Creaming butter and sugar is super simple, yet it's often done incorrectly. These step-by-step instructions, tips, and video will show you how to cream butter and sugar properly every time, leading to better baked goods!
Confession: I did not know how to properly cream butter and sugar for longer than I'd care to admit. I did it incorrectly for years. Creaming butter and sugar means more than just mixing the two ingredients together, as I once thought, and doing it properly will have a big impact on the outcome of your baked goods.
For light and fluffy cakes, cookies, muffins, and more, keep reading to learn how to cream butter and sugar the right way.
What does 'cream butter' mean?
As I mentioned above, creaming butter and sugar together means more than just mixing the two ingredients until they're blended. To 'cream butter' means to beat room temperature butter with sugar for a couple of minutes at high speed in order to aerate the butter. As the two ingredients are beaten together, the sugar granulates will create air pockets within the butter that will ultimately help your baked good to rise properly, giving your final baked good the ideal texture. Properly creamed butter will be light and fluffy and will have become a bit paler (but not white) in color.
How to cream butter and sugar
- Tools: To cream butter and sugar you will need a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a large bowl and a handheld electric mixer.
- Ingredients: Butter (must be softened to room temperature) and sugar. Use the quantities of each ingredient specified in the recipe you are making.
- Step 1: Add room temperature butter to the bowl and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 30 to 60 seconds. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the butter off the sides and bottom of the bowl and the beaters.
- Step 2: Add the sugar to the bowl and beat with the butter on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy and becomes a bit paler (but not white) in color, about 2 minutes. Pause to scrape the bowl and beaters with the spatula halfway through mixing.
- After creaming the butter and sugar together, proceed with the recipe as directed.
Can I cream butter by hand with a whisk?
Technically yes, it is possible to cream butter and sugar by hand using a whisk or a wooden spoon. This would take some serious arm strength though; I can say with confidence that I would not be able to do this myself. That's why I highly recommend using a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer for this task.
How can I bring butter to room temperature quickly?
Check out this post for my tips to bring butter to room temperature quickly (and to read more about why it's important to use room temperature ingredients in baking when your recipe calls for it).
Can I use melted butter instead of creaming it?
No. If your recipe calls for butter to be creamed with sugar, then the structure of your baked good relies on the texture that room temperature butter whipped with sugar and air will provide. Substituting melted butter will alter the texture of your baked good. Many recipes do call for melted butter, but it is not a good idea to use melted butter in a recipe that calls for creamed butter.
Can I over mix butter and sugar?
Yes, it is possible to over mix butter and sugar when creaming them together. If you continue to mix after the butter and sugar become light and fluffy, eventually the butter will separate and the mixture will become batter-like in consistency and greasy.
Love this tutorial for how to cream butter and sugar? Check out these other scratch baking tips!
DON'T FORGET TO PIN THIS BAKING TIP FOR LATER!
Susan
I don't care about the texture of my banana nut bread, Can someone just tell us HOW the texture is different if we use melted butter instead of creaming? E.g., Is quick bread softer or firmer? Or what is actual result?
Allison
Hi Susan! Using melted butter or creaming softened butter will impact the texture of a quick bread because of the way the ingredients are mixed. Stirring melted butter with the other ingredients will create a quick bread with moist and tender crumb. I use melted butter in both my banana bread and my cranberry walnut bread recipes. Creaming softened butter with sugar when making quick bread incorporates lots of tiny air pockets into the batter, which will produce more rise and a lighter crumb. If you have a preferred method (melted butter vs. creaming butter), I recommend finding a recipe that uses your preferred method rather than altering a recipe, since each method has a big impact on the recipe and will change the recipe's intended outcome. I hope this helps!
- Allison
Vicki
Once sugar and margarine separate after sitting out for about an hour ( I got busy with my 4 month old grandson) is there anyway to add cornstarch or something to bring it back to a creamy consistency before adding the dry ingredients for banana bread?
Allison Ferraro
Hi Vicki!I don't have much experience with margarine, but I understand that it can sometimes separate at room temperature. I don't recommend adding additional thickener that could impact the outcome of your recipe and would instead suggest trying to re-blend the separated margarine and sugar with their a whisk or an electric hand mixer before re-chilling the mixture to firm it back up, and then bringing it back to room temperature, creaming it once again, and then proceeding with the recipe. If you are not able to re-blend the mixture or if it doesn't have the proper consistency after you attempt to re-cream the mixture, I would unfortunately suggest starting over with new margarine and sugar so that you don't waste the other recipe ingredients. Happy baking!
- Allison