Harry Potter Butterbeer

Supremely sweet Harry Potter Butterbeer has rich butterscotch and cream soda flavor topped with a creamy whipped topping that’s loved by muggles and magically famous in the wizarding world. This butterbeer recipe is authentic as Rosemerta’s at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade.

The Harry Potter book series is one of my all-time favorites to read and when we began to read it with our children and have watch parties I couldn’t help but make some of the food. I also love Halloween drinks such as Halloween Pumpkin Punch and this Pumpkin Martini, which are alcoholic but have that same fall flavor.

Why This Recipe is Great

If you’re a fan of Harry Potter then you’re familiar with this frothy beverage commonly drank throughout the series. With a handful of simple ingredients, you can make this deliciously indulgent drink at home.

Whether you’re planning for Halloween or a Harry Potter watch party or for when you’re craving a festive fall beverage this is easy to make and one everyone will love.

You can make enough for a pitcher or just a few servings too. It’s a fun fall beverage that’s great for sipping while reading the Harry Potter series.

There are quite a few homemade butterbeer versions out there and I tried just about all of them and have played around with the ingredients to find what I think is the best one. This is the closest copycat Universal recipe, in my opinion.

Butterbeer Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

• Butter: I prefer to use butter when making this recipe for the rich flavor and creamy texture, but you can also use butter extract too.
• Rum Extract: Butterbeer is non-alcoholic, but it has a rich taste that’s also very sweet. Adding the rum extract gives it that small bite of a flavor you can often get with alcohol.
• Heavy Cream: I like to use heavy cream, which is used in the brown sugar mixture explained below as well as to cream a creamy whipped topping. You could also use Cool Whip or Heavy Whipping Cream.

Recipe Variations

• Dairy-Free: To make this beverage dairy-free swap the butter for 2 tablespoons of butter extract and use dairy-free whipped topping instead of heavy cream or Cool Whip. If using a pre-made dairy-free whipped topping just mix some of the brown sugar mixture into it before spooning it over each glass.
• Hot: If you would like to serve this hot you can skip the step of letting the brown sugar mixture cool and make sure to keep your cream soda at room temperature.

How to Make Homemade Butterbeer

1. Prepare the brown sugar mixture. In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the brown sugar and water. Clip a candy thermometer to the side (optional) and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring continuously. Once it reaches 240º F or is at a rolling boil, about 3 to 4 minutes remove it from the heat.
2. Melt in the next 4 ingredients. Add the butter, salt, cider vinegar, and 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Stir until the butter melts and the ingredients are completely combined. Let cool.

3. Add the rum extract. Once the mixture has cooled completely stir in the rum extract.
4. Beat the whipped topping. In a medium bowl using a handheld electric mixer beat 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 3/4 cup of heavy cream together until it’s thickened and starts to form soft peaks.

5. Arrange. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons (or more if desired) of the brown sugar mixture into the bottom of each glass. Top with cream soda and fill the glass to about 3/4 full and stir the contents together.
6. Garnish. Top each glass with the homemade whipped topping.

Helpful Equipment

• Whisk. I prefer a small whisk for this recipe but any kind will work.
• Candy Thermometer. This thermometer is optional but makes it super easy to prepare this recipe. I also use mine a ton.
• Handheld Electric Mixer. This is the mixer I have and I love it.
• Pint Glasses. These glasses are key for the full Harry Potter experience. The glasses you see in the photos came from Crate and Barrel.

Recipe Notes and Expert Tips

• To quickly cool the brown sugar and butter mixture I place the small saucepan in the fridge for a few minutes, which will decrease the overall prep time.
• Serve this beverage immediately. Though it’s still delicious the different mixtures will start to separate if left sitting for too long.
• After serving I recommend giving the frothy beverage a good stir so the flavor is evenly distributed. These long iced tea spoons make it extremely easy to do so and look great sitting in each glass.
• This beverage is best served chilled, however, you can serve it hot too.

FAQs

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