• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Spice Up The Curry
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
    • By Category
    • By Ingredients
    • Festivals
    • Collections
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Ingredients
  • Collections
  • Festivals
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Recipe Index » Kitchen Basics » How to make Ghee from Butter?

    How to make Ghee from Butter?

    Published: Apr 23, 2019 · Last Modified: Aug 11, 2020 by Kanan Patel / 4 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
    How to make ghee from butter at home (pin)

    Simple, Homemade Ghee Recipe. It is very fragrant and has a rich nutty taste. It is an integral part of Indian cooking. You will learn today how to make ghee from butter. YES, just one ingredient - BUTTER!!

    You will also learn all the tips to success. Keep reading I will show you the different ways to use it!

    Today I am sharing the stove top version. Another method is making ghee in instant pot. I will update the post once I take the pics.

    Homemade ghee recipe

    What is Ghee?

    Ghee is widely known as clarified butter. (But technically both are not same). The word ‘ghee’ is derived from the Sanskrit word meaning ‘sprinkled’. That’s what we Indians do, right? Ghee is usually sprinkled over roti, chapati, khichdi, dal, rice.

    In Hinduism, ghee is viewed as holy and is a key ingredient in many sweets prepared for the religious pooja, festivals. It is used to lite diyas during pooja rituals. For centuries, ghee has been used in ayurvedic medicine.

    I have probably made ghee 100 times or maybe more. Because it is a staple food for Indian cooking and we use it every single day (or I would say use it in every single meal).

    I have seen my mom making it since my childhood. Actually, I have never seen her buying it from the store. She is a firm believer in homemade ghee. It tastes, smells way better than store-bought one. Once you go this route, you will never look back!

    Though one thing to clarify, My mom makes “desi ghee” from malai. But here in USA, that is not possible so I make it from butter.

    How to make desi ghee from malai?

    1. Every morning she boils the milk, let it cool down. The thick layer of cream is collected on top of the milk.
    2. Daily she collects that cream in a container and store in the refrigerator.
    3. After two, three weeks she will have enough cream to make white butter from it. So she will churn the cream using madani (loni or valonu) - Indian wooden whisk till butter and buttermilk separate.
    4. That white butter (aka makhan) is used for making ghee (similar to below method).

    Making your own ghee at home very easy and very simple task. It requires only 20 minutes and good quality unsalted butter.

    Which butter to use for making homemade ghee?

    • Always use UNSALTED butter. (I have made ghee with salted butter too and it was good, but unsalted gives better results)
    • Use organic grass-fed butter (preferable Kerry gold Irish butter). I have made with Kirkland brand’s (Costco) unsalted butter too and it tastes good.

    How to make Ghee from Butter?

    1. Cut the unsalted butter into big chunks and take it to the heavy bottom saucepan. Making pieces will ensure even melting and cooking.
      chunks of unsalted butter in a pan
    2. Turn the heat on medium and let the butter melt.butter is melting slowly
    3. As soon as it is melted, you will notice white foam on top.
      Butter is melted
    4. Once the butter starts simmering, LOWER the heat. Continue simmering, you will notice the bubbling sound. That is the evaporation of moisture from butter.
      Melted butter starts simmering
    5. As it is simmering, the bubbles will increase and the foam will decrease. Below pic is after 15 minutes of simmering on low heat.
      Foam starts to get less
    6. Then the bubbles will be more clear to notice and a very thin layer of foam left. At this time, the milk solids will start to settle at the bottom of the pan.
      Simmering butter has more bubbles less foam
    7. Then within a few minutes, you will see lots of tiny bubbles. And the foam will start to disappear completely and milk solids at the bottom will start browning.
      bubbles get clear and no more foam
    8. Soon (within less than a minute) you will see it starts to foam up again. We’re almost done.
      ghee starts to foam up again
    9. Be careful and watch closely now. Within a few seconds, the foam will rise in the pan. It’s DONE. Turn off the stove.
      Foam will rise up
    10. Let the foam settle down for a few seconds. Do not let it sit for longer.
      foam has settled down
    11. Strain the ghee in a clean glass jar or stainless steel container. NOTE: Keep the container and strainer lined with muslin cloth ready ahead of time. So we can strain the ghee as soon as foam settles down. We do not want the ghee to rest in the hot pan and continue cooking.
      Strain the ghee

    The leftover browned up milk solids can be discarded. Though many likes to consume it by mixing some sugar.

    1 lb of butter will fill 16 oz (1pint) mason jar almost to the top.

    After 3-4 hours (depending on how hot/cold your house is), ghee starts to solidify, but still runny in consistency. It gets lighter on color as it becomes solid.

    Ghee solidifies after few hours (how to make ghee)

    The next day, it becomes completely solid, see below. (because I live in cold climate). If you are in a warmer climate like Indian weather (minus cold winter) then yours will be runny solid as shown above.

    Make ghee from butter at home

    The color of the ghee:

    • Most people prefer the golden, amber color for their ghee. You will find the same if you use store bought one. If you are one of those, then follow → As soon as it starts to foam up again, turn off the stove. Do not let the foam rise in the pan.
    • I prefer dark amber color ghee. If you are like me then follow the step by step guide (with pictures) mentioned above.

    The shelf life of ghee:

    • In cabinet: Ghee stays good up to 3 months in an airtight container at the room temperature when stored in the kitchen cabinets.
    • Refrigerator: Ghee stays good up to 1 year in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

    Can I double or halve the recipe?

    Yes. I often make half, double or even triple the amount just depending on how much I need. If it’s a festival (diwali time) I would make more. The melting and start getting simmering steps will take little extra/fewer minutes depending on the quantity you are making.

    My favorite ways to use ghee:

    • Apply on hot phulka roti, puran poli
    • Drizzle a teaspoon or two of ghee on warm khichdi, dal dhokli, varan
    • Drizzle over veg biryani while cooking
    • Few savory dishes have tadka (tempering) of ghee e.g. sarson ka saag, bisi bele bath, Veg kofta curry, jeera rice, panchmel dal
    • Add into the dough to make the layer flaky e.g. samosa, khasta kachori, gujiya, mathri
    • Nankhatai (traditional Indian cookies)
    • Many Indian sweets e.g. kheer, sheera, besan barfi, malpua,
    Step by Step Photos AboveWant to make it perfect first time? Don't forget to check out Step-by-Step photo instructions and helpful Tips & Tricks !!
    Ghee solidifies after few hours (how to make ghee)
    Print Pin

    How to make Ghee from Butter?

    5 from 1 vote
    Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and/or give ★ ratings
    Making homemade ghee is easy and quick. Also, it is affordable, much better taste and aroma compared to store-bought.
    Author: Kanan
    Course: Basics
    Cuisine: Indian
    Calories: 112kcal
    Servings 16 oz (1 pint)
    Prep Time 2 minutes
    Cook Time 18 minutes
    Total Time 20 minutes
    US measuring cups are used (1 cup = 240 ml) See details

    Ingredients  

    • 1 lb Unsalted butter preferably grass-fed organic

    Instructions 

    How to make ghee from butter at home?

    • Cut the butter into small pieces and melt it in a heavy bottom saucepan.
    • Once melted lower the heat and let it simmer. In the beginning, there will be a good amount of foam on top, as time goes foam will starts to disappear.
    • After 15 minutes, you will notice the bubbles will be clear, very tiny and foam disappears completely.
    • In less than a minute, you will notice the foam will re-appear and start to rise in the pan.
    • Turn off the stove, let the foam settle down for few seconds.
    • And strain the ghee in glass or stainless steel jar.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 0g | Protein: 0g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7.9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3.7g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 0.3mg | Potassium: 0.6mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 395IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 0mg | Iron: 0mg
    *Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 serving
    Did you make this recipe?Snap a pic, mention @spice.up.the.curry or tag #spiceupthecurry. I would love to see.
    46shares
    • Facebook 15
    Previous Post: « Crispy Kothimbir Vadi Recipe (Maharashtrian Snack)
    Next Post: Vegetarian Indian Mushroom Recipes »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Comments

    1. Kanan

      July 06, 2020 at 9:54 pm

      Hi, I tried this recipe and the ghee turned out perfect, thank you the clear instructions and photos! However my ghee did not turn out to be a dark amber color even though I let the foam rise in the pan. Can you tell me how to make the ghee a darker color? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Kanan Patel

        July 10, 2020 at 10:07 am

        Try cooking 1-2 minutes more next time for dark color.

        Reply
    2. Selina

      April 24, 2019 at 11:13 am

      This looks so easy! Thanks!

      Reply
      • Kanan

        April 24, 2019 at 11:31 am

        yes Selina, it is actually easy.

        Reply
    Kanan

    Hi, I'm Kanan Patel. I share easy, delicious vegetarian recipes (mostly Indian) and Eggless baking recipes that you can sure count on!

    More about me →

    Indian Spice Box

    Indian Spice Box

    Top Recipes

    • Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • World’s BEST Eggless Brownies
    • Frankie Recipe (Bombay Veg Frankie Roll)
    • Punjabi Shahi Paneer (Restaurant Style)
    • Sukhdi recipe (Gur papdi or Gol Papdi)
    • Veg manchurian dry recipe

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Kanan
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure
    • Accessibility Policy
    • Nutrition Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates. Plus get a bonus cooking tips!

    Resources

    • Conversion Chart
    • Glossary
    • Recipe Index
    • Contact

    As Featured In

    Spice Up The Curry Featured in sites

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2020 Spice Up The Curry