Harry Potter Butterbeer Recipe

If you’re anything like me you love the Harry Potter book series, have been to the Harry Potter World in Orlando and watched the movies numerous times over. If not, you’re just obsessed with the tasty Harry Potter Butterbeer drink that has been brought to life from the Hogwarts collection.

If so, you’re in luck because we have this tasty recipe covered below, meaning you don’t need to go to universal in Orlando! Be prepared for some wizardy magic or just some butterbeer.

What is Butterbeer?

Wow. Just wow. If you were ever a Harry Potter fan and read the books or watched the movies you would know that whenever “butterbeer” was mentioned, you would immediately start salivating.

I mean, just think of the name… butter + beer… what more could you ask for? I don’t know about you but whenever I would hear the term “butterbeer”, my mind often starts asking itself – what in the world could that possibly be made out of? And what would it taste like? Well, no longer do you have to wonder – we have the solution for you right here! 

If you weren’t a fan of the books or movies, this recipe is still for you! Butterbeer was a beverage that Harry (main character) and his band of buddies (Hermoine and Ron) would often enjoy as a special treat when they went into town.

It was often served in a bit cauldron-like mug and would be seen bubbling and frothing over, often leaving a “milk mustache” in its path. 

In fact, as the story goes – butterbeer was founded at the Three Broomsticks Inn in 1985. It was served hot in a large foaming, overflowing mug, or served cold in a bottle. It wasn’t uncommon to see house elves stumbling around, drunk on butterbeer in the wizarding world of Harry Potter. 

Is Butterbeer Alcoholic? 

“Butterbeer” is a bit of a misnomer. It actually contains no beer, so it is totally safe for kids. In the book/movies, they often describe butter beer as giving Harry & friends a little “buzz”. Maybe in the movies – but the real-life version is alcohol free (if you want, that is).

In fact, this recipe only has 5 simple ingredients: ice cubes, vanilla ice cream, cream soda, butterscotch syrup topping and whipped cream.

Variations

There are tons of other homemade butterbeer recipes out there, some including lots of ingredients and others as simple as this one. Some butter beer recipes are actually made with brown sugar and actual butter as the base, the ingredients are heated and combined with heavy cream, rum extract and cream soda.

Perhaps this was how they intended the recipe to be made originally (somehow I can’t quite picture house elves combining vanilla ice cream and cream soda in a blender!). However, this recipe is a more modern take with simple ingredients and simple steps which you can enjoy in 5 minutes! How much better can you get? 

Toppings 

You can get creative with the toppings that you add to your homemade butterbeer. You can keep it classic and enjoy a nice dollop of whipped cream, or try these other seasonal combinations: 

How To Make Butterbeer From Harry Potter?

As mentioned, diy butterbeer is a super simple recipe.

So what’s in butterbeer – To prepare your recipe, you want to ensure you have about 1.5 cups of ice cubes, ½ a quart of vanilla ice cream, ½ cup of butterscotch flavoured ice cream topping and 24 oz. of cream soda. In a large blended, combine all of the ingredients.

You want to make sure that your blender is large enough to accommodate all of the ingredients, while also allowing for some room for bubbles. When you blend the carbonated cream soda.. You guessed it – it bubbles up quite a bit. However, don’t be alarmed.

If your recipe starts to bubble up a lot and you think it’s going to overflow just stop the blender and give it a good stir with a wooden spoon. The goal is to try and release a bit of the carbon dioxide from the cream soda, while still maintaining that delicious bubbly look. 

Below we’ve outlined the ingredients required for this cold or frozen butterbeer ice cream recipe.

Ingredients

1. Ice Cubes: Used to chill the beverage and give it a slushy texture.
2. Vanilla Ice Cream: Provides a creamy base and adds vanilla flavor to the butterbeer.
3. Butterscotch Flavored Ice Cream Topping: This is a key ingredient that gives the butterbeer its distinctive butterscotch flavor.
4. Cream Soda: Adds sweetness and carbonation, contributing to the overall flavor profile and texture of the drink.
5. Whipped Cream (for topping): Used as a garnish, it adds a light, creamy texture and visual appeal to the finished drink.

Alcoholic Butterbeer Recipe

As a major fan of the Harry Potter series, both having watched the movies and read the books numerous times. It wasn’t until I was older that I really wondered, how cool would it be to have an alcoholic version of this drink. I happened to taste this drink for the first time when I visited harry potter world at universal in Orlando.

If you’re looking to turn it into an adult cocktail, feel free to throw some rum in there. The spicy flavours of the run work perfectly with the buttery & delicious taste of the butterbeer. Just add the rum to the blender when you’re mixing the remaining ingredients and blend it up! 

Viola, there you have. This universal studios butterbeer recipe really is that easy to make at home whether you want to make a non alcoholic version or not.

Where Can I Buy Butterbeer?

I first tasted this at Universal in Orlando, which is currently the only real location that sells this. Recreating the recipe from the comfort of your home is the next best thing! Following the details on this page will easily allow you recreate this classic drink.

What Does Butter Beer Taste Like?

With so few ingredients, this really does pack a punch when it comes to the taste. An array of buttery, vanilla and of course butterscotch empower your taste buds and bring you down memory lane. And yes, this is gluten free.