Homemade Ghee

Homemade Ghee is a daily staple for me. I put it in my coffee, spread it on my paleo toast, and sauté my favorite vegetables with it. This Homemade Ghee is a kitchen essential in our house and the recipe is one of my favorites. It is so hands-off and easy that it just about makes itself. I am excited to show you just how easy it is to make.

Ghee is a pure source of healthy fat. It has a very high smoke point, even higher than butter, so it can cook at higher temperatures without burning which makes it perfect for stir-fries and searing. There is no chance of getting the burnt butter flavor, which happens when butter is cooked too hot. Ghee has become a staple in the Ketogenic and Paleo diets for its health benefits, and cooking potential, and because it is a dairy-free condiment that tastes deliciously nutty and buttery. Ghee keeps longer than butter too.

The process of making Ghee is similar to clarifying butter. Clarifying butter is a slow process of separating out the water and milk solids so that you get just the pure butterfat. For Ghee you take the cooking process a little bit further, cooking it until the milk solids brown.

Ghee can be made in several ways: in the oven, in the slow cooker, on the stovetop, and in the instant pot. My favorite way is using the oven. With the oven method, the chance of burning is very slight, you can just leave it, and the cleanup is super quick. The stovetop method, which I am also sharing with you, takes more focused attention to avoid burning, but it does allow for your ghee to cook in a little deeper color and flavor. Using grass-fed butter is a must. It may also give your ghee a richer color.

Those of us staying away from dairy, tend to love Ghee because it is practically free of both casein and lactose. Some very sensitive people, however, who are extremely intolerant to dairy, may need to use cultured Ghee. Cultured Ghee is made by first using yogurt to make the butter, which ensures the elimination of all the lactose through the fermentation process.

Yield: 1 jar

Author: Yvonne Tomlinson

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Homemade Ghee

Ingredients

• 2 pounds butter, unsalted grass-fed organic
• cheesecloth
• sieve

Instructions

In the Oven

1. Preheat your oven to 225 degrees F.
2. Place the butter in an 8x8 or 9x13 glass baking dish and put it into the oven.
3. Let the butter heat and melt until it begins to separate, and you see a clear golden liquid on the top. The milk solids will fall to the bottom as the butter separates.
4. After 50- 60 minutes your butter may be fully separated but not browned yet on the bottom, if not let it heat for another 15-20 minutes.
5. Take the glass-baking dish out of the oven when the liquid is a pure clear gold color and the milk solids at the bottom have browned a little.
6. Carefully line a sieve with some cheesecloth and put it over a glass bowl. Slowly pour the separated butter through the lined sieve while it is hot.
7. The beautiful gold liquid is your ghee. You can discard the solids while you wash out the cheesecloth. Store your ghee in a glass jar either at room temperature or in the fridge.

On the Stovetop

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Once all the butter has melted, keep it at a very low and gentle simmer.
2. Use a clean spoon to skim the foam that develops as the butter slowly cooks. The foam is mostly milk solids. Skimming will help the butter turn to ghee, as not all solids may sink but these can be strained easily later too.
3. Continue simmering the butter/ghee over very low heat until the color changes color from light yellow to deep gold and the remaining foam clumps together and falls to the bottom. About 20-25 minutes.
4. Here is where you need to be careful not to burn your ghee. Please keep a close eye on your pot watching so that the butter does not burn. If there is additional foam forming do not worry. it will strain.
5. Last step: following the straining directions from above, using a cheesecloth-lined sieve, and glass bowl. Pour your ghee through the lined sieve and into the glass bowl. Let it cool and then pour it into a glass jar for storing.

Notes

To ensure your ghee is cooked completely, and that you haven’t just made clarified butter, make sure the following has occurred: 1) The milk solids have dropped to the bottom of your pan or dish (milk solids are white or cloudy looking) 2) You have given the ghee any necessary additional cooking time, to brown or toast the milk solids after they have dropped to the bottom of the pan. Look for browning around the edge of the pan or dish before you strain it. If you are using salted butter you may let your ghee harden before you strain it. The salt will float to the top and then you can scape much of it off. It will still taste salty but not nearly as much. Ghee does not have to be refrigerated but can be. It will keep for many months at room temperature.