Hot Butterbeer Recipe

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This homemade Hot Butterbeer Recipe is a rich and creamy, buttery treat that will have muggles and wizards rejoicing alike! It’s the perfect warm beverage for any Harry Potter themed party or just for cozying up and sipping on movie night.

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Hot butterbeer in glass mug

This wizard-worthy butterbeer recipe is buttery, flavorful and guaranteed to bring a smile to all the Harry Potter fans in your life. Made with just 5 simple ingredients, this recipe tastes just like the version they serve at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios.

There are so many amazing recipes in the Harry Potter books and we love recreating them. The kids had a blast helping with these Chocolate Frogs and Pumpkin Pasties are always a hit too.

But of all the Harry Potter recipes, butterbeer is by far the most popular! From Frozen Butterbeer to Boozy Butterbeer, and now this yummy Hot Butterbeer, no one can get enough of those amazing, sweet butterscotch and vanilla flavors.

Hot Butterbeer with red napkin

What Is Butterbeer?

If you’re not a familiar with butterbeer, it’s a fictional drink made popular in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. It’s a sweet drink that’s described as being “a less-sickly butterscotch.”

It was first mentioned in the “Prisoner of Azkaban” where it as served at The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. Harry and other students of Hogwarts often enjoyed cold butterbeer, served in bottles or served warm butterbeer in foaming tankards. 

💖 Why We Love This Recipe

  • Easy recipe you can make in your own home, anytime you want it.
  • Tastes even better than the Universal version using simple ingredients.
  • Perfect beverage for binge watching a Harry Potter movie marathon.

🥄 Recommend Tools:

  • Medium Saucepan
  • Measuring Cups
  • Mugs

🛒 What’s Needed to Make Hot Butterbeer

Ingredients for hot butterbeer
  • Whole Milk
  • Brown sugar (you can use light or dark brown sugar)
  • Unsalted butter
  • Cream soda
  • Butterscotch sauce
  • Optional: Whipped cream and extra butterscotch sauce for topping

Hot to Make a Hot Version of Butterbeer

Step 1. Add butter, brown sugar, and milk to a medium saucepan.

Butter and brown sugar in saucepan

Step 2. Heat over medium heat.

Butter and brown sugar with milk in saucepan

Step 3. Continue to heat, stirring occasionally, until steamy, butter is melted and brown sugar is dissolved.

Butter and milk mixture in saucepan

Step 4. Add butterscotch sauce and heat for just a couple minutes.

Adding caramel sauce to milk mixture

Step 5. Add the cream soda and heat a little longer until everything is thoroughly heated through.

Cream soda in milk and caramel mixture

Step 6. Top with whipped cream and butterscotch syrup.

Butterscotch sauce and whipped cream topping butterbeer drink

Hot Butterbeer Copycat Recipe Substitutions

  • Low calorie: Want to cut back on the calories? No worries! You can use diet cream soda, sugar free butterscotch or caramel syrup and reduced fat milk! It will still taste absolutely amazing but with fewer calories.
  • Milk: This recipe calls for whole milk, but you can use 2% or whatever you have on hand. You can also add in a splash of heavy cream if you want to make it even more rich and decadent.
  • Whipped topping: Cool Whip and Redi-Whip just make life easier. But if you prefer to make your own whipped topping with heavy cream you certainly can. Because you’ll be topping a warm beverage with it, make sure to get the whipping cream nice and thick, so it doesn’t immediately dissolve in the warn liquid. You can even use a scoop of vanilla ice cream instead of whipped cream to help cool it down!
  • Butterscotch Sauce: If you can’t find butterscotch sauce, you can use caramel ice cream topping in a pinch.
Hot butterbeer from above

Tips for Making Homemade Hot Butterbeer

Cut some of the sweet: No one will deny this is a sweet and rich beverage. If it’s a little too sweet for your preference, you can add just a teaspoon or two of apple cider vinegar to the warm liquid. The tartness of the vinegar will tone down some of the sweet without changing the overall taste of butterbeer.

Simmer it: Because this drink contains dairy, you don’t want to walk away while it’s on the stove. It doesn’t need to boil, so heat it just until the brown sugar dissolves and the mixture is nice and hot.

Save the leftovers: One of the great things about this recipe is you can reheat it the next day. Just stick it the microwave on 50% power until it is warm. Give it a good stir and serve!

Freeze the whipped topping: If you want the dollop of whipped cream to last just a little bit longer before melting into the butterbeer, place it in the freezer for about an hour before adding to your hot drink. This will also help cool it down enough to drink.

Hot butterbeer with red napkin in background
Does Butterbeer Contain Alcohol?

In the Harry Potter book series, butterbeer contained a slight bit of alcohol, just enough to get the house elves tipsy; however, this version is alcohol free.

If you’re serving this delicious drink to wizards of age, you give it a boozy twist by adding a little bit of butterscotch schnapps and vanilla vodka.

Want More Butterbeer Recipes?

Hot Butterbeer for recipe card
4.97 from 63 votes

Hot Butterbeer Recipe


Course Beverage
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Filled with rich and delicious butterscotch flavor, this Hot Butterbeer Recipe is the perfect way to keep Harry Potter fans cozy and warm during the winter months!

Equipment

Ingredients
 

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 tbsp butterscotch sauce
  • 12 ounces cream soda (1 can)
  • Whipped cream and extra butterscotch sauce for topping

Instructions

  • Add butter, brown sugar, and milk to a medium saucepan.
    2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp butter, 2 cups milk
  • Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Continue until mixture is steamy, butter is melted and brown sugar is dissolved.
  • Add butterscotch sauce and heat for just a couple minutes.
    2 tbsp butterscotch sauce
  • Add cream soda and heat a little longer until liquid is thoroughly heated through.
    12 ounces cream soda
  • Top with whipped cream and butterscotch sauce.
    Whipped cream and extra butterscotch sauce for topping

Notes

  • Because this drink contains dairy, you don’t want to walk away while it’s on the stove. It doesn’t need to boil, so heat it just until the brown sugar dissolves and the mixture is nice and hot.
  • Want to cut back on the calories? Feel free to substitute diet cream soda, sugar free butterscotch or caramel syrup and reduced fat milk!  

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 498kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 226mg | Potassium: 401mg | Sugar: 61g | Vitamin A: 745IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 329mg | Iron: 0.2mg
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and can vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used.

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    4.97 from 63 votes (62 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




    4 Comments

    1. 5 stars
      Oh my! This is amazing!!!

      1. Thanks! We love it too, especially for movie nights!

    2. Lacycleeton says:

      My fiance and I went to Universal Studios to celebrate our 15 year anniversary and fell in love with the hot butterbeer. When we got home I decided I needed to learn how to make it, and found this recipe. Wow!! You absolutely nailed this recipe! It is exactly what we had at Universal. Definitely 5 stars!!

      1. Thank you so much! I’m glad you loved it as much as we do! I hope you had a wonderful anniversary…you picked a really fun place to celebrate it!❤

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