This rich, creamy Butterbeer starts with a quick salted butterscotch sauce made of brown sugar, butter, vinegar, salt, cream, and a touch of rum extract. A few tablespoons of butterscotch sauce mixed with cream soda and topped with whipped cream in a chilled glass produces a frothy delicacy that is guaranteed to delight just about anybody, but especially Harry Potter fans. It makes a great, festive treat for Christmas as well!
Ingredients and Equipment Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Salted Butterscotch Sauce
- Brown sugar – Light or dark.
- Water
- Salted butter
- Kosher salt
- Apple cider vinegar
- Heavy cream
- Rum extract
Additional Ingredients
- Cream soda
Equipment
- Candy thermometer – This recipe requires a candy thermometer. But, as far as candy thermometer recipes go, this one is super simple. The syrup just needs to reach 240°F and you’re done!
- Glass beer mugs – While not a requirement, something about a thick, chilled glass fresh from the freezer makes butterbeer taste extra amazing! Any thick glass cup will do.
How to Make Butterbeer
Make Your Salted Butterscotch Sauce
- In a small saucepan, combine some brown sugar and water. Heat, stirring frequently, over medium heat until a candy thermometer registers 240°F. Reduce heat to low and, whisking constantly, add in butter, salt, and vinegar and whisk until smooth. Slowly stir in 1/4 cup of the heavy cream, reserving the rest for later, and whisk until smooth and combined and then remove from heat.
- Add the rum extract and allow to cool to room temperature. Use for Butterbeer or save for later.
Assemble Your Butterbeer
- Pop 4 large glasses or beer mugs in the freezer and 4 12-ounce bottles of cream soda into the refrigerator. Do this with enough time to get them good and cold.
- When ready to assemble your drinks, pull everything out. Combine 2 tablespoons of salted butterscotch sauce with 1/2 cup of whipping cream. Whip with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Set aside.
- Pour 1/4 cup of the butterscotch (approximately) into each of the chilled glasses. Whisk in 1/4 cup of cream soda in each glass so it becomes frothy. Then add the remaining cream soda to each glass.
- Divide the whipped cream mixture evenly among the four glasses and serve immediately. You can always drizzle a little extra sauce on top if desired.
Storing and Other Tips
- Butterbeer as a drink is best enjoyed freshly made! For the butterscotch sauce, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 2-3 weeks.
- This sauce isn’t just for drinks! It’s a wonderful topping for ice cream or baked goods as well.
- Salted butterscotch sauce also makes a great little gift!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this ahead of time?
You can definitely make the butterscotch a day or two in advance! Chill your glasses and your cream soda. You can even whip heavy whipping cream a day ahead if desired. Then, simply assemble everything when ready to serve.
Can I make this without a candy thermometer?
For consistency in results I have to recommend using a candy thermometer. If you have a digital thermometer, it may reach that high (Thermapro brand, for example, often reads up to 500°F). If you want to give it a go without a thermometer that’s fine, just be aware your results may vary.
Can I leave out the rum flavoring?
Sure. If you’d prefer a traditional salted caramel flavor, omit the rum flavoring.
Butterbeer with Salted Butterscotch Sauce
Salted butterscotch sauce makes a great Butterbeer or gift around the holidays!
Servings servings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed brown sugar light or dark, packed
- 2 tablespoons water
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cider vinegar
- ¾ cup heavy cream divided
- ½ teaspoon rum extract
- 4 12-ounce bottles cream soda
Instructions
- Set 4 mugs into the freezer to chill.
- In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar and water. Heat, stirring frequently, over medium heat until a candy thermometer registers 240℉. Reduce heat to low and, whisking constantly, add in butter, salt, and vinegar and whisk until smooth.
- Slowly stir in ¼ cup of the heavy cream, reserving the rest for later, and whisk until smooth and combined and then remove from heat. Add the rum extract and allow to cool to room temperature. You can use this as a sauce, ice cream topping, syrup, or you can save it for the butterbeer.
- To make the butterbeer, combine 2 tablespoons of the salted butterscotch with the remaining ½ cup of heavy whipping cream and whip with electric beaters until soft peaks form. Set aside.
- Pour ¼ cup of the butterscotch (approximately) into each of the chilled mugs or glasses. whisk in 1/4 cup of cream soda in each glass so it becomes frothy. Then add the remaining cream soda to each glass.
- Divide the whipped cream mixture evenly among the four glasses and serve immediately. Top with extra sauce if desired.
Notes
- Butterbeer as a drink is best enjoyed freshly made! For the butterscotch sauce, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 2-3 weeks.
- This sauce isn’t just for drinks! It’s a wonderful topping for ice cream or baked goods as well.
- Salted butterscotch sauce also makes a great little gift!
Nutrition
Calories: 511kcal, Carbohydrates: 55g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 21g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 96mg, Sodium: 454mg, Potassium: 121mg, Sugar: 55g, Vitamin A: 1181IU, Vitamin C: 0.3mg, Calcium: 81mg, Iron: 0.4mg
Calories: 511kcal
Cost: $5
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Questions & Reviews
While this sounds delicious, I would love to see a warm version of butterbeer for cold winter evenings.
I have a quick question. If you make the salted caramel for butterbeer, does it only make enough for 4 glasses? I am throwing a Harry Potter party for 14 kids and I need to have enough to go around. Thanks!
I made this recipe the other day with some friends. We made butterbeer and watched HP #1 (Daniel Radcliffe was just so darn cute as a little boy). We also made cake balls that we called “Golden Snitches”. Thankfully we didn’t finish them that day – my friend finished them after they were frozen. If we had I’m pretty sure we both would have gone into a diabetic coma!
The butterbeer was delicious! But now you’ve got me on an HP kick and it won’t end until I watch all of them!
I planned to make the butter beer for Christmas dinner. I had everything ready and began to make it but when I went to put in the whipping cream, I couldn’t find it in my fridge. I searched everywhere but nothing… I asked my family and soon discovered that my young adult daughter that has Down syndrome had used it for her chocolate milk. ummmm… rich chocolate milk! It was in a small carton like the ones she had at school lunch. Because it was Christmas day I couldn’t go get more, so I substituted milk and cool whip… it turned out way….. way… too sweet. Someday I hope to try it again with real whipping cream, which I will hide better.
When I first read the Tim Riggins Brownie post, I had no clue who/what you were talking about. I recently watched the entire Friday Night Lights series (in a matter of days) and now I totally get it! I was so lost in that show I didn’t want it to end! In fact, after it was over, I googled all the characters. I don’t know if I just wanted to see them again or if I had to confirm that they were really “people”! Pretty sad, I know.
p.s. Love your blog! Just received the new cookbook in the mail.
When I said “maybe we should try it” I meant my family, not anyone else. Just so I don’t come across sounding too queenly.
Oh, Edith. 🙂 First of all, your second comment was one of my most favorite comments EVER–I literally laughed out loud.
We read a LOT of comments everyday and some of them are not so nice. Before I read this comment today, I was thinking about how so many people say so many nice things to us every day, but it’s those 2 or 3 rude comments that get under my skin and that I keep coming back to every day. And yours was not one of them. We COMPLETELY welcome constructive responses, criticism, and alternative ideas. Had you said, “You’re a disgusting sugar harlot who doesn’t have any idea what she’s doing!”, then I might be miffed. 🙂
I totally get this being too sweet–for my husband and I, it was definitely more of a little novelty taste, something fun to have around, but it was a LOT to drink. So you make a good point. Diet cream soda is an option, but then you’re dealing with that yucky artificial sweetener aftertaste. I think the cream soda adds an element to this recipe, so I probably wouldn’t leave it out altogether–maybe mix it with some carbonated water?
Another thought I had was to make it like an Italian soda and use a bit MORE of the butterscotch sauce to mix with plain carbonated water, adjusting it to however sweet you want it to be.
Anyway. I’m glad you commented. If everyone left criticism like you did, the world would be a better place. 🙂
I’m so relieved! I really felt bad after leaving that first comment. I tend to follow my mom’s motto–“Everyone is entitled to my opinion.” And my dad’s parents were theater people, so I tend to be dramatic. I’m glad you took it so well.
I love Best Bites so much that I recently found myself thinking that if I couldn’t find a recipe for something I needed on this site, then I’d have to change what I was going to make.
That said, I have a confession: This Butterbeer recipe is so sweet and rich that it was TOO MUCH. Even my youngest daughter, who proudly proclaims herself a sugar-fiend, could not drink this. It gave a couple of us heart burn.
Maybe we should try it with just carbonated water? I loved the idea of whipping the cream with the butterscotch sauce. I am thinking I will do that with your buttermilk pancake syrup, which we all love. Hey, maybe I’ll just use that for our next go at Butterbeer!