Punjabi White Butter (Makhan)

Name: Punjabi White Butter (Makhan)
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Punjabi
Ingredients: 500 g fresh full-fat cream (malai); 200 ml chilled water; 4 pcs Ice cubes; 0.25 tsp Salt

Fresh cream hand-churned into soft white butter, the unsalted dairy staple that tops saag, parathas and roti across rural Punjab.

🇮🇳India· Punjab

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 0 min
Total: 15 min
Servings: 6
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 110 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 4 gathered

Servings

500 g fresh full-fat cream (malai) — collected over a few days and chilled
200 ml chilled water — for churning
4 pcs Ice cubes — to firm up the butter
¼ tsp Salt — optional, most Punjabi makhan is unsalted

Equipment

•Wooden bilona churner or blender
•Muslin cloth

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 110 kcal
fat: 12 g
carbs: 1 g
fibre: 0 g
protein: 1 g
calories: 110 kcal

Instructions

1
Collect fresh cream skimmed off boiled milk over a few days. Keep it chilled.
2
Let the cream warm slightly to a cool room temperature before churning.
3
Pour the cream into a wooden bilona (traditional churner) or blender jar with chilled water.
4
Churn steadily for about 10-15 minutes until the fat separates from the buttermilk (chaach).
5
Add ice cubes towards the end to help the butter solids clump together.
6
Strain off the buttermilk through a muslin cloth and collect the solid butter.
7
Rinse the butter in cold water to press out any remaining buttermilk, then shape and chill.

Chef's tips

Keep the cream properly chilled before and during churning so the butter separates cleanly. Save the leftover buttermilk (chaach) to drink or make kadhi (spiced yoghurt curry).

Ingredient substitutions

wooden bilona → stand mixer with whisk attachment on low speed

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week.

Reheating

Not applicable; serve chilled or at room temperature.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Churning warm cream, which stops the butter from separating properly.
•Skipping the cold water rinse, leaving leftover buttermilk that turns the butter sour quickly.