If you have fallen in love with the delicious Harry Potter Butterbeer Recipe from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, you are in luck! This drink tastes just like the original beverage that is so loved by adults and kids alike.
Why This Recipe Works
If you have not made this butter beer recipe yet, you must! It is great for birthday parties (Harry Potter themed or not!), desserts and hot summer weekends.
I read through the entire Harry Potter series twice before tasting an actual sip of Butterbeer with my own lips. Reading through the books, I drooled every time the delicious drink was described. Butterbeer! what a dreamy sounding drink!
The name sounds slightly naughty like maybe kids shouldn’t indulge, but they can. Because it’s allllll glorious sugar that’s hidden inside.
My boys and I went to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in November and one of the first things we did was order a couple cups of the sweet nectar, along with a few chocolate frogs, pumpkin juice and a bag of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans.
Since our return home, my boys have been asking for me to make the homemade version of the famous Harry Potter drink and we finally got it done over winter break.
I have since made it for TWO different birthday parties and I’ve run out of ingredients very quickly both times. Our version tastes very much like the original. It is sugary, cold, dreamy and buttery all at once.
Harry Potter Butterbeer Ingredients
Vanilla ice cream – If you stray from vanilla-flavored ice cream, you will alter the taste of the final product. Stick with vanilla if at all possible.
Cream soda – Sparkling water mixed with vanilla syrup can replace cream soda, if needed.
Butterscotch topping – While the butterscotch flavor is an essential part of this drink, caramel topping can be used in a pinch.
Whipped cream – Make your own whipped cream for an even tastier sweet ingredient.
How To Make Butterbeer
Step 1
Place the following in a blender:
- 8 ice cubes
- Half of a 1.75-quart container of vanilla ice cream
- 3 cups of cream soda (24 oz.)
- 6 oz. butterscotch topping (found in the ice cream toppings section)
Puree until smooth.
Step 2
Pour into glasses, top with whipped cream and a drizzle of butterscotch syrup and serve immediately!
Alcoholic Butterbeer Recipe
If you are wanting to create an alcoholic beverage from this yummy drink, simply add 1/2 cup of vodka or rum to the blender after all of the other ingredients have been pureed. Mix until just incorporated and serve!
To give the drink a rum flavoring without adding alcohol, add 1 teaspoon of rum extract to the blender along with the remaining ingredients.
Recipe Notes
- A heaping scoop of whipped cream on top can’t hurt!
- Make this delicious dessert as close to serving time as possible.
FAQ About Butterbeer
If you are not a Harry Potter fan, you might be wondering what the fuss is about this drink! Harry Potter’s Butterbeer is a cold, frothy, sweet drink that tastes like a buttery version of cream soda that has been made famous by the Harry Potter series.
When the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at Universal in Orlando, they created a version of the drink based on the description from the book series.
In the books, Harry and his friends get the privilege of going to a place near their wizarding school called Hogsmeade. In Hogsmeade, their favorite place to grab a treat is called The Three Broomsticks, where they enjoy a cold, delicious Butterbeer every time.
The ingredient list to make this yummy drink is a short and easy one! The only ingredients you’ll need to make Butterbeer in your very own kitchen are vanilla ice cream, cream soda, butterscotch ice cream topping and whipped cream as a topping. Easy peasy!
In the books, butterbeer is described as giving people a slight “buzz” but the version made at Universal theme park and the version in this post does not contain alcohol, although you may get a sugar high if you drink a couple glasses. If you’re wondering, “Can kids can drink butterbeer?” The answer is yes!
Universal in Orlando is the only place that sells authentic butter beer, but there is a product called butterscotch beer that sounds very similar. I have not tried this version myself, so can’t vouch for it. It sounds delicious, though!
The deliciously amazing thing about this famous drink is that it contains such an array of flavors! As you sip on it, different flavors are picked up. Here are a few descriptors to best give you an idea about what to expect: buttery, butterscotch, brown sugar, caramel, cream soda and vanilla all wrapped into a single sip!
Both the version you’ll find at the park and the version in this recipe are indeed gluten free. Great news for people who can’t consume gluten!
Other Kid-Friendly Copycat Drinks
Check out some of our other kid-friendly copycat recipes:
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Harry Potter Butterbeer Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ice cubes
- 1/2 quart vanilla ice cream
- 24 oz cream soda
- 6 oz butterscotch topping plus extra for drizzling on top
- whipped cream topping for butterbeer
Instructions
- Place the ice cubes, ice cream, cream soda and 6 oz. of butterscotch topping in a blender. Puree until smooth. Pour into glasses, top with whipped cream and a drizzle of butterscotch topping and serve immediately!
Notes
- A scoop of whipped cream on top can’t hurt!
- Make this delicious dessert as close to serving time as possible
I can’t get any butterscotch syrup – would caramel be a reasonable substitute?
They are similar enough. Butterscotch is made with brown sugar and caramel is with white sugar. I’m sure every sip will be enjoyed!
What is the longest that I can leave the Butterbeer unserved for?
Since it has ice cream and pop in it, it will melt quickly. Try not to prepare it until you are ready to serve for best results.
I thought that these sounded delicious! My daughter is having a Harry Potter party and we are trying to recreate Hogsmeade, so this will be perfect!
What a fun celebration – glad you can make this treat – we’ve had it at many birthday celebrations too! Thank you for commenting!
What size ice cubes were used to develop this recipe? Any idea about total weight or volume of ice? I’m picturing it is about equal to the volume of ice cream, but I know there are a lot of different sizes of ice cubes out there, so I may need to experiment for taste. I’m guessing you don’t want so much ice that you end up with a smoothie or milkshake, is that correct?
I have never measured mine but I used a standard ice cube tray. 🙂 Thanks for asking!
Sooooooooo good I love Butterbeer
As much as I love eating the infinite
Pizza box scp yum 😸
What brand of cream soda would you recommend for this recipe? I’m willing to try this out!
You can use any kind! I have used generic and A&W and both are great! Enjoy because it’s a fun treat!
I gotta try this soon been looking for a simple version for a while now.
It really is so easy and it’s easy to drink one or two!
If I wanted to make this a decently strong alcoholic beverage, what should I add? And how much? I am basically an idiot when it comes to making drinks/ cooking so I have no idea. but thanks!
I believe an ounce of butterscotch schnapps and an ounce of vanilla vodka would replace the ice cream in this recipe and add them to the cream soda – however there are a lot of variations out there. I hope you enjoy it!