Learn what Ghee is, how to use Ghee in your kitchen, and how to save money by making a large batch at home with our step-by-step tutorial!
WHAT IS GHEE?
Ghee, also called Clarified Butter, is butter that is simmered until the oil and milk solids separate, and the liquid fat has turned a golden color. It is then strained.
The quality, color, and taste of your finished Ghee is only as good as the butter you start with so I highly recommend investing in some good quality butter. And, YES, you can use salted butter to make Ghee. Some people even add a bit of spice while it is simmering (turmeric is common).
The milk solids (which are strained) contain the casein and whey protein, which for a lot of people, is what causes dairy sensitivities and digestion issues.
So, in short – Ghee is butter oil.
Ghee is an ancient food that originated in India and is commonly used in Indian, Middle Eastern, and Southeast Asian cuisines. In many cultures, it’s also used medicinally.
It’s also Whole30 compliant and has a tasty nutty flavor. Plus, a very high smoke point (450F) so it can be used for high-heat cooking without burning!
HOW TO MAKE GHEE
- Begin by cubing the butter. Add to a large pot set over medium-low heat.
- Once butter is completely melted and begins to bubble, very slightly lower the heat. You want a steady bubble but not so much that the butter is splattering out of the pot or spraying on the stove.
- Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until the milk protein has completely separated and there is both a layer on the top of the butter as well as some on the bottom of the pot.
- Begin carefully skimming the top layer off until the Ghee looks clean (except for bits on the bottom). Discard.
- Slightly raise the heat to medium-low and continue simmering for an additional 5 to 10 minutes until most of the bubbling stops and the milk protein bits on the bottom of the pot begin to brown. Do not let them burn! Immediately remove the Ghee from the stovetop and set somewhere to cool.
- Once cool, strain through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Discard the toasted bits from the bottom of the pan.
- That’s it. I included a lot of pictures because while it sounds simple, it took me a couple of tries to get it perfect and I thought for this one, more info was better. Enjoy!
TOOLS TO MAKE GHEE
- Soup pot, stockpot, or Dutch oven
- Skimmer
- Fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth for straining
- Mason jar or other glass jars with lids for storage
TIPS
- Traditionally, Ghee is made from unsalted butter. While I have made it from both salted and unsalted and do prefer unsalted, I have been making salted most recently because Costco has a great deal on grass-fed Kerrygold butter but only the salted. To me, the quality of the butter is more important than if it is salted or not. Bottom Line: Get the best quality butter you can – preferably local and pastured but at a minimum pastured and free of antibiotics and hormones.
- The Ghee in my main photos was still a bit warm so completely liquid. Ghee will stay semi-soft and slightly liquid at temperatures above 62F. It is liquid when warm and becomes more solid as it cools. As a general rule, I keep the jar of Ghee I am currently using in my pantry and cook with it from there. I store the remaining jars in the back of my refrigerator until ready to use.
- If this is your first time making Ghee, I recommend sticking with just 1 pound of butter as it is easier to manage. Once you get the hang of it, double or triple the recipe and then store the additional jars in the back of your fridge until ready to use.
- Use a pot large enough to prevent splatters. As the butter cooked, it bubbles and can splatter as you figure out the perfect temperature for your stove-top (electric and gas can vary). I use a wide-bottomed soup or stockpot or dutch oven.
RECIPES THAT USE GHEE
You can use Ghee in any recipe that calls for butter. If you want to use Ghee for baking, I recommend refrigerating it first so it becomes a solid.
Some recipe ideas that use Ghee are:
- Paleo Cauliflower Mash (Whole30 compliant)
- Strawberry Scones (use Ghee in place of Butter)
- Paleo Chicken Pot Pie (use refrigerated Ghee to make pot pie crust)
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole (use Ghee to add butter flavor to casserole)
- Crispy Home Fries (saute potatoes in Ghee instead of avocado oil)
- Paleo Salmon Cakes (use Ghee to add flavor to salmon cakes as you pan fry them)
This is just the beginning as far as recipe ideas go – Ghee works in recipes for all seasons, so learning how to make ghee at home will be a powerful tool in your cooking arsenal. I can’t wait to hear how it turns out for you – be sure to come back and let me know!
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Learn what Ghee is, how to use Ghee in your kitchen, and how to save money by making a large batch at home with our step-by-step tutorial!
- 1 pound pastured butter cut into evenly sized pieces
-
Heat a wide-bottomed pot with high sides (for splashing/bubbling) over medium-low heat. Once hot, add cubed butter.
-
Use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir the butter and speed along the melting process.
-
Once butter is completely melted and begins to bubble, very slightly lower the light. You want a steady bubble but not so much that butter is jumping out of the pan or spraying on the stove top.
Cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until the milk protein has completely separated and there is a layer on the top and bits on the bottom of the pan.
-
Begin carefully skimming the top layer off until Ghee looks clean (except for bits on the very bottom) and discard.
-
Slightly raise the heat back up to medium low and continue cooking another 5 to 10 minutes until most of the bubbling stops and the milk protein bits on the bottom of the pan begin to brown.
Do not let them burn! Immediately remove the Ghee from the stove top and set somewhere to cool.
-
Once cool, strain through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Discard the toasted bits from the bottom of the pan.
Store Ghee at room temperature in a glass container or mason jar and use as needed.
- Traditionally, Ghee is made from unsalted butter. While I have made it from both salted and unsalted and do prefer unsalted, I have been making salted most recently because Costco has a great deal on grass-fed Kerrygold butter but only the salted. To me, the quality of the butter is more important than if it is salted or not. Bottom Line: Get the best quality butter you can - preferably local and pastured but at a minimum pastured and free of antibiotics and hormones.
- The Ghee in my main photos was still a bit warm so completely liquid. Ghee will stay semi-soft and slightly liquid at temperatures above 62F. It is liquid when warm and becomes more solid as it cools. As a general rule, I keep the jar of Ghee I am currently using in my pantry and cook with it from there. I store the remaining jars in the back of my refrigerator until ready to use.
- If this is your first time making Ghee, I recommend sticking with just 1 pound of butter as it is easier to manage. Once you get the hang of it, double or triple the recipe and then store the additional jars in the back of your fridge until ready to use.
- Use a pot large enough to prevent splatters. As the butter cooked, it bubbles and can splatter as you figure out the perfect temperature for your stove-top (electric and gas can vary). I use a wide-bottomed soup or stockpot or dutch oven.
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
UPDATE NOTES: Please note that this recipe was originally published in April 2014. It was updated in December 2019 with additional text, edited photos, and more recipe ideas.
You might find this interesting .. I use Ghee to make medical marijuana butter (Canna Butter ) The nutty taste helps cover up the green taste of the marijuana. Everyone seems to enjoy this unique delicious taste .
Wow! That is really interesting. You could sell that here in WA 😉
Can you post a recipe?
I just want to say that your pictures of your ghee making with running dialog is the best I’ve found on the net. The pictures really help to “CLARIFY” the process. Pun intended.
Cheers,
Chris
Thank you so much Chris!!! And, yes on the lead – I usually use new glass mason jars to store my ghee but used that older piece for the photos 😉
agreed
I’m sitting here making this recipie thinking, where are these gorgeous glass jars from?
Ahh Brittney, that is an old, old jar from an antique store! Thank you and I hope your Ghee comes out perfect 🙂
Just a heads up. A lot of old glass does contain lead. I have no clue as to how one would know if it did, so I just stay away from old glass. That style of jar is available new, and lead free.
I think the lead risk. In glassware is pure hysteria, you could soak glassware in any solvents except fluoridated ones and a negligible or nonexistent of amount of lead would show up.
So much mass misinformation, like the use by/throw away date on canned food..
Would it b ok to use coconut oil instead of ghee in receipts?
I cannot even imagine throwing out the butter solids! Nothing should be wasted when working with an expensive product such as butter.
If the solids are toasty brown, use to flavor cake, or add to a simple vanilla butter cream icing for an amazing flavor. The browned solids, when added to your homemade butter pecan ice cream, is positively regal. If your ghee is a bit darker than planned, use it for scrambled eggs or mix some into pancake or French toast batter.
God’s precious blessings on all.
Those solids are good to flavor veggies, too..
I too, was wondering why toss out such a yummy flavor.
Could you use it in the mix of homemade biscuits I think the flavor would be awesome
It is good for homemade biscuits, reduce the fat in the recipe by 1/3 the volume or weight of the milk solids you are using. Makes great bread, cornbread and cookies.
My problem is not finding a use for it, but that there is never enough of it.
The milk solids add flavor to homemade bread and give the bread added “shelf” life. Most sourdough recipes do not add any type of fat or milk, but once you try it yuou will never go back.
I save these as well. Use for coating loaves of bread and pie crusts.
A women from Germany made Ghee and added a dash of tumeric to give butter a gorgeous yellow color, and a dash of powered cardomon for a rich flavor.
That sounds divine!
Great comment! I use the buttermilk solids as a moisturizer. It is truly amazing. I use only organic butter. I like the cultured butter, either by Organic Valley or Kerrygold. It is pure
heaven on your face. Also after it cools I put it in the refrigerator until it is a solid and then
I put it in my pantry. Thank you.
What can you substitute for ghee?
You can substitute ghee with cold press olive oil. Ghee has a higher burning point, whereas CPOV has a low burning point.
Do you mean in recipes that call for Ghee or in this tutorial Peter?
Brilliant. Thank you.
Can you use a cast iron skillet, with high sides or should,it be stainless?
I would not use a cast iron skillet (or any skillet) Marion. You need to use a pot with high sides or you will have hot butter splattering all over the place.
I noticed you wrote skillet in your instructions… Just in case you didn’t notice 🙂
Hi Amy – I didn’t notice (mom brain) – I am off to change that. I really appreciate you pointing it out for me! Thanks 🙂
Hi.
I followed your instructions. It only took less than 30 mins so wonder if I did something wrong? It looks like it turned out okay (just finished) but at the start there was so much “scum” on the top literally after 1 or 2 minutes that it had melted it did not look the way of your pics so I skimmed it immediately. Turned the flame low and skimmed intermittently. By the time 25 mins or so had passed and I removed more bits till I could actually see the bottom, and was surprised that the protein bits there were already a golden brown so I didn’t want to risk burning it and the bubbling had pretty much stopped. The colour of the finished product is a darker golden brown than yours. Maybe it’s the type of butter used?
Different brands of butter (also salted vs. unsalted) perform differently Piers so it could be that for sure!
Well the butter was on low (3.5/10) and suddenly it boiled over the pot all over my stove. The bottom bits turned brown. This was at the 10 minute mark. Please warn others of this possibility. $14 worth of butter wasted.
That is such a waste Edward – how frustrating! Sounds like your pot was too small.
That may have been the problem. I tried it again on lower heat and watched it like a hawk. It worked fine. It’s delicious.
Great news Edward!
not wasted, cook it a little longer, strain and you’ll have brown butter. also delicious
Wow. Great, detailed can’t mess it up recipe for ghee. My sister has been a student of Ayurvedic for decades. She helped me via phone on the first batch, but I think it was undercooked. One thing she said was “after about 15 minutes it will quiet”. Well, your article is so right on. I now know that with my thick cookware it does take around 25 minutes, not 15 minutes. When its getting close to being done, the regular larger bubbles of simmering change to a multitude of itty bitty mini bubbles, this I’ve come to call “the quiet”, at this point the ghee is clear & you can see the solids on the bottom. A few more minutes & its finished.
Ghee rocks… 🙂
I like that – the “quiet”. Thanks for sharing that tidbit Jon!
You are so welcome….
I believe that term came from one of Dr David Frawley’s Ayurvedic books…
Yes that is the key for timing “the quiet” i used El Cheapo butter (Black & Gold un salted for Aussies) came out spot on (light golden & clear) but knowing when it was done was when i heard & then saw the fine bubbles.
Thanks.
Hi Mark, Glad it worked for you!! Have a good weekend 🙂
Washed Ghee face cream is amazing and worth the effort. Also washed ghee full body massage before a bath would be amazing for the skin and any stretch marks.
I am using ghee in an Ayurvedic detox it gently pulls out toxins from your fat cells. It resets your fat burning metabolism ?
THANKYOU MAVEN FOR THE WONDERFUL INSTRUCTIONS and PHOTOS.
Karen, do you have a recipe for making the “washing ghee creams”. Glad you are finding my tutorial helpful! 🙂
Oh yes, I would love to try the creams as well.
What’s left in the strainer is good for your skin. An Ayurvedic practitioner told me to save the solids and use them as a moisturizer. I use it at night and my rosacea and sebhorreic dermatitis are much better. It’s too soon to tell, but I think it is also improving the blotchiness from sun damage. I will be using the warmed ghee as eye drops for my severely dry eyes. My first batch came out grainy, but the second one is just as clear as it can be. I love cooking with it.
That is really interesting Susan! I am going to save my next batch and use on my skin!!
thanks so much for step by step recipe for making ghee
made it the other day on other cooker and it was golden
today it is dark brown and smells like toffee – has it cooked for too long?
the gas cooker does not go very low and it was kept on for 30 mins
should it be kept on for less.
thanks again and would love and answer.
is organic butter best to use?
blessings to you
Hi Byrne,
I always use pastured butter (grass fed cows) like Kerrygold or another similar brand. Toffee tasting and dark brown is a little more well done than Ghee should be – sounds more like “brown butter” but if it doesn’t taste burnt, it’s OK to use.
thanks so much for your comment – much appreciated.
We have just come back from Kerry and we saw the cows grazing in the fields and looking fresh and healthy.
You do a great job with the information.
blessings
Thanks Byrne! 🙂
It works,not so hard to cook ,just don`t burn.Also ,I always mix an ounce or two of coconut oil,great for pan cooking…
Glad it worked for you Michael!
Hi,
I used Kerry gold as well, unsalted, and after 24 hours my ghee doesn’t look solid. There’s a layer of thin oil liquid on top and thicker solids on the bottom. Any idea what I did wrong? It’s about high 70s, low 80s in my place in terms of temperature.
Thanks!
My ghee doesn’t go solid unless it’s low 70’s in my house. 75 and up it turns to liquid. But I use it the way it is regardless. Most recipes want liquid anyway 🙂 If you need some solid, throw it in the fridge for a bit.
thanks for the info! I used raw butter recently, which you can’t find everywhere, and my ghee stays solidified at very warm temps, even at 85. Very interesting!
I just have to thank you for this great how-to.
I have traveled trough all the seas of the web to finally find this one. It most definitely IS the best ghee tutorial I have found so far and that DOES mean a lot (me being paid to do online researches among other things). It is elaborate enough to guid one through the process safely AND well-arranged to remain followable.
THANKS!
Btw. I’m using your method for more than a year every 2 months and always succesfully!
Forgot to rate the recipe!
First time making ghee. After straining, my product is medium brown. Is that bad? Does it mean I burned my milk protein bits? I burn toast too.
Does it smell burnt Roberta?
Step 4 says very slightly lower the light. Is that why everyone is burning their ghee?
thank you for the ghee tutorial, I will use the information for an up and coming talk for moms and babies – great info!
You’re welcome Tressa and good luck with your talk!
Followed the recipe to a T, and it worked perfectly! Thanks so much! Goodbye store-bought ghee?
Wonderful Flavia! You will save a lot of $ making it yourself.
Best ghee tutorial I’ve found. 4th attempt and finally got it right. Thank you!
Great!! Thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
I just made my first pound of ghee using instructions from your site and others (there are quite a few different methods out there for making this – ghee whiz! 😉 I used the best butter I could find locally (cultured, unsalted…that’s about it) and used a slightly lower temp I think than most recipes recommend as it took quite a bit longer to get the oil to separate and the solids to brown. I’m pretty happy, it seems to have turned out beautifully! Slightly nutty/toffee flavour which I have a hard time keeping my digits out of while it’s cooling. I did this as an experiment to see if I like ghee since the container I bought at the grocery just tasted “off” to me…and now, after tasting the home made, I really think the store bought is rancid or “sour”. So happy, as I was worried I just didn’t like ghee. For those with “grainy” issues, I suggest you really check the filtering – I used a fine screen filter, then did it again with the filter AND two layers of cheesecloth, before finally digging out my gold mesh coffee filter to strain out those absolutely miniscule particles! But worth it, the end result is amazing. Thanks for all your hard work, I love your site and recipes!
Great tips Jenn – thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know!
Thank you so much for the approval. I just published it on my page now.
Kay – I’ve watched quite a few YouTube videos on making ghee. What I found interesting was that most Indian (nationality) makers of ghee seemed to prefer their ghee grainy. So, they added water, and then when cooling, a touch of salt.
Perhaps you rinsed a spoon and added water into the butter while cooking it? It’s all I could think of as a cause for accidental graininess.
Hi, can I repost this on my blog and use your cover pic at the top to link it?
Cheers!
Lib
Hi Lib,
You can post a photo and link back to the original recipe but NOT the recipe ingredients or instructions. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I have made the ghee but to tell you the favour of ariginal ghee not there. It looks like ghee which I made from the butter. The one we purchased regularly is BHAGHA BARI GHEE. It from Bangladesh. That has the best flavor . Can you give an idea how can get that smell from the home made ghee.
Regards Saiful
I just made homemade butter last night. It was so easy. Heavy cream (whipping cream) and a mason jar. Tonight I’m going to make so ghee. Thanks for the article.
You are welcome Jeffy!
I usually use my food processor to make homemade butter. Takes about 10 minutes.
So, can you make ghee from homemade butter using whipping cream?
Hi Eileen,
I have never tried it – I always use commercially prepared butter but if you do it, come back and let me know if it works!
I was another who had no idea what Ghee was!
It is recommended to massage on the bottom of you feet to pacify Pitta & Vata in a hurry…reduces anxiety, irritability, moodiness and other emotional symptoms…
Sounds like adding it on toast too may satisfy one’s insides!
Your description and photos were not intimidating and great.
I thank you.
Off to prepare my first jars one for the kitchen and one for the bathroom….
Joyce
Wow Joyce, I didn’t know about the massaging into your feet? I am so intrigued and need to learn more about this!
Also, has anyone tried upping the ante on this by adding vanilla seeds / powder?
You’re welcome 😉
Wonderful! I’ve been using some really great organic grass-fed Aussie butter for Bulletproof tea and ice cream, they do often suggest using ghee, those BP folks… And last night I was making cookies which call for “nut brown butter”, essentially your ghee recipe, but taken that bit darker, and not strained. I used the leftover browned butter in my tea this morning … OMG… It got me thinking, and I found this recipe. I do believe this is to be the fate of the rest of the butter in my fridge! Thanks!
My husband also drinks Bulletproof coffee – sounds awesome with brown butter as well 🙂
I would like to make a dish for my Passover seder that calls for ghee (which I have never made before). Since the meal will have a main chicken dish, I need to use ingredients that are both kosher for Passover and non-dairy. What is the best substitute for the ghee in this case?
Thanks.
Hi Joan,
There isn’t really a good substitute for the taste of Ghee but you could use Olive Oil as your fat and that should work.
Why couldn’t you use Ghee in a Kosher dish. When you make the Ghee, you remove all the milk solids and fats. Shouldn’t removing all of the milk solids and fats make it Kosher. Please let me know if I’m wrong.
Hi Margaret, I am not an expert on Kosher cooking so I am not 100% sure. I don’t’ want to give you the wrong info!
Found this recipe today while I was at the grocery store looking for the elusive ghee. It was very helpful. Thanks!
Glad to hear it worked out Sandi – plus, it’s much cheaper to make your own Ghee than buy it!
Hi there! The last two times I made ghee the texture turned out very grainy once it chilled. I used very high quality unsalted butter and followed your instructions 🙁 any idea why it’s not smooth?
It could be the resting temperature Kay – is your kitchen very hot (or the place you stored the Ghee while cooling)? This happens to me sometimes in the summer. We don’t have air conditioning and our kitchen gets very hot in the summer!
Thanks for the recipe. I have a few boxes of salted sweet cream butter in my refrigerator. Could I use it to make ghee?
Thanks.
Absolutely Nancy, I make it with both salted and unsalted depending on what I have stocked up on!
I followed someone elses recipe for ghee yesterday which said it only takes about 15 minutes. There wasn’t much gook I
when I strained it and though some bits were on the bottom of the pan they were not browned. I found your recipe this morning and I was wondering if I can put my undercooked ghee back in a pan and cook it longer to fix it?
You can definitely try Dyanna but I am not 100% it will get rid of all of the solids. I hope it works for you!!
I just made ghee for the first time although I have been using the store bought stuff for a while. This was a fantastic and easy to follow recipe. I loved the step by step guide. However, somewhere along the way, mine turned a dark brown…not the lovely golden yellow color I’m used to seeing and like your photos. Does this mean that I burned it? It doesn’t have a burned taste. I removed it from the heat as soon as I saw the color change. Can I still eat it without the gastric distress that dairy causes me? Thanks for such a great site and recipe!
Thanks for the feedback Ann! It sounds like it may have burned although if it doesn’t have a burnt taste and smell, I would just use it as normal. If there is any burnt taste or smell, I would (unfortunately!) toss it!
Many thanks a great easy recipe to follow, having tried several types of butter Anchor butter (NZ) seems to come out best.
Danny New Zealand
So glad this tutorial is working for you Danny!
Thank you for an excellent tutorial. I normally do not like recipes that are staged, like this, with photos (I like the typical recipe card format), but I found this style very helpful in this instance. I have looked at many recipes for making ghee and this one has been the most clear and concise. Thanks so much!
Great feedback – thanks Andria! And, just so you know – if you hit the “print” button on any of my recipes, they will print as a recipe card without all the in-process photos. Have a great day 🙂
Thanks for the staged recipe, just made my first ghee.
It was a great success.
My daughters have been making it for years, & I was just
Told to put it in the freezer, till set, then transfer to fridge.
This eliminates the gritty texture, & renders it so smooth.
Did you know this?
You’re welcome Helen – so glad it worked out for you! Love the tip about the freezer – I have not heard this before but will try it next time! Have a great holiday 🙂
Was just wondering so you store it @ room temp. So do not put this in the fridge?
I store mine on the countertop but if it’s really hot (like 85F+), I stick it in the fridge.
I’ve made this recipe 3 times, the first two times the Ghee turned out perfect. The last time it didn’t harden, it’s the consistency of a hot cereal. Soft, lumpy and pourable. I used Kerry Gold butter the 3rd time and accidentally bought salted. The first two times I used organic unsalted butter. Have any idea what could have gone wrong?
That happens sometimes and is totally fine. It is usually dependent on the temp in the kitchen. My was like that all summer when it was a bit warmer.
Mine came out much darker and I had to remove it from the heat. I’m sure it’ll still work great, though. Can’t wait to try again! I also overdid tallow the first time I made it, but practice makes perfect, right?! 🙂 Yay, fat!
As long as it doesn’t taste or smell “burnt” Rachael 🙂