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How to Make Ghee

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How to make ghee
Wellness Mama » Blog » Recipes » Condiment Recipes » How to Make Ghee

Ever used ghee? It has the benefits of butter without the casein and proteins that some people react to in butter. so it’s basically the best of both worlds!

What Is Ghee?

In technical terms, ghee is a clarified, unsalted butter with the milk proteins removed. It has a high smoke point, making it perfect for cooking, and an incredible flavor. Many people who cannot tolerate dairy can handle ghee and it is a revered food in Indian cuisine.

The Benefits of Ghee

I’m a big believer that traditional cultures knew things about food that science is still catching up to, and ghee is one of these foods! From fermenting sauerkraut to soaking nuts and seed to release their phytic acid, learning how to make traditional foods is an important step when it comes to improving nutrition and gut health.

Ghee is considered “liquid gold” and very important in Indian culture (and has been for centuries). When made from high quality butter from grass fed cows, it is a great source of fat soluble vitamins like vitamin K and is great for teeth, hair, skin, and nails.

How Does it Taste?
How to Make Ghee - Simple home recipe

Let’s be honest… ghee is like butter on crack! It has more intense flavor and more nutrients, so a little bit goes a really long way. The flavor is great in many different recipes and dishes and you can use it pretty much as you would butter.

If you’re buying store-bought, I do find the flavor really varies by brand and definitely recommend this one over all others just based on flavor.

How to Use Ghee

I like using ghee for making stir frys in a wok since it has such a high smoke point. Also, with wok cooking, only a tiny amount of ghee is needed. Ghee is also incredible on a baked sweet potato, in eggs, or on steamed or roasted vegetables.

Ghee is expensive to buy, but simple to make, so this is one traditional food I keep in our meal prep rotation. Unlike butter, it does not need to be refrigerated and is softer for spreading when kept at room temperature. This makes it great for traveling or packing for the beach or camping.

If you’ve never tried it, I highly suggest making ghee and trying it in your cooking, especially if you are sensitive to dairy!

How to make ghee

Homemade Ghee Recipe

This form of clarified butter is a flavorful and delicious fat for cooking or on vegetables, without the milk solids that are hard for some people to digest.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
Calories 43kcal
Author Katie Wells

Servings

2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 pound butter preferably unsalted, organic, and grass-fed

Instructions

  • Cut the butter into cubes and place in a medium-size saucepan.
  • Heat the butter over medium heat until completely melted.
  • Reduce to a simmer.
  • Cook for about 10-15 minutes. During this time, the butter will go through several stages. It will foam, then bubble, then seem to almost stop bubbling and then foam again. When the second foam occurs, the ghee is done. At this point, the melted butter should be bright gold in color and there should be reddish-brown pieces of milk solids at the bottom of the pan.
  • Let the ghee cool slightly for 2-3 minutes and then slowly pour through a wire mesh strainer lined with several layers of cheesecloth. The small bits of milk protein are usually discarded, though a friend told me that her grandmother used to mix those with flour (or almond flour) and a small amount of honey to make a flavorful fudge-like treat.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Homemade Ghee Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 tsp)
Calories 43 Calories from Fat 42
% Daily Value*
Fat 4.7g7%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 13mg4%
Carbohydrates 0.3g0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

  • Ghee will last up to a month at room temperature or even longer in the fridge.
  • I use this brand when I don’t have time to make homemade.

Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!

If you’re a visual learner, here’s a photo walk-through of all the steps to make it.

Ghee is a clarified butter made from removing the milk proteins from butter. It is a traditional sacred food in many cultures and has incredible flavor.

Ever made ghee at home? Ever tried it? Share your experience below!

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

107 responses to “How to Make Ghee”

  1. Angelica Avatar
    Angelica

    Hi, my boys are lactose intolerant and I would like to make ghee at home. Does Ghee have lactose?

  2. Kimmie Avatar

    The 4th & heart brand is expensive to purchase but I love the vanilla bean in my modified bullet coffee in the am. I am definitely going to try to make my own. My favorite meal using ghee is zucchini noodles, I sauté garlic then noodles in ghee.

  3. colette Avatar

    5 stars
    I love making my own ghee! One thing I do in addition to this method is to add 1-4 (depending on size and how strong you like the flavor) whole bay leaves to the pan while it’s melting and simmering. Then after straining I add one of them to the jar. OMG it adds such depth and flavor to the ghee it’s to die for! Tge lastbtime I made it I used really good irish butter and it made a huge difference, there was very little milk solids to strain and I didn’t need to use cheese cloth, just a fine strainer.

  4. Larry Avatar

    I bought 2 silicone ice cube trays. Ghee from 1 lb. of butter makes 42 ghee cubes. So easy for cooking.

  5. Robert Kippley Avatar
    Robert Kippley

    Thank you for the guidance in creating ghee from butter.
    I looked at the posted pictures with the text.
    I started with one pound of butter and it was magic with the added bonus of wonderful buttery aroma as I watched it happen.
    Thank you. Wonderful. Magical.

    Peace, Kip

  6. Dave Avatar

    I just made a batch of ghee for the first time today. It took longer than I expected but maybe next time I’ll get the heat right. After the butter first melted it began erupting as the water boiled out of it. Next time I will use a lid to prevent the melted butter from splashing all over the stovetop. I practiced patience until that second foam appeared… it was a “clean” foam rather than the first “slimy” foam that contained so much of the milk solids. I should have scraped the bottom of the pot more often because the milk solids started to burn but not too badly. So, I removed the pot from the heat right after that second foam appeared, let it calm down a little then poured it through the cheesecloth into a glass container. It looked about perfect if I may say so. This evening, after it had solidified with a little help from the fridge I tried it on plain crackers. Amazing stuff!! I plan on making it once a month.

  7. Deidre Mills Avatar
    Deidre Mills

    Can you recommend a site where I can purchase ghee? I have seen it popping up in most grocery stores, but I want to make sure I purchase from a good source.

  8. Jean Avatar

    What does one do with the cheesecloth after straining the ghee? Throw it away? Wash it?? That seems messy. But seems like a waste to toss it.

  9. Farhaana Avatar

    Hello,
    I just tried making ghee based on the recipe in the GAPS book. I put it in the oven at 200F for about 50 minutes. It separated and I see white at the bottom (not brown). When I went to strain it, it went through the cheesecloth. I took a lot of it off with a ladle. Did it cook all the way? Is it still pure ghee?
    Thanks

  10. Edgar Avatar

    1 star
    Is that really Ghee? Ghee is made straight out of milk. Actually the butter it’s self is a bi product of ghee.
    Your version of ghee is very interesting for sure and i am surprised almost every one here is consenting with this. OMG!

    1. Kay Avatar

      5 stars
      Edgar – you are correct that butter starts out as milk, that’s boiled, cooled, curd added and then churned to create butter and then we make ghee from that. Whew! Buying the butter seems a heck of a lot easier to me.

      I appreciate your input, but this blog is a positive place where we can all learn from one another in a positive way. Peace.

  11. Florentina Avatar
    Florentina

    5 stars
    There is nothing like making your own ghee. Just awesomeness in a jar, I really enjoy making my own.

  12. Cailin Blanchard Avatar
    Cailin Blanchard

    Straining it, I didn’t get that many solids out from the ghee… I think I did it wrong. 🙁

  13. Sheila Avatar

    5 stars
    I made ghee today with unsalted, organic butter- and it turned out beautifully! I had to grab a spoon just to sample… mmm! I wish I had known how easy this was to make years ago. Thanks for sharing the recipe :).

  14. Samia Avatar

    Nice clear instructions but where I live, only salted org. butter is available. Is this a calamity, or can I still make ghee? Tks.

    I see some people here say that you must not use salty butter; however, I don’t like the idea of using commercial, regular light colored unsalted butter. Those are my 2 options! What to do, what to do…I love ghee.

    1. Sophie Avatar
      Sophie

      5 stars
      I only had salted butter the first time I made it and it was still amazing. Its not optimal, but certainly not the end of the world and you’ll still end up with a gorgeous golden pot of yummy goodness.

      1. Samia Avatar

        Thanks for your thoughts, Sophie. I’m glad you approve, because I was thinking the same thing. The dark, organically produced butter I buy is nice, and way better than the light colored stuff. Your last, highly descriptive, phrase evokes quite an image!

  15. Micha Brown Avatar
    Micha Brown

    Wow! I just made my first batch of successful ghee! Thank you so much for the photos as they really helped me to figure out when the ghee was done. It smells wonderful and I can’t wait to use it with my yuca and plantain flatbread! I think this will win my husband over to grain-free auto-immune paleo cooking — NOT a small feat! Thank you again for your wonderful style of writing and educating.

  16. Lisa Avatar

    My butter’s expiration date is a week away, can I still use it to make ghee? Will it have a long shelf life even though the butter was due to expire soon after ghee was made?

  17. Mari Avatar

    5 stars
    I just made ghee!! I can’t wait to try it:) Thank you for such an easy to follow recipe!!

  18. Mark Avatar

    5 stars
    I’ve always enjoyed Indian, Southern Asian and Asian cuisine… As well as Latin, Italian, Mediterranean, Caribbean … Heck, I enjoy it all. I am currently on a bread kick, favoring that famous San Fransisco Sourdough of my youth, and while looking at recipes for naan, came across ‘ghee’ as one of the ingredients… After searching the WWW, and landing here for how to make ghee, I will be giving it a try !!! And adding it my favorite recipes that call for butter and/or oils. Thanks Katie!!

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