A tall mug of delicious Harry Potter Inspired Homemade Butterbeer is a fantastic treat any time of year, but especially during the month of October! Witches, wizards, and muggles can all celebrate this magical season with one of the sweetest beverages in the wizarding world!
Earlier this year I was able to take our oldest daughter, Clara, to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Florida with my sister and two oldest nieces. It was indeed a magical trip and the girls LOVED the butterbeer there from the Three Broomsticks and the butterbeer cart in Hogsmeade. (UPDATE: We just went back with the whole family and I wrote about visiting Harry Potter World with all my best tips!)
This copycat version tastes just like the regular butterbeer drink from the park!
It’s foamy and sweet and the perfect drink for serving at a Harry Potter-inspired Halloween party! So grab a mug and your wand because it’s time to accio butterbeer!
If you are looking for recipes for a Harry Potter Party, be sure to also check out our Pumpkin Juice and Sticky Toffee Pudding!
Ingredient Notes
- Whipped cream: Sure you could just use a can of Redi-Whip, but c’mon, we all know the real stuff made with heavy cream and powdered sugar is SO. MUCH. BETTER.
- Cream soda: It doesn’t actually contain any cream, despite its name. Cream soda is vanilla flavored instead.
- Butterscotch topping: Similar to caramel but made with dark brown sugar and butter, which gives it a different flavor profile.
- Butter extract: You’ll find this in the baking aisle next to the vanilla and other extracts.
How to Make This Recipe
Make the sweetened whipped cream first so it’s ready to go once the butterbeer is mixed together. Beat heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract together in a bowl until soft peaks form. I have a whole post on how to do this if you are new to making homemade whipped cream and want more details. Set in the fridge until ready to use.
Meanwhile, pour 1 cup of the cream soda into a large bowl or pitcher. Then add the butterscotch syrup and butter extract, and whisk to combine.
Add the remaining cream soda and stir gently just until combined. The reason you only whisk the syrup into some of the soda is that you will lose much of the bubbliness of the soda if you stir it too much. Incorporating the butterscotch into a small amount of soda first helps it incorporate better but it also means more fizz later.
Fill frosty mugs (if you have glass mugs, stick them in the freezer for 20-30 minutes before serving!) with the butterbeer, then top with a large scoop of freshly made whipped cream.
Drizzle with plenty of extract butterscotch syrup and serve your deliciously frothy and cold homemade butterbeer with a straw!
FAQ’s
There are 2 different methods that work. The first is to put the Cream Soda in the freezer for a couple of hours before mixing in the other ingredients. The key is to chill it just until it is slushy. If you freeze the soda, it will lose its fizz. Try tipping the bottle back and forth every 30-45 minutes to help achieve that slushy texture.
The other approach is to mix up the butterbeer and transfer it to a quart-size freezer bag. Remove all of the excess air and nest this bag inside a larger, gallon-size freezer bag. Fill the larger outer bag with ice cubes and add a tablespoon of rock salt, just like if you are making this ice cream in a bag. Wrap the bag in a towel and shake it for 5-10 minutes until slushy. You will have to do it in batches, but it works and can be a lot of fun if you want a slushy version!
Using melted butter doesn’t work well because as soon as you add it to the cold soda the melted butter resolidifies into little lumps. If you are unable to find butter extract it is better just to leave the butter element out entirely unless you are doing warm butterbeer.
You can make the whipped cream the day before (it will keep well in the fridge for 1 day) and definitely chill the cream soda. But don’t mix the drink together until shortly before serving or the butterbeer will go flat.
Expert Tips
- Butterbeer is really best served freshly made. If you try to make it too far in advance and keep the drink in the fridge, it might still have good flavor, but the soda will lose its delightful fizziness.
- If you can’t find butterscotch syrup anyway, you could get away with just using caramel syrup or even making a batch of salted caramel sauce (although I would leave out the salt) and using that instead.
- Feel free to skip the whipped cream in favor of a scoop of ice cream for a butterbeer float!
- Ten points for Gryffindor if you have star sprinkles to sprinkle on top!
More Family Friendly Drinks Recipes
- Homemade White Hot Chocolate
- Slow Cooker Homemade Apple Cider
- Orange Julius Recipe
- Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
- Non-Alcoholic Mint Julep
- Easy Watermelon Lemonade
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Butterbeer
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 liters cream soda, well chilled
- 2/3 cup butterscotch topping, plus more for topping
- 2 Tablespoons butter extract
Instructions
- If you have glass mugs or decorate hurricane glasses for serving the butterbeer in, stick them in the freezer to become frosty.
- Beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Set this aside in the fridge to chill until ready to use.
- Make sure the cream soda is well chilled before starting. Pour about 1 cup into a large pitcher or punch bowl. Whisk in the butterscotch topping and butter extract. Gradually stir in the remaining cream soda until combined.
- Fill the individual frosty glasses or mugs with the whipped cream and drizzle with additional butterscotch topping. Ten points for Gryffindor if you have gold star sprinkles to sprinkle on top.
Notes
- Butterbeer is really best served freshly made. If you try to make it too far in advance and keep the drink in the fridge, it might still have good flavor, but the soda will lose its fizziness.
- If you can’t find butterscotch syrup anyway, you could get away with just using caramel syrup instead.
- Feel free to skip the whipped cream in favor of a scoop of ice cream for a butterbeer float!
Nutrition
More Halloween Recipes
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- Frankenstein Cupcakes from Semi Homemade Recipes
- Graveyard Dirt Cream Puffs from Pint Sized Baker
- Halloween Cookies & Cream Cheesecakes from Fresh April Flours
- Halloween Cupcakes from Devour Dinner
- Halloween Ghost Cake from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Pumpkin Macarons from The Redhead Baker
- Monster Burgers from 4 Sons ‘R’ Us
- Poisoned Apple Hand Pies from Cookaholic Wife
- Halloween Nachos from Eat Move Make
- Baked Pumpkin Donuts from The Flour Handprint
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- Caramel Apple Cupcakes from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
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- Halloween Cake Pops from Sweet Beginnings
- Deviled Egg Eyeballs from The Spiffy Cookie
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- Pizza Skulls from Lemon Blossoms
- Bloody Dirty Shirley Float from An Affair from the Heart
- Reese’s Pieces Cookies from Back To My Southern Roots
- Oogie Boogie Dark Chocolate Brownies from Savory Moments
- Halloween Ghost Kabobs from Our Good Life
I love the butterscotch syrup! This is a must try recipe for our Harry Potter marathon!
I couldn’t get the heavy cream to peak, it stayed flat, but even so it tasted great!
Hi Amy! Do you recommend caramel syrup, like you’d add to your coffee (e.g. Torino brand) or like you would put on top of it de cream?
If you can’t find butterscotch syrup, you can use caramel syrup (like the ice cream topping caramel) or even make a batch of my salted caramel sauce (although I would leave out the salt) and use that instead.