This is a recipe for how to make Ghee and Clarified Butter – they are almost the same thing (more on this later). Extremely easy, cheaper than buying, shelf-stable, and has a high smoke point which makes it excellent for pan frying or roasting things at high heat without burning like normal butter.
It’s the fat used in many traditional Indian curries for intense buttery richness, to make pan fried things like Potato Rosti super crispy, and a restaurant secret for extra lush Hollandaise Sauce (in 90 seconds!).
What is clarified butter and ghee?
And why do I love it so much? Here’s why!
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Clarified Butter is normal butter minus the dairy component and water ie just butter fat;
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Ghee is a type of Clarified Butter, best known as used in Indian cooking. Arguably the purest form because the method to make it ensures 100% of the dairy is removed, whereas some basic methods for clarified butter are not as thorough;
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They have a more intense butter flavour and in the case of Ghee, a slightly nutty flavour imparted by the browned milk solids;
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Is a gorgeous golden yellow colour;
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Is completely clear and pure, not clouded with milky bits and foam like normal melted butter;
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Makes things much more crisp than butter – such as the Potato Rosti pictured below; and
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Has a high smoke point of 230°C/450°F, compared to butter which has a smoke point of only 175°C/350°F. This is in fact higher than some vegetable oils, meaning you can use clarified butter/ghee just as you would a normal cooking fat, frying and sauteeing things at a high temperature without setting off the smoke alarm.
I’ve used clarified butter and ghee in a handful of recipes and in each of those I keep repeating the same directions for how to make it at home if you can’t find it, plus it’s about half the price to make at home.
So I thought it was about time I put up a separate recipe for it – because it’s so easy!
How to make Ghee / How to make Clarified Butter
If you can melt butter on the stove, you can make ghee! Essentially, you just leave butter on a medium low stove for 10 minutes until you see golden bits on the base of the pan which are the milk solids – and this means it’s done. The water has evaporated and the dairy has solidified which will be strained out.
Here’s how it changes during the simmering time:
Then simply line a mesh colander with a paper towel and strain. Then marvel at the incredible liquid gold – and the smell! It’s insane – so buttery and nutty!
How to store ghee / clarified butter
Ghee and clarified butter can be kept in the pantry because the dairy has been removed and the butter is now 100% fat, so it won’t spoil. It will keep for 3 months in the pantry – or even a year in the fridge!
Important note: other basic methods of making clarified butter – such as just skimming the foam off – are not as thorough in removing all the dairy. So you should not store that in the pantry, it must be kept in the fridge. And I personally would not keep it any longer than the shelf life of the butter you used.
Ghee is liquid when it’s warm. In the pantry, it will firm up but still be quite soft – sort of like peanut butter consistency – as depicted below. If you refrigerate it, it becomes very firm, like butter, but it looks sort of grainy (melts completely smooth).
What butter to use
I use unsalted butter. Ghee and clarified butter purchased at the store is unsalted.
You can use salted if you prefer, but unsalted is handier because it’s the standard in recipes so you don’t have to worry about oversalting things because you have salted ghee.
What is clarified butter? What is ghee? And what’s the difference?
Clarified butter and ghee are the almost same thing. Both are simply normal butter with the water and milk solids removed, leaving behind pure butter fat. Pure butter fat has a more intense butter flavour and a higher smoke point, meaning it is suitable for using just like regular cooking oil.
Put another way, butter is made up of about 82% fat, and the rest is dairy (milk solids) and water. The dairy is what leaves black spots on your food when you sear over high heat – because it burns. The water is what stops things going ultra crispy when you pan fry in butter, and it dilutes the butter flavour.
So with clarified butter, the water is removed and the dairy component is strained out, leaving you with pure butter fat.
The difference between ghee and clarified butter
Clarified butter is the general term for butter that has had water and milk solids removed, as explained above. However there are different methods for achieving this. One of the quickest and most common methods is to melt the butter, skim off the foam (which are the milk solids that initially float to the surface) and pour off the butter fat for use, leaving behind any remaining water.
Ghee however takes a specific approach to clarifying butter. Instead of skimming, you continue to heat the butter until all the water boils off, the milk solids go brown and sink to the bottom, and finally are strained out. As you can see this is the exact method I’ve provided above. So what you get with mine is true ghee! Think of it as a specific kind of clarified butter. I find it’s not only simpler, but has a superior flavour too AND you can be confident that every bit of dairy has been removed so it is safe to keep for months – years, if stored in the fridge!!!
What to do with ghee / clarified butter
Both ghee and clarified butter are used in cooking, as opposed to spread on toast or bread. You can use it in place of butter in recipes because it has a higher smoke point than oil – it will make things crisper and you won’t get those burnt black spots you get from pan frying in butter.
Here are a few examples:
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As the fat for almost every Indian dish, especially curries – traditional use of ghee;
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To make the crispiest, best tasting Potato Rosti you’ve ever had;
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In place of oil or butter in any recipe for pan frying, roasting, sauces. Try Garlic Prawns with butter instead of oil, use it to pan-fry fish, for crispy roasted potatoes, buttery roast carrots, or this butter smeared Herb and Garlic Roast Chicken, Standing Rib Roast or Turkey Breast (use the ghee softened, not melted);
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In Hollandaise Sauce for Eggs Benedict – for a richer flavour and smoother sauce;
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Elegant, classic French Sauce for pan fried fish – see Lemon Butter Sauce for Fish;
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Drizzle steamed, braised or roasted vegetables to make it even tastier;
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Toss through this Movie Popcorn or Lightly Sweet ‘n Salty Popcorn – it stays CRISP for days, unlike when using normal butter!
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Drizzle over soup;
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To make rice dishes, such as Mushroom Risotto or Buttery Seasoned Rice;
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To make the most amazing steak ever.
Note: Use with caution in baking recipes (such as cakes and cookies). Baking is a science – so you don’t want to muck around with batters.
Lastly, it’s worth knowing that ghee is a secret ingredient used by Chefs in fine dining restaurants to add an extra touch of buttery flavour into dishes. Whether it’s brushing filo pastry for baklava or stirring through Creamy Mashed Potato or to make the most amazing Mashed Cauliflower of your life, it’s just one of the little tricks used by professionals to make food extra special.
And now YOU can do it too! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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How to make Ghee and Clarified Butter (same thing - almost)
Ingredients
- 250g / 2 sticks unsalted butter , cut into 2.5cm / 1" cubes (or so)
Instructions
- Use a small or medium saucepan or small skillet with a silver base so it's easier to see when milk solids are golden.
- Put butter in then let it melt over medium-low heat.
- Leave to simmer for 10 minutes - it will start to foam at about 5 minutes, then at 7 minutes most of the foam will be gone, and by the end the foam should be almost all gone.
- The ghee is ready when the milk solids that settle on the base of the pan turn golden.
- Strain through a mesh colander lined with a single sheet of paper towel.
- Then pour into a jar for storage. Keep in the pantry 3 months (firms to peanut butter consistency), or fridge 1 year (hardens like butter).
Using:
- Use in place of butter or fat for pan frying, roasting, sauces. The smoke point of ghee / clarified butter is 230°C / 450°F which is considerably higher than common oils such as vegetable oil and olive oil, so it won't smoke and burn.
- Use with caution in baking recipes - such as cakes and cookies.
Recipe Notes:
Life of Dozer
Never far from the food station, whether cooking at home or out camping in the bush!
Hi Nagi,
Thank you so much for your very detailed explanation for making ghee.
I’ve been making my ghee for a long time (I am 77!) in a Corning Ware® skillet. The white skillet makes it very, very easy to know when it is finished cooking.
Real ghee is made from probiotic rich curd. We have been calling butter oil and clarified butter, ghee.
what would be the difference if I used semi-salted butter? and if I understood correctly you can use ghee for everything except pastries (pies, cookies, cakes) … breads too? thank you for your fabulous recipes and videos
My daughter made homemade butter for me but we don’t eat it a lot so I tried your idea and made the ghee. It turned out perfect 🙂
I’m wondering- with the questions about when it’s done, the main thing is to wait for all the water to evaporate, yes?
If a thermometer is used, it would be done once you get a reading reliably above boiling point, like 110c (230f) as all the water will have evaporated. When that temperature is reached, any advance would be to increase nutty flavors, if wanted?
Or am I mistaken here
I had the most divine Rosti in the Swiss Centre in London a long time ago and have tried to replicate it to no avail. I think some herb was in it and was lovely. Have you any ideas please? Love you, your site, your recipes and particulary DOZER xxx
Hi Pauline, sorry it’s too hard for me to recreate it without being there, but anything Rosti sounds delicious! 😂 N x
I’m intrigued by that peek into your pantry. I would love to see more. I bought a new wok, and I’m ready to get cooking. There is an Asian grocery near me, but I’m often confused about what items and brands to buy. I would love to know what pantry items you consider essential. Thanks in advance.
Hi Colleen, this posts here may help! https://www.recipetineats.com/asian-market-grocery-store-shopping-list/ N x
Thanks, Nagi! I should have known you’d have this covered.
I’m still spreading the news about your Charlie Brown sauce. My friends are loving it.
Soooo good! I will use a small skillet next time as the 4 sticks overcooked a bit. Thankfully not burnt, just a nuttier flavor and slightly darker in color than it should be. Nagi, thanks a ton!
Mine came out a little too dark too. I’ll use a smaller saucepan and also lower heat the next time.
Hi Nagi, I would absolutely love to hear what you cook when you go camping!
I love camping but I must admit I get over eating the same food for days on end and I just know you’d have some delicious tricks up your sleeve x
In your it says to strain the butter through a paper towel. Could you also use cheesecloth to strain and separate the butter?
Use Coffee Filter
Love this! Growing up I’ve seen my grandmother make ghee from scratch – milk turn to cream to butter to ghee. Process lasts hours and leaves a heavenly smell all around.
As we became ‘health conscious’ in recent years all this somehow got lost. Your post not just brings back memories but the positivity and the way you’ve described usage of ghee and its experience is absolutely beautiful. Thank you! ❤️
In Egypt we eat the golden solids that are remaining, we call it “Morta”. We spread it on bread with a dash of salt. Very unhealthy, but very tasty 😅
Oh that would be heavenly!!! N x
Hi, I cooked mine for about 20 min as it didn’t seem cooked. It’s darker in colour than yours, and when I used it for the first time it burnt. What did I do wrong? Thanks for taking the time to reply.
In Egypt we eat the golden solids that are remaining, we call it “Morta”. We spread it on bread with a dash of salt. Very unhealthy, but very tasty 😅
Sorry I replied here wrongly!
I made this ghee for the first time, I ‘cooked’ it for longer than 10 mins because it didn’t seem done, I had it on 3/4 heat on induction hob. When I used it for the first time for popcorn it just burnt. What did I do wrong? Mine does look darker than yours.
Thanks for this, ghee is so expensive to buy
That was an intriguing photo of your pantry, wouldn’t mind a sticky beak in there!
Hi! I made this recipe for ghee today and I was so happy with the outcome. Your directions and video were perfect! Never even knew this could be done so easily….thank you so much! Because of your video, I didn’t get nervous when it foamed. I knew exactly what to expect! Again, this is a valuable recipe and I will use this over and over. Thank you Nagi! ❤️
Thanks so much for the great feedback Cynthia 🙂 N x
Greets! I must be psychic! I really wanted some movie popcorn & had been intending to look your recipe for it. Before I had the chance, your new popcorn recipe arrived! How did you know? Or, how did I know! Fun!
Great minds Nadine!!! ❤️ N x
I used to make ghee this way…until I discovered how easy it is to make a whole load in the slow cooker. I can use at least 6 x 250gm unsalted butter at one go. Whack ’em all in the slow cooker, turn heat to high and 4 to 5 hours later you end up with beautiful golden ghee.
I use ghee A LOT so this method works so well. Plus, I don’t have to worry about burning the ghee. (speaking from very sad experience).
I am so interested in this method Carole! I burnt my first batch of ghee and although I’ve made a second batch successfully I’m a little scarred! I want to try your method with the slow cooker so I can make a lot more at once and hopefully less likely to burn it!
But 4-5 hours on high makes me worried it would burn but I’m going to give it a go! Thanks for sharing!
This is the one place where you really do need to read the comments. I think I burned mine because I was waiting for the foam to disappear. I’m straining it now but I think it’s an epic fail. The slow cooker option sounds perfect!
Just whipped up a batch and tried on some fresh popcorn, very nice indeed, I do like popcorn on grand final days so thanks heaps Nagi
Ghee also makes the best popcorn. It takes like movie popcorn especially if you salt it just before eating!
100% absolutely agree! Keeps it crispy for days too – unlike normal butter which makes it soggy! N x
Hi Nagi, I need help with this recipe. I made this once before and it was perfect. This time I used 4 sticks of butter. It took 15 minutes, I had solids on the bottom of the pot but they weren’t brown like yours. I would like to show a pic but didn’t see any way to upload one. Does it normally take longer with 4 sticks of butter? Thank-you
Hi Dave! Yes it will – more volume = because it will take longer for the water to cook out which has to happen before the solids fall to the base of the pan and turn brown. It’s faster if you use a small skillet like pictured in the video (low walls = faster evaporation). Hope that helps! PS Thanks for the question, I’ll pop this tip in 🙂