Butterbeer was first introduced in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the 3rd book in the series (hot butterbeer exists in the books as well but frozen butterbeer does not). Students would drink a lot of it at Hogsmeade, the closest village to Hogwarts Castle; probably because it was slightly alcoholic. Teenagers, right?
Of course, when Universal Studios was developing their butterbeer recipe, they decided to make it non-alcoholic, so everyone could enjoy it. Here’s an interview with the executive chef responsible for creating it.
When the park opened in July 2010, regular and frozen butterbeer were an instant smash hit. Drinking it is now the number one activity people come to the park to do! More recently, hot butterbeer was added as a seasonal offering. I lived in Orlando for a year, so I’m basically an expert now. Anyway, enough about me. Let’s talk about the recipes.
Original Butterbeer
Let’s start with the classic. J.K. Rowling once described the taste of butterbeer as “a little bit like less-sickly butterscotch.” I think the park’s version achieves that. You can definitely tell there’s a slight butterscotch flavor. Not overpowering. It also has a foamy top, sort of like whipped cream.
The Foam
I see a lot of other recipes just use whipped cream, but I think you can get closer to the real thing with a little effort. From what I remember the real butterbeer foam doesn’t taste like just whipped cream. There’s some extra flavors in there. It’s also less viscous. The foam floats on top and you get a little bit with every sip.
This is the best picture I had where the butterbeer was visible. If you CSI Miami enhance the photo, you can see the foam. It’s completely flat, which I don’t think would happen if you use plain whipped cream. Instead, we’re going to add some butterscotch, salt, sugar, and vanilla extract to heavy whipping cream. Then, whisk it just until it starts to thicken; about halfway between a liquid and whipped cream.
The Butterscotch Soda Base
If you look closely at a butterbeer, there’s bubbles in that golden ichor. I think it’s pretty well established that the base ingredient is cream soda. Again, there are also some flavors in there that aren’t just cream soda. I’m going for a heavier butterscotch content here. I’m also going to add butter. Not sure if it’s in the real thing, but I like butter and I think it’s cool to have butter in butterbeer.
For my recipe, I used 2 big beer steins. If you are going for something handier, I’d suggest cutting it in half at least. You can always freeze the leftovers and try it as frozen butterbeer later!
Frozen Butterbeer
There’s not too much to say about frozen butterbeer. I tried for an hour to add the right amount of ice to my mixture before I blended it, but it kept tasting watered down. After watching me fail for an hour, someone suggested that I just put my regular butterbeer in the freezer so I don’t have to add ice. Brilliant.
That worked perfectly. Same taste as regular, without being watered down. The foam is best fresh though, the texture won’t be the same if you freeze that too.
Hot Butterbeer
This is where things get less clear. I have only tried hot butterbeer once or twice, so I’m hard pressed to remember the flavor profile. It reminded me of a Starbucks beverage, pretty sweet, very creamy, with some spices in there. Maybe like a hot egg nog? At least, that’s what my recipe tastes like.
There is no cream soda in this, that’s for sure. I don’t recall a foam either. I decided to make the base out of a mixture of whole milk and heavy whipping cream.
For the spices: cinnamon and nutmeg, going heavier on the nutmeg. Then, a little bit of vanilla extract to add some depth, and brown sugar cause it needs to be sweet. Butterscotch always has to be in there. Last, some butter, so you can say you put the butter in butterbeer. I actually do think it works!
Other Notes
Don’t be scared of the calorie count. I couldn’t break it up between each recipe, so that’s only accurate if you drink all 3 butterbeers in the same day. Also, the regular one was served in very large mugs, so you could probably make 4 for kids with the same amount. I just thought it would be better to keep them all here rather than split up the recipes.
If you’re interested in other theme park recipes, I recently made both blue and green milk from Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge! I’m told the blue is pretty accurate, while the green actually tastes good, haha. Or if you’re bored and want ideas to cook, how about over 100 dumpling recipes?
Butterbeer From Harry Potter (Regular, Frozen, and Hot)
Ingredients
Regular Butterbeer
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- salt
- 1 tbsp butterscotch
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 4 tbsp butterscotch
- 4 cups cream soda
Frozen Butterbeer
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- salt
- 1 tbsp butterscotch
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 4 tbsp butterscotch
- 4 cups cream soda
Hot Butterbeer
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp butterscotch
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp salted butter
Instructions
Regular Butterbeer
- Start with the creamy foam. Combine heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and 1 tbsp of butterscotch in a mixing bowl.
- Whisk the cream until the mixture starts to thicken. You want to stop when it gets the viscosity of honey, not too much or it will behave like a solid.
- Melt 2 tbsp of butter and 4 tbsp of butterscotch together in a microwave or on the stove. Mix thoroughly. Use half of this mixture for each mug of butterbeer.
- Add 2 cups of cream soda to each mug, about ½ cup at a time. In between each half cup, add a tbsp of the butter and butterscotch mixture. Stir a little bit to mix it in.
- Add your foam to the top of the mug and enjoy!
Frozen Butterbeer
- Follow the above steps to make the cream soda portion of regular butterbeer.
- Put the butterbeer in the freezer until it is frozen.
- Make the foam topping the same way as regular butterbeer.
- Take the butterbeer out of the freezer and put it in the blender. Pulse a few times until it has a slushy consistency. Pour into a mug and add the foam topping.
Hot Butterbeer
- Combine ingredients into 2 coffee mugs, using half of the ingredients for each. Stir thoroughly. Put mugs in the microwave until liquid is hot.
- Stir the butterbeer and enjoy!
I Love these butterbeer recipes and look forward to trying each one! I love the regular butterbeer at Universal, and I’m sure the frozen butterbeer will be perfect for those hot Florida summer days.