How To Make Ghee Butter (Clarified Butter)

Step 1

Place your butter in a pan and gently melt it over medium-low heat.

Step 2

Once melted, it will begin to separate into three parts: a foam on top, the yellow-ish middle 'oil', and the milk solids at the bottom. The middle layer is what will eventually become our ghee.

Step 3

Skim the foam from the top of the butter (you may need to do this a few times- this whey can be composted, added to mashed potatoes or smoothies, etc.). At this point, you could stop, strain this mixture, and you'd have clarified butter. However, for ghee butter, we need to continue heating it - I've found that the entire process takes between 20-25 minutes.

Step 4

Allow the milk solids at the bottom of the pan to go lightly brown, and this will give the ghee that lovely nutty, caramelized flavor. Make sure the browning milk solids don't burn as this will affect the flavor of the ghee. If you want brown butter, then this is the time to turn off the heat and use the butter, milk solids, and all. However, for ghee, follow the next step.

Step 5

When ready, turn off the heat and allow the ghee to cool for a few minutes. Then, pour the liquid carefully into a jar through either a fine-mesh strainer, nut milk mag, or layers of cheesecloth to filter out the solids. This golden liquid is your ghee!

Step 6

Storing Instructions: As long as you properly filtered out all of the solids, and store the ghee in a sterilized, dry container, then homemade ghee can keep for up to 3 months at room temperature, 1 year when refrigerated. In frozen, ghee will last indefinitely.