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Butterbeer

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close up shot of jugs of Butterbeer topped with butter cream topping
This simple, delicious, and refreshing butterbeer recipe is a fun, cold treat to make and enjoy with your family!
Jump to Recipe
Table of Contents
  1. Butterbeer Ingredients
  2. Substitutions And Additions
  3. How To Make This Butterbeer Recipe
  4. How To Serve
  5. Storage 
  6. Frequently Asked Questions
  7. More Recipes You’ll Love
  8. JUMP TO RECIPE

Mention butterbeer to a Harry Potter fan, and they will instantly perk up, and now you can easily make the best butterbeer recipe at home. The whole family will love drinking what their wizard icon drank in the books and films, and it tastes just like the real thing! 

close up shot of a jug of Butterbeer topped with butter cream topping

Butterbeer Ingredients

Butterbeer raw ingredients that are labeled
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Butterbeer is a magical beverage made up of cream soda, offering a refreshing and fizzy sensation. It’s flavored with caramel and butter extracts for a sweet and buttery richness.

Finished off with a creamy topping, it becomes velvety and indulgent, with a drizzle of butterscotch syrup adding a sweet and nutty note.

You’ll need:

For The Butterbeer:

  • 2 liters of A&W Cream Soda, cold 
  • ½ teaspoon of caramel extract 
  • ½ teaspoon of butter extract 

For The Cream Topping:

  • 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, chilled 
  • ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract 
  • ½ teaspoon of butter extract 
  • ¼ cup of powdered sugar 
  • ¼ cup of butterscotch syrup 

Substitutions And Additions

ICE CREAM: If you want a colder summer version of butterbeer, you could use one quart of vanilla ice cream and one quart of cream soda.

This will make more of an ice cream soda butterbeer, but this frozen version would be brilliant for hot days. 

ALCOHOL: Put an adult spin on this and add a little bit of butterscotch schnapps and vanilla vodka to make this a grown-up alcoholic butterbeer.

Check out our butterbeer jello shots for another fun twist.

How To Make This Butterbeer Recipe

This drink is easy to assemble. Once you make the whipped topping, everything gets put together in your mug, ready to enjoy this refreshingly fizzy drink.

STEP ONE: Before you start, chill the serving glasses, pitcher, and mixing bowl in the freezer for about half an hour. 

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

It is really important to add the mixing bowl in particular to the fridge before you make the recipe. If you don’t do this, then it can be hard to get the cream to form the stiff peaks that are needed to stop it from sinking into the drink if it is at room temperature. 

STEP TWO: In a large pitcher, combine the cream soda with the caramel and butter extracts and gently stir with a spoon. 

soda, caramel, and butter extract combined in a cup

STEP THREE: In the chilled large mixing bowl, add the heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and butter extract.

Beat together with an electric mixer or stand mixer for 30 seconds.

whipping cream, vanilla extract, and butter extract combined in a cup

STEP FOUR: Add the powdered sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

sugar added to the whipping cream mixture

STEP FIVE: Immediately add the butterscotch topping and fold it together with a spatula until there are no streaks remaining.

butterscotch topping added to the whipping cream

STEP SIX: Fill the chilled glasses with the cream soda mixture, then add the buttercream topping. 

PRO TIP:

If you use straws to drink the Harry Potter butterbeer, make sure you don’t fill the drink right to the top. That’s because when you push the straw in, the level of the drink will rise a bit. If it is filled right to the top, it will spill over and make a mess. Plus, you’ll waste some of the tasty goodness of this sweet drink! 

glasses filled with cream soda mixture and topped with butter cream topping

How To Serve

You will think you are sitting at the Three Broomsticks or the Leaky Cauldron when you enjoy a cold glass of this homemade butterbeer recipe.

This tasty drink would be perfect for your next Harry Potter party or Harry Potter movie marathon. Add some chocolate frogs, and you are all set.

This drink would also be delicious during the holiday season when everything feels magical. Serve with our Christmas Chex mix for a holiday movie treat.

While you have that caramel extract around, why not try a few more caramel-based recipes? A caramel apple dip is ideal for something sweet to dip fruit or pretzels into.

Or you could go for another copycat caramel recipe and make Butterfinger cake – it tastes just like the candy bar. 

Storage 

Here are a few handy tips for storing the components of this drink.

IN THE FRIDGE: You can store the cream soda mixture in the fridge for a day or two but don’t add the whipped cream mixture for the top layer until you are ready to serve.

Otherwise, it will slowly evaporate and leave just an unpleasant lumpy mess on the top.

IN THE FREEZER: We do not recommend freezing this drink. It must be made and enjoyed fresh.

close up shot of jugs of Butterbeer topped with butter cream topping

If you love Harry Potter or just love caramel drinks, then this cold butterbeer recipe will be an instant hit. You can also adapt the recipe to make a hot butterbeer drink, but with these ingredients, it will taste like a combination of a Starbucks caramel latte and an ice cream soda. Just magic! 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this drink ahead of time?

This simple recipe could be prepared ahead of time, but you should wait to add the whipped topping until it is time to serve it.

Is this the same drink that is served at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter?

This popular drink is very similar to the one that is served at the theme park at Universal Studios.

Can I make a hot version of this drink?

You can make a hot version of this popular beverage, although we haven’t tried it ourselves yet!

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close up shot of jugs of Butterbeer topped with butter cream topping

Butterbeer

5 from 4 votes
This simple, delicious, and refreshing butterbeer recipe is a fun, cold treat to make and enjoy with your family!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

Butterbeer

  • 2 liters A&W Cream Soda, cold
  • ½ teaspoon caramel extract
  • ½ teaspoon butter extract

Cream Topping

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon butter extract
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup butterscotch syrup

Instructions
 

  • Prior to starting the recipe, chill (in the freezer) the serving glasses, pitcher, and large mixing bowl for 30 minutes.
  • In the large pitcher, combine the A&W cream soda, caramel extract, and butter extract. Gently stir with a large spoon.
  • In the chilled large mixing bowl, add the heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and butter extract. Beat together for 30 seconds. Add the powdered sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
  • Immediately add the butterscotch topping and fold together with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain.
  • Fill chilled glasses with the cream soda mixture. Top with the butter cream topping.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • It is really important to add the mixing bowl in particular to the fridge before you make the recipe. If you don’t do this, then it can be hard to get the cream to form the stiff peaks that are needed to stop it from sinking into the drink if it is at room temperature. 
  • If you use straws to drink the Harry Potter butterbeer, make sure you don’t fill the drink right to the top. That’s because when you push the straw in, the level of the drink will rise a bit. If it is filled right to the top, it will spill over and make a mess. Plus, you’ll waste some of the tasty goodness of this sweet drink! 

Nutrition

Calories: 349kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 83mg | Potassium: 50mg | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 592IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg
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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

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