Saving Some Pennies: Making Your Own Spreadable Butter

This is a recipe that came out of necessity more than inspiration.  Although, the phrase "Necessity is the mother of invention" really does apply here.

Money for us is tight.  I know that goes for pretty much everyone anymore.  So, I went shopping last week and tried to keep it as cheap as I could on the grocery front.  I did keep it decently cheap, which made me feel good as with quickly rising food prices, it wasn't easy.  But, per usual (am I the only one here?), I forgot something.  Spreadable butter.

Yes, I know spreadable butter isn't exactly a necessity, but I really do like having it around for home made bread and toast and things as I found it really cuts down on how much regular stick butter we consume.  By buying one big container of spreadable butter a month I cut out going through pounds of butter every month.  Not sure why, really, maybe because we know that the spreadable butter is for toast and other home made baked goods while the stick butter is for baking and cooking exclusively?  Either way, it has worked and saved us money.  Yes, I know margarine is normally cheaper (who knows anymore if it is or not), but we just plain don't like margarine...I've tried in the past to switch...so I just stick with butter.  Anyway, it has been something I've bought for quite a while now.

I thought of going to the store and maybe picking up just a thing of spreadable butter, but then I looked on the store apps to see how much spreadable butter is going for and decided buying it was out for now.  I then thought, "Well, maybe I can make some."  I looked at the label on the spreadable butter and realized that it was simply butter and oil and that was it.  So, I decided to give it a shot.

My biggest worry was the ratio of butter to oil.  I didn't want to screw it up and end up with unusable butter as that would make me cry.  But, I actually pulled it off, thank goodness and it came out well.

If you are just trying to refill one of those big containers of spreadable butter I'd cut this recipe in half.  I decided looking at the amount that was in our big container of butter (24 oz) that I'd start out with a full pound of butter (bought on sale ages ago and was in my freezer...I paid like 2.49 for the butter) and add oil to make it spreadable.   To figure out the oil I decided to go with the 24 oz total, took my 16 oz of butter (1 lb) and added 1 cup of light olive oil (8 oz) to make 24 oz. total.  Yes, I know that doesn't really work, but it was a good starting point in my mind.

And you know what?  It worked out really well!  The only issue I have when it is all said and done is that by using a full pound of butter and the one cup of oil I filled a 4 cup Pyrex glass container with just enough room to fit the lid on (kinda...it is still sitting a bit on top of the butter, but we're getting to the point we can close the airtight lid properly).  So, yeah, this recipe makes a lot.  Just be aware.  

But, hey, the process could not be easier!

Here's how to do it.

DIY Spreadable Butter

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of butter (I used salted, but if you want to watch your salt, start with unsalted and then you can add salt if you want when you mix it all up), softened to room temperature.
• 1 cup neutral flavored oil (I used light olive oil, but canola oil or other neutral flavored oil would work...avoid coconut oil as it'll solidify into a solid chunk when done).

Procedure:

1.  Put butter into a medium to large mixing bowl.  Whip with an electric mixer (you can use a stand mixer if you'd like as this does take a little bit and could make your hand cramp) until it lightens in color and is well whipped.   

2.  Slowly pour the oil in a bit at a time and whip with the electric mixer after each addition until well blended before adding the next addition.  This is a good time to add salt if you used unsalted butter and want to add salt to the final product.

3. Once all oil is combined with the butter (it will be runny, but don't worry, it will set up in the fridge) pour into your container of choice (I used glass to avoid grease problems with plastic later on) and store in the fridge.  Use as you would store bought spreadable butter.

I did notice that my home made spreadable butter is a teeny bit harder to get out of the container than the store bought stuff, but it spreads on toast just fine and tastes great.  And it makes a lot more than the store bought stuff, so it'll last us quite a while =D.

So, if you use spreadable butter, are in a pinch and don't want to buy some (or can't find it at the store), this is a great hack to make it on your own.  

Enjoy!