How & Why I Made Ghee

Jar of Home-Made Ghee

I made ghee for the first time yesterday. Ghee is a kind of clarified butter which originates in India. It removes the milk solids so some dairy-sensitive people who can’t eat butter can use ghee. It also has the benefit that it can cook at higher temperatures without burning, and it has a nutty taste that is different from butter and that some people like a lot.

I made the ghee from unsalted butter from the grocery store. I have heard that some people make ghee from grass-fed butter like Kerrygold which is healthier, but I don’t have the kind of income to do that. I used the ghee recipe from Fran McCullough’s Living Low-Carb (2000.)

The recipe makes 2 cups of ghee from 1 pound of unsalted butter. It says to melt the butter over medium-high heat and cook for 15-20 minutes to drive the water out of the butter.  Then you reduce heat to medium-low and cook for another 15 minutes until the milk solids at the bottom of the pan turn golden but not brown.

Recipe and Butter

I thought my milk solids got kind of brown at the end, but the flavor of the ghee was alright. I strained it into a canning jar, using a canning funnel and a ‘non-gauze milk filter’ which they use to filter milk on farms. I get those at the farm store— I used to keep milk goats— and I use them for many kitchen filtering tasks. You can also use a coffee filter.

I used the ghee in some fat bombs (high-good-fat candies) and in my morning bulletproof coffee which was half-MCT oil and half-ghee this morning. It adds a nice flavor to stuff. I have read the flavor described as ‘nutty’ and ‘like butterscotch.’

Ghee keeps for up to 3 months without refrigeration and 1 year in the refrigerator. It gets solid as a brick in the fridge, though. I took mine out of the fridge as I anticipate it getting used up well before it goes bad. If you don’t use much ghee at a time, you can make smaller batches, or divide your ghee supply into smaller jars and keep most in the fridge or freezer. Write the DATE on every jar of ghee you make— you don’t want to push it in a corner by accident and eat it years after the expiration date.

Have you ever made ghee? Did it turn out the way you wanted it? Or have you purchased store-bought ghee? What do you like/dislike about ghee? What do you use it for?

Starting to Make Ghee

Midpoint in Making Ghee

About to Strain Ghee