Learning How to Make Ghee at home is easier than you think. Ghee is a type of clarified butter that has been slowly simmered to remove water and milk solids, leaving behind pure golden butterfat with a rich, nutty flavor. This traditional cooking fat is widely used in Indian cuisine and is prized for its high smoke point and long shelf life.
Also, check out How to Make Butter for another fun and easy project. And check out our How To section for more basic recipes.
Clarified butter is regular butter that has been melted so the water and milk solids separate and are skimmed off. Ghee goes one step further and is simmered longer to let the milk solids brown. This gives ghee a nuttier, more golden color and has a higher smoke point.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Love making homemade products
- Simple to make
- Fun to teach the kids
- Great for high-heat cooking
- Rich, slightly nutty aroma and flavor
Helpful Items For This Recipe
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9″ Large Fine Mesh Strainer with Thermo Plastic Rubber Handle
What Ingredients and Equipment do you Need for Ghee?
Ingredients
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Equipment Needed
Medium heavy-bottomed saucepan
Spoon or skimmer
Fine-mesh strainer
Cheesecloth, paper towel or coffee filter
Clean, airtight jar or container
How to Make Ghee
Melt the butter
Place the butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat and let it melt completely.
Simmer gently
When the butter starts to bubble and foam, lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
Skim the foam
Using a spoon or skimmer, remove the white foam that rises to the top. This is the milk protein. Continue to skim it as needed throughout the cooking process.
Watch for doneness
Continue simmering until the liquid becomes clear and golden, gives off a nutty aroma, and you see golden-brown bits settling on the bottom of the pan. These are toasted milk solids. This typically takes 15-20 minutes total. Remove the pan from the heat immediately to prevent burning.
Strain
Allow it to cool for 2-3 minutes, then pour the clear golden liquid through a fine-mesh strainer lined with a paper towel, cheesecloth or a coffee filter into the clean jar, leaving the browned bits behind. Discard the solids.
Cool and store
Let the ghee cool completely to room temperature before covering.
Recipe Pro Tips
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
High smoke point: Ghee has a smoke point of about 450°F, making it perfect for searing, sautéing, roasting, and baking where regular butter might burn.
Long shelf life: Properly stored, ghee keeps for months in the refrigerator.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Butter: Use high-quality unsalted butter with at least 80% fat content. European-style or grass-fed butter works well. If you only have salted butter, reduce any additional salt in recipes where you use salted ghee.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
The heavy-bottomed saucepan mentioned in the equipment list prevents hot spots and burning.
For flavored ghee, add whole spices like cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, or bay leaves during the simmering process, then strain them out.
Avoid stirring during cooking to allow the layers to separate naturally for cleaner extraction.
If your ghee isn’t completely clear, strain it again through a fresh cheesecloth.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store it in a clean, airtight jar mentioned for up to 6 months.
Freezer: Pour it into ice cube trays or small containers and freeze it for up to 1 year.
How to Make Ghee Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound unsalted butter, cut into cubes 4 sticks
Instructions
Step 1: Melt the butter
- Place the butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat and let it melt completely.
Step 2: Simmer gently
- When the butter starts to bubble and foam, lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
Step 3: Skim the foam
- Using a spoon or skimmer, remove the white foam that rises to the top. This is the milk protein. Continue to skim it as needed throughout the cooking process.
Step 4: Watch for doneness
- Continue simmering until the liquid becomes clear and golden, gives off a nutty aroma, and you see golden-brown bits settling on the bottom of the pan. These are toasted milk solids. This typically takes 15-20 minutes total. Remove the pan from the heat immediately to prevent burning.
Step 5: Strain
- Allow it to cool for 2-3 minutes, then pour the clear golden liquid through a fine-mesh strainer lined with a paper towel, cheesecloth or a coffee filter into the clean jar, leaving the browned bits behind. Discard the solids.
Step 6: Cool and store
- Let the ghee cool completely to room temperature before covering.
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