15-Minute Homemade Whipped Honey Butter

Learn how to make whipped honey butter at home in just 15 minutes with this easy recipe. Homemade honey butter is absolutely incredible on my fresh-baked brioche dinner rolls and no-knead whole wheat bread but also excellent on pancakes, waffles, and brown bread, too. No matter what you put it on, you'll love this rich, sweet, buttery spread!

Of all my homemade spreads and dips, this whipped honey butter is one that feels a little bit fancy, a little bit elegant, a little bit extra, but only takes just a few minutes to make. While you can make it with just honey and butter, I add a little bit of cinnamon to bring the warm and cozy honey flavors to life.

When I first started making my easy homemade stand mixer butter, it was inevitable that making flavored butters would soon follow (I hyperfixate, okay?). That recipe makes about 6 ounces of butter, but I've written this recipe to use just 4 ounces (1 stick, aka ½ cup, aka 8 tablespoons) of American-style unsalted butter, so you can use store-bought butter just as easily.

The combination of creamy butter and sweet honey is so irresistible. It whips up in just a few minutes, but makes whatever you put it on feel like it came from a cute little pastry shop or restaurant.

This whipped honey butter recipe is a riff on the same honey butter from my mini honey butter biscuits. I've adjusted the measurements for this standalone post so it uses just one stick of butter, and I've added a bit of cinnamon for warmth.

Ingredient Notes

Here are the ingredients that you'll need to make this homemade honey butter recipe! With an ingredient list this simple, I do recommend using high-quality options since you'll really taste the flavors! See recipe card for quantities.

I always prefer using unsalted butter so I can add salt myself and really have control over how salty the honey butter is. But if you'd rather use salted butter, that's totally fine too. Just use half as much salt or leave it out entirely.

I usually use a high-quality honey with a robust flavor when making honey butter. I'm partial to honeys with citrus or berry notes. Since this recipe relies so much on the honey flavor and the way the honey incorporates into the butter, I think it's worth using 100% pure honey.

When it comes to adding a little bit of flavor to round out the sweetness of the honey, sometimes I replace the cinnamon with a bit of lemon or lime zest for a sweeter, fruitier twist. Other warm spices work well in this recipe too, like cloves, allspice, cardamom, etc.

And while you can use any salt you like, I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt which has large crystals but is half as salty as other brands (by volume). The large, irregularly shaped crystals aerate the butter and add lots of air so it's nice and fluffy, but they also dissolve quickly so the finished honey butter isn't grainy. If you're using any other brand or type of salt, even a different brand of kosher salt, use half as much salt.

NOTE: I do not recommend using Morton's kosher salt for this recipe; the crystals are too big and dense and will not dissolve nicely in the butter.

How I Make Whipped Honey Butter

Because this is such a simple recipe, you'll want to make sure you're paying attention to the ingredient temperatures and techniques to get it just right.

1. Whip the butter. Start by whipping the softened butter alone just to begin aerating it. Then add the salt and cinnamon and continue whipping with an electric mixer. You want it to look smooth and creamy, a little bit fluffy. The salt will help tear little holes in the butter to add air, and adding the salt first gives it plenty of time to dissolve so your butter doesn't end up grainy.
2. Add half the honey. Scrape down the bowl, add half the honey. Whip well for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the bowl every 30 seconds or so, until the honey is completely incorporated.
3. Add the rest of the honey. Repeat the previous step with the rest of the honey. Whip for at least 3 minutes, again scraping down the bowl every 30 seconds or so. Adding the honey in two parts makes it easier to incorporate into the fat of the butter.

If you add all of the honey all at once, the butter will struggle to incorporate it. By adding it in two stages, it will incorporate faster and more easily.

NOTE: In each step of this recipe, you'll want to pause and scrape down the bowl at least 2-3 times. No one likes a streaky honey butter! Scraping it down frequently helps everything combine evenly.

How I Serve Whipped Honey Butter

Whipped honey butter is best used right away while still at room temperature. While you can refrigerate it, the butter tends to squeeze some of the honey out the longer it chills, meaning I usually bring it to room temperature and re-whip it before serving.

When I'm feeling fancy, I use a piping bag with a large star tip to create cupcake-like swirls. Or, I use a small cookie scoop to scoop gorgeous little honey butter balls for individual servings. In this case, you can pipe or scoop the honey butter a few hours in advance and refrigerate it without seeing any butter and honey separation.

📖 Recipe