If you have ever wondered how to make ghee at home, here is a simple and easy recipe for homemade ghee. Also known as clarified butter, this recipe has only one ingredient, is ready in under 30 minutes, tastes nutty and delicious, and is way cheaper than store-bought.
Ghee has been around for literally 1000s of years – an ancient superfood. And it has been a part of Indian cooking traditions for even longer. Hindu mythological texts indicate ghee being used for cooking and to light a holy fire to offer to the Gods.
The nutty flavor, high smoke point, and shelf stable properties make ghee the ideal choice for so many Indian dishes in my kitchen. It sits on my kitchen counter and I use it multiple times a day and often. Whether its an aloo parantha for breakfast, a hot bowl of this mixed lentil dal, or to make my sweet vermicelli. Once you learn how to make ghee at home, I promise you will never buy it at the store.
Jump to:
✨Why you'll love this recipe?
- Needs just 1 ingredient - butter!
- Is shelf-stable.
- One pot recipe that cannot be easier!
📋Recipe Ingredients
- Butter - there is just 1 ingredient - butter. Use you favorite brand of unsalted butter. organic, grass fed - any unsalted butter that makes your heart happy. I have tried several brands and it really does not make a huge difference in the taste as well as quantity of ghee made.
Don't forget to check out the recipe card below for details and quantities.
👩🍳Steps to make ghee at home
Step 1: Unwrap your butter sticks and put them in a medium sized sauce pan on medium high heat (Image 1).
Step 2: Let the butter melt and come to a boil. Give it a stir and let it keep cooking (Image 2).
Step 3: Keep stirring intermittently. After about 15 minutes, you will notice the butter has started to clarify (Image 3).
Step 4: At around 20 minute mark, there would be a lot more bubbles and the liquid will become less cloudy (Image 4).
Step 5: Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes. The liquid should be clear and you should be able to see the milk solids in golden color at the bottom of the pan (Image 5). At this point, turn the heat off.
Step 6: Let the ghee cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes and the using a small, fine steel mesh strainer, strain it into a glass measuring cup or mason jar (Image 6).
Make Ghee in Instant Pot
- Set your instant pot to saute mode and add the butter,
- Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring intermittently.
- Turn the instant pot off and let ghee cool down completely before straining it into a clean glass jar.
💡Vaishali's Tips!
- Keep stirring the butter as it melts, especially the first 5 - 10 minutes so that the butter does not "pop" and make a mess. As butter heats up, the water begins to separate from the milk fats. If it gets too hot, the fat starts to splatter and separate and "pops".
- Do not scrape the bottom of the pan when you stir.
- Turn the heat off few minutes before you think you should. Take a leap of faith and do it when the bubbles/foam subsides. There is enough heat in the ghee so it will continue cooking for a few minutes after the heat is turned off.
- Don't let the settled milk solids turn brown. The ghee can go from nutty to burnt very quickly if this happens. See the tip above!
- Use a nut milk bag for extra straining. A stainless steel fine mesh strainer works fine but if you want extra clarity in your ghee, you can use a nut milk bag for straining it.
🫙Storage and freezing instructions
- Shelf stable - Ghee is shelf stable so you can store it in a clean glass jar or mason jar on the counter or in your pantry for 1-2 months without spoiling. I usually go through a batch much faster.
- Solidified ghee - At 68-70 degrees F (room temperature in most US households), ghee will solidify into fine crystals. You can easily scoop it out at this point.
- Refrigerate/Freeze - If you want ghee to last longer, you can store it in the refrigerator or even freeze it for upto 6 months. When ready to use, just pull out the stored ghee and scoop out howsoever much you need. If it's hard to scoop, you can let it soften to room temp or microwave it.
❓FAQs
Use unsalted butter to make ghee. I do not have a favorite brand so use whatever you can easily find.
Making ghee at home is definitely much cheaper than buying ghee. 2.5 cups of butter (6 sticks in the US) yield approximately 2.5 cups of ghee. Even if you buy the most expensive butter in the store, it will be still cheaper than buying ghee.
Though the milk solids get separated from the fat, it cannot be considered completely dairy free. If you are sensitive to or allergic to dairy, please use caution with consuming ghee.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you make ghee at home be sure to leave a comment and let me know how you liked it! Share it on Instagram with the hashtag #thekitchendocs or share on Facebook, too.
Love – Vaishali
Homemade Ghee
Equipment
- Stainless Steel Fine Mesh Strainer
Ingredients
- 1.5 pound unsalted butter 6 sticks or 2.5 cups
Instructions
- Unwrap the butter sticks. Set a heavy bottom sauce pan on medium high heat and add the butter to the pan.
- With a small wooden spoon, stir the butter and let it melt for about 7-8 minutes. Keep stirring in between so that the butter does not pop.
- After about 15 minutes, you will notice the butter has started to clarify with some bubbles or foam forming at the surface. Keep cooking the butter stirring in between without scraping the bottom of the pan.
- At around 20 minute mark, there would be a lot more bubbles and the liquid will become less cloudy. Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes. The liquid should be clear and you should be able to see the milk solids in golden color at the bottom of the pan. At this point, turn the heat off. Your ghee is ready!
- Let the ghee cool down for 10-15 minutes and using a fine mesh stainless strainer, strain it into a clean mason jar and store at room temperature.
Notes
- This recipe makes 2.5 cups or 530 g/1.17 lb of ghee.
- Keep stirring the butter as it melts, especially the first 5 - 10 minutes so that the butter does not "pop" and make a mess. As butter heats up, the water begins to separate from the milk fats. If it gets too hot, the fat starts to splatter and separate and "pops".
- Do not scrape the bottom of the pan as you stir.
- Turn the heat off few minutes before you think you should. Take a leap of faith and do it when the bubbles/foam subsides. There is enough heat in the ghee so it will continue cooking for a few minutes after the heat is turned off.
- Don't let the settled milk solids turn brown. The ghee can go from nutty to burnt very quickly if this happens. See the tip above!
- Use a nut milk bag for extra straining. A stainless steel fine mesh strainer works fine but if you want extra clarity in your ghee, you can use a nut milk bag for straining it.
- To make ghee in Instant Pot - Set your instant pot to saute mode and add the butter, cook for about 10 minutes, stirring intermittently. Turn the instant pot off and let ghee cool down completely before straining it into a clean glass jar.
Jenna
So interesting — I had never thought about how to make homemade ghee. Can’t wait to give it a try. Thanks so much for sharing!
KEVIN FOODIE
I have never used Ghee in cooking, but I do know that it's a staple in many cultures. I had no idea Ghee was this easy to make. I am going to try making this clarified butter. the process of Ghee making reminds me of making coconut oil. Thanks for sharing.
Alexa
never tried it before sounds interesting