This Hot Buttered Rum Batter is one of our favorite things to make in the winter. It’s a creamy blend of butter, sugar, vanilla ice cream, and spices that makes a delicious warm drink.
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If you’ve never tried hot buttered rum, you absolutely should start right now with this recipe. We’ve tried a few different recipes and this one is always our favorite. Not surprising really, because it’s packed with sugar, but it’s a decadent treat you must have for the holidays.
This hot buttered rum batter is one of the best homemade gifts we’ve given out (alongside a bottle of rum). Your friends will thank you for bringing them a gift they can use for once!
Ingredients You Need

- Butter – I always use salted butter for this recipe to add an extra boost of flavor.
- Brown sugar – I use a light brown sugar that has a mild sweet caramel flavor.
- Powdered sugar – If you want to cut down on sugar in this recipe, you can replace this with a powdered sugar substitute like Swerve or Allulose powdered.
- Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove
- Vanilla ice cream – Be sure to remove it from the freezer about 20 minutes before using it so it’s softened
- Rum – use dark or spiced rum for the best flavor
Equipment
- Stand mixer – If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a hand mixer, but it won’t be quite as easy to mix. Be prepared or splatter.
- Spatula
How to Make Hot Buttered Rum Batter
Add the softened butter to a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add both sugars and beat until they’re creamy and stiff. It takes about 5 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as its mixing so you incorporate all the ingredients well.

Mix in the spices.

Beat in 1 quart of softened ice cream. If the ice cream is still quite frozen, it will be difficult to blend it in, so make sure it’s softened for about 20 minutes first. It doesn’t have to be room temperature softened, just easy to scoop.

Again, make sure to scrape the bowl well a couple of times so everything gets incorporated. The butter has a tendency to stick to the walls of the bowl and has to be scraped repeatedly.
When it’s fully blended, it should be the consistency of cake batter.

Now you can either serve it or store it. The batter keeps for about 3 weeks in the refrigerator, so we usually just put it in an air tight container in the fridge and use it whenever we feel like having one. You can also store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Another great way to use this is to give it away as Christmas gifts. Find some cute jars or containers, fill them up, put a handwritten recipe on the outside with serving instructions. You can gift it with a bottle of rum!

How to Serve Hot Buttered Rum
When you’re ready to make a hot buttered rum, here’s what you do.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of the batter to a mug.
- Add 1 shot of dark or spiced rum.
- Add 1 cup of boiling water and stir until melted.
- Enjoy.

How to Store Hot Buttered Rum
It’s unlikely with such a large batch of batter that you will use it all at once, so you’ll want to store it for later use. The batter will keep for 3 weeks in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
The best way to store the batter is in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Whenever you want to use it, you can scoop out a few tablespoons with a clean measuring spoon to add to your mug.
If you want to give it away as a gift, find some festive jars or containers to pack it in. Just make sure whoever you give it to knows that it needs to go in the refrigerator right away. It shouldn’t be left out for more than an hour, because it contains dairy.

Notes & Tips
- You can substitute the hot water with coffee, tea, warm milk, or hot chocolate.
- The batter makes a great homemade Christmas gift.
- It’s not a low-calorie, low fat drink, by any means. You can cut down on carbs and sugar by replacing the brown sugar and powdered sugar with other substitutes like erythritol or allulose. Otherwise, just resign yourself to the fact that good drinks have calories and enjoy it!
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Hot Buttered Rum Batter (Large Batch)
Ingredients
- 1 pound butter softened
- 1 pound brown sugar
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon clove
- 1 quart vanilla ice cream softened
Instructions
- Add softened butter to a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add both sugars and beat until creamy and stiff, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Mix in the spices.
- Beat in 1 quart of softened ice cream. Make sure to scrape the bowl well a couple of times so everything gets incorporated.
- When fully blended, it should be the consistency of cake batter.
- To serve: Add 1-2 tablespoons of batter to a mug. Add 1 shot of dark or spiced rum. Add 1 cup of boiling water and stir until melted. Enjoy.
Equipment Needed
- Spatula
Notes
- You can substitute the hot water with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.
- The batter makes a great homemade Christmas gift.
- The batter will keep for 3 weeks in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
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Laura is a home cook who loves making new recipes and finding new favorite things to eat, whether at home or abroad. She also runs a popular travel blog and spends a lot of her time traveling for food.