 2 products and more with zero waste. Isn’t that exciting?

Ice Bath

Once you have squeezed the buttermilk from the butter, place in a small bowl of ice water to help rinse off the remaining buttermilk. This will help the butter stay fresh for a longer period of time.

Shape and Enjoy!

Remove the fresh raw butter from the ice bath, gently pat dry and it is ready to use! We use unsalted butter but you can mix salt in during this step if this is your preference. Store wrapped in butcher paper and place in the fridge or freezer. I’m telling you, once you make your own butter, it’s hard to go back to storebought.

I hope you have enjoyed learning about the history of the raw milk controversy, the nutritional facts of this miracle food, and this tutorial on how to make butter from raw milk and its journey in creating golden and creamy butter!