Ghee(Hindi), tuppa(Kannada),tup(Konkani)-clarified butter must be one of the most important ingredients in any Indian sweets. It gives a unique flavor and aroma to any sweet dish and takes the dish to a new level. When in India, my supply of ghee always came from my Aayi. I never liked the store bought ghee. I started making it in Bangalore when I used to buy Nandini whole cream milk. This milk gets a thick cream when heated. So I used to save it and make ghee out of it. When I came to US, I was totally lost since the milk we get here does not get the cream when heated. The ghee that we get in Indian stores is very expensive. So I started using shortening as a replacement as told by one of our friend. Shortening does give a better result than ghee for nankatayi, chiroti and many other dishes, but some of my readers said that it is not very good for health. So finally I decided to make ghee at home using unsalted butter.
I usually buy the 4 pack combo of unsalted butter in Costco and make ghee of 2 or 3 packs at a time and store. I somehow feel it is better than the store bought ghee and works out much cheaper. So this is what I have been doing for last many months. I was thinking of this post for a long time now, because of the increasing number of cooking newbies who read Aayi’s Recipes. I took as many pictures as possible, I am happy that my camera still is working after all these pictures. There was a thick vapor that sat on the camera lens when I tried to take picture from too close :(.
Apart from using in many sweet dishes, ghee is usually added to lamps (oil lamps) during festivals. It is supposed to be very auspicious. I still remember aayi giving ghee mixed in sugar after it was offered to god during one of the festivals.
– Heat 7-8 sticks of butter in a clean heavy bottomed pan. When all the butter is melted, keep the heat on low. Let it boil.
– Just blow lightly some air, if the liquid has become transparent and you can see the bottom of the pan clearly, the ghee is done. Switch off the heat. (Do not keep the heat on at this stage, otherwise the ghee gets burnt). Some people like to add a little fenugreek(methi)
– Now add 1/8 th tea spn of salt. It helps the floating particles to settle at the bottom.
– When the ghee has cooled a bit, pour in glass jars taking care not to pour any of the solid particles.
– If everything has gone well, it solidifies when completely cooled.
– There is a considerable amount of ghee which remains in the vessel after you pour it in jars. With a spoon, remove all the solid particles. Now use the vessel to make daali thoy or any other daal and the final daal comes out very tasty and fragrant.
At my native some people add a small turmeric leaf to the milk which is used for making ghee. Personally I don’t like any extra flavor to it, so I don’t like to add anything.
wow shilpa nice step by step description! here i make using lurpark butter unsalted. now i buy Gits Ghee which is quite good after testing a lot of brands and works cheaper and tastes good as desi ghee than my lurpark ghee. My mil and aunt who has her own packs atleast 5 kg homemade each year and sends us when we visit her…
My mother, American Indian, use to make butter from cows cream, skimmed off whole milk fresh from milking. Then we shaked it in jars to seperate the cream, making butter, she then cooked in a large cast iron skillet over a camp fire to do the same thing.
hi shilpha,
Just wanted to give u the information that the solid particles that remain na ,if used during making the chapathi dough , the chapathi will become very soft…..
hi shilpa,even i used to make ghee from Nandini milk when I was in Bangalore,using butter is a good idea cos I feel Ghee from Indian stores is very expensive and does not smell good,one more tip is to put few curry leaves and methi seeds while melting the butter it gives nice aroma and stays good longer,a tip from a kannada tv show.
I TOO USED METHI SEEDS AND HALDI LEAVE , GOO D AAROMA.
Aayi used haldi leaves too, love the aroma 🙂
Hey shilpa …Simple one but well presented .
After i moved to US, i used to buy ghee from the Indian store, very expensive and no aroma. As you mentioned i buy 4 packs of butter from Costco, and make ghee out of 2 packs. Thanks for the info on methi seeds. My mom adds a small beetal leaf, my MIL on the other hand add a small piece of fresh turmeric/haldi leaf.
Hi aruna
I have one doubt can u pls clear
It.
There will be an expiry date on the date.
So after making it ghee can we use for a long period?
Yes you can
hai shilpa,
Thank u for the post.i too buy the amul ghee from indian store.i think this is better.From next time i will try this.Thank u for this one.I wanted to try this somanydays but a bit hesitant about the out come.after seeing these pics i too feel like trying it.
That was informative! Thanks!!
I have been making similar way ghee many times. During last step, when the ghee cools down, I have filtered the ghee with muslin cloth or better way is to use paper towels. Remaining residue can be used to massage your body specially legs and hands (Tella pusunche!!!), and take shower after couple of hours; it is a healthy too.
Hey Shilpa that’s a lovely step by step descrition for making Ghee!To the leftover milk solids (we call it beri)add some sugar and eat this with chapati..it gives a nice Khatta-Mitha taste
i too boil water in this kadhai so that the leftover ghee melts and use the water for making Chapati dough and i agree with Nandita the chapatis are real soft!
I made it last week and I have a similar bottle too!!Tushar loves Tuppa and Trisha doesn’t even want to go near the “Heart clogger”!:D
I will post my ghee making with “secret ingredients” too later!!!:)
I make my Ma or Ma-in-law send me home made ghee from India 🙂 I loved your step by step description
one way yo avoid the solids form transferring to the jar is to pour the ghee thru a strainer into the jar,this keeps the solid out of your ghee
Hi shilpa! wonderful home made ghee..i.e also step by step. It must be tasty…thanks for sharing.
Hi Shilpa
Thanks for posting the step-by-step method of making tup.
after talking to some friends, I tried it for the first time last week. It smelled good but turned out a little dark. I’ll try again using your tips.
Hi Shilpa, Nice post. I buy my unsalted butter from sams. At home amma used to fry a few betel(pan)leaves in the hot ghee as soon as it was done and these fried leaves taste great…well I loves them but not everyone:)
BTW it is ‘nei’ in Tamil.
Hey, my mom makes ghee in the same way… The oly difference is that she strains the mixture at the end before storing. Though I love the taste of homemade ghee, I could never get myself to make ghee at home… Probably because I cant stand the smell of boiling butter. But your post is inspiring me to give it one more try…. thanx 🙂
Thanks for the post Shilpa !!
My mom used to add Beetal Leaf and this gave the Ghee an added aroma..yum !!
And my sister and I would fight about who gets to eat the crisp, ghee-laden paan!!
hi,
once i did ghee @ home some 2 months back,i kept in mild flame for some 25 mins,but the end result was black ghee.what mistake did i do?i have costco ghee what should i do?
help me?
bye
Hi Shilpa, I am taking a break from work and thought I’d stop by…lovely step-by-step photos! I make mine the exact same way- much better and cheaper than store-bought! I agree! At the end I pour the ghee through two layers of cheesecloth into the resting container. I make plain rice in the pan to have with daalitoy or sambar, and it is a special “ghee-making day” rice! 😀
This is an excellent illustrative post.
Often when we are away from our homelands we end up having to make so many things because it is either not available or too expensive.
Thanks to you all for your suggestions and feedback.
Harsha, what do you mean by costco ghee? I think your ghee got burnt, so it might have got black color. Next time keep an eye on it while heating, preferably heat on low, even though it takes a very long time, you can have a control over it. Try with the exact instructions I have given and I am sure your next attempt will be success.
Hi Shilpa,
Do you think I can try this with Land-o-Lakes unsalted sweet cream butter?
Thats a nice tip indeed!!!!! I still depend on my ma to send me the ghee. 🙂
Supriya, yes, you can use the unsalted sweet cream butter. I use the same.
Hi shilpa
i too use the same method.i always bought the 4 pack.nice step step by presentation.
Thanks a ton for sharing this. I get homemade ghee from my mom-in-law everytime I visit Bangalore. Now I don’t have to sulk when it’s over…can make my own!!! Thanks once again.
hi,
u had written that u had made ghee from nandini butter when in bangalore. how did u do it? can u give me the step by step process? also, how many days did u store the butter from the milk? how did u store it?
thanks
Rupa, I did make ghee like below
– Heat milk and collect all the cream. Add 1 tea spn of curd to the cream and keep in refrigerator. Keep on adding cream to it for 2-3 days. After adding cream mix it with a spoon so that the curd gets to all parts of cream.
– Make sure the cream had curdled well. You can tell this by the sour smell. (If not, keep outside for 7-8hrs)
– Blend it in mixer with a little water till the butter floats on top.
– Take out the butter and wash well 3-4times with clean water.
– Other steps are same as explained in above post. I never stored the butter. Usually it can be stored in an air tight container for 1 week or so
One way to find out whether the ghee is done is:
once the crackling sound while boiling butter has completely stopped, it indicates that the ghee is ready.
At this stage, turn off the heat and add 2-3 crystals of crystal salt. This gives the ghee the texture that you get at shops.
I have a newbie question. I’ve been buying ghee at the stores and am delighted to find this recipe to make my own. But one thing I’ve never understood: What is the best way to store ghee, and how long can you keep it? I’m in the San Francisco Bay Area so of course I have an earthquake kit– I’d love to make sure I’m well stocked with ghee but am unsure how long I can store unopened jars, as well as ones that have been opened.
Thank you for this fascinating website.
Shilpa: Suw, I usually keep the ghee for about 2-3months and it remains very good. Better to store in refrigerator if you want to keep it for more than a month. Its always good to make ghee in smaller proportions and use it off since if you keep it very long, the aroma wont remain very good.
Hi Shilpa
Can we make ghee from salted butter or can u tell me for what dishes salted butter can be used.
Thanks
Shilpa: Divya, you can probably make, but it cannot be used in any sweets since Indian sweets do not have salt in them. Salted butter can be used to butter bread, buns etc, used in pav bhajis.
Thanks shilpa
1. I drop a single curry leaf at the end point into the hot ghee. This adds a little aroma.
2. I filter the warm ghee (not cold frozen) using tea-strainer.
3. The curry leaf is crisp and I munch it off.
3. The filter residue is mixed with the cooked rice…our pet dog loves that mix!
Hi Shilpa,
can i make ghee directly from milk cream?
i used to prepare ghee through cream only but my husband and all family members dont like it.
it smells something different. so pls give me the proper recipe of making ghee through milk cream. i need good aroma too.
Shilpa: Swati, do not keep the cream for too long. Make ghee every 3-4 days. You just have to add a tea spn of yogurt/curd to the cream on first day. Then for next three days, add cream to the same mixture and mix well. Then blend it well in blender and take out the butter. Collect the butter for 3-4 times (keep the butter refrigerated all the time). Then follow above instructions for the ghee.
Hi Shilpa,
Thanks for yr reply
but i want to make ghee directly from the cream.Is it possible? if yes then tell me the recipe. and i need good aroma also so pls guide me.
Shilpa: Swati, we usually make ghee in the method I have explained earlier. ie, cream -> butter -> ghee.
hi shilpa
most of the time i made ghee at home but this time i got very bad smell while making ghee.coz malai was bit old.could u tell me how to remove that smell.plz coz that is in good quantity.plz help me.what should i put in that.ghee is ready but smell is still there
Shilpa: Poonam, once the ghee is completely done, I don’t think you can do anything to remove the smell :(. If you heat it again, it will get burnt. I have heard some people add some fenugreek seeds in the last stages of ghee making and then strain it off. But I have never tried it. Sorry.
I am not Indian – but I am an Indian food lover! I used to hang out with a lot of indian friends in germany and they taught me how to make Ghee in EXACTLY this way and also how to mak chutneys and pickles etc. All better made at home in the long run.. I haven’t had as much sucess with my Pickle (Lemon) as I have with the variety of chutneys and Ghee.
You’d be proud of me.. for an American – I cook pretty good Indian dishes! My husband LOVES them!
Shilpa: Thats very nice to know Elle. Few of my non Indian friends are also great cooks of Indian food. I feel so happy about it.
Hey, have you tried the lemon pickle recipe that I have on this blog? Try it and I am sure you will love it. There are few more pickle recipes on the blog and all of them are Yumm..
Hi Shilpa, I simply adore all your recipes…tried quite a few of them…..love them to bits! Tonight, I’m gonna make your ghee, I have made ghee previously, but gonna try yours!!!! Can’t wait!
I would like to send a message to ELLE. I’m not sure which part of the world you live in, but I live in Holland & currently have my own Catering company…my website add is listed above. If ever you are in Holland, you are most welcome to visit me & experience South African Indian delicacies. I am on FB as well…Judy Allard, Veenendaal & Judescurries, Veenendaal. Hoping to hear from you soon. Thanx a mil once again Shilpa…..Judy Allard.
hi shilpa,
i had tried to make once and failed.. i will try this one..
i want making ghee from milk not from butter so can u give me
proper receipe for making ghee from milk.
waiting for reply urgently.
D.S.SOHONI
Great website!!! I found your site by accident while trying to learn how to make ghee. I live in Van Horn, in far West Texas and we have to drive 120 miles to El Paso, Texas to buy anything international. I teach school here and one of my students brought me some Jalebis that her mom and aunt made – they were so good I wanted to make some and when I was in El Paso I got everything I needed except ghee, so that’s why I was looking it up.
I really enjoy cooking all types of international foods, but I’m just starting to learn to cook gujarati and hindi foods, so I’m very glad to have found your recipes!
Thanks again!
I liked the way you provided picture of the process.
Thanks
Thanks for this recipe I live in central America and cannot get Indian food here so I cook it on my own. Question, does this Ghee need to be refrigerated once it becomes solid in the jar? Thanks alot.
Shilpa: Its not required to refrigerate. But if you are keeping for a long time like 2 months or so, it is better to refrigerate.
HI Shilpa,
I followed your step-by-step instructions & the result was an awesome ghee with a to-die-for aroma….all this in the first try itself! Hats-off to you. 🙂
Hi,
It’s great to see other instructions on ghee. Here’s my own take: http://asmartmouth.com/2008/10/10/homemade-indian-ghee-if-you-dare/
Anjuli
Hello All,
Does anyone know if you can put newly made ghee onto old ghee? Is there any problem or issue with that?
Thanks,
-Raj
Love your website, this recipe and your lucious photos..mmm.
I have lots of questions about making ghee from my local raw milk. It’s not homongenized so a nice two inch layer of cream settles on the top of the 1/2 gal jar. Do I still need to heat the milk to get the cream, or will I get more? For how long and at what temperature?
What is curd and where do I buy it.
(I have made curds/whey when I let the raw milk set out for 7+ hours…but that comes from the cream at the top of the milk.)
What can I do with the heated milk afterwards? (I will destroy the beneficial bacteria with the heat.)
Can I process ghee to preserve it for longer shelf life? Anyone know??
Shilpa: Usually yogurt is called as curd in India. Heat the milk till it boils. Switch off. When it is cooled, you get the cream on top (atleast thats what happened in India, I am not sure about the homogenized milk available outside India). You can use milk for any other purposes. In India, we normally don’t drink milk without heating it. Usually you can keep ghee for 2-3 months. I don’t know about any other kind of processing.
I just bought butter on sale and will use your recipe to make ghee. Thanks for all the details!
Hello Shilpa,
I read how to make ghee yesterday and all the comments, did exactly as instructed and the ghee turned out perfect. I later used the ghee to quick stir some left over organic wild rice, heavenly. My first time making or eating ghee. I will now use only ghee for my cooking needs. Thank you for the perfect instructions.
Do you have a recipe for low-fat ghee?
Just kidding. 😉
I emailed the direction of making ghee to my daughter. The pictures really help to see what the end result is
hai ghee maduva bagge tiliyitu
nanu mane yalli tuppa maduvudu
halu kayisi adara bhave ondu bottle nalli hakiduttene dina halu kayisuvaga bhave sikkuttadalla adannu fridge nallittu bottle tumbidaga tegedu mix yalli haki butter tegetu kayisi tuppa tegeyuttene bhave tegediduvaga adakke heppu hakittare mix madi butter tegeyuvaga olle majjige yu sikkuttade
hi!
I have some problems making ghee and maybe you can help me with that.
so, the question is when the ghee kind of separetes after cool down. I know that happens when the ghee is not finished. what separets is the water that remains there. but in this case it’s not lack of time, maybe is the butter or othe thing that I’m doing wrong.
thank’s a lot!
mar
thank you very much for your simple instructions on making ghee. our temple will be making it for the first time to be used in out mahasivrathri celebrations for the next 2 weeks.
your site was very helpful and i will be returning here often!
thank you so much!
namaste
suryadasi
thanks for your recipe for ghee. I’ve made it successfully for the first time at home – thanks to your recipe and the photos.
Shilpa, thanks for such a great guide! The ghee in the shops around here is expensive and doesn’t smell good. Last time I tried to make my own ghee, I cooked it too hot and burnt it. This time I followed your directions, and added a couple of curry leaves and filtered through a paper towel as mentioned in other comments. Result – the best ghee I have ever used!
I am so happy to have found your site, thank you!
VERY NICE DESCRIPTIONN!!!!!
HI,
UR RECIPE WAS REALLY SUPERB. I NEVER IMAGINED THAT GHEE MAKING IS SUCH A EASY PROCESS.
Hi Shilpa,
I tried it yesterday and it came out very well. Thanks!
I was going trough the responses and queries, one of them (no. 36, Shilpa), although way back in 2007, asked about how to make Ghee from Cream directly. Well, I use to do that till the time I was in India, its simple, here are the steps –
1. Collect the Cream from boiled milk and keep it in fridge.
2. When its enough, take it out and put it into thick bottom pan.
3. It would be good if you can take the collected cream out of Fridge at least couple of hour, that would help it to come to room temperature and it would be easy to come off from the vessel where you have stored it. Or else, you can microwave it or put it on flame for a minute so that it comes of easy.
4. Now, when you have it in the pan, put it on medium to high flame as you are comfortable to Handel it. And yes you will have to stir it continuously. or else it will get stick to the bottom and will burn.
5. As it will progress, you will see, ghee will start separating from that and the stage will come when you can see Ghee clearly and soft milk solids separately.
6. Now you can sieve it, don’t allow milk solid to get into filtered ghee. Store it the way you want it. It stays good for long.
7. the remaining milk solids (it would be white and soft, if made with care, i.e Continuously stirring and preventing it from sticking to the pan) can be eaten with sugar, OR you can put it further on flame and stir, you will see it become brown and little hard or crunchy, this will make the remaining ghee also come out. Now you can filter and get more ghee and throw away the residue.
Hope it helps!
Shikha
Shilpa: Thanks for posting it Shikha. But I had already posted these steps for comment 35.
hi shikha , thanks 4 recipe
I am from the US and having been making ghee for a long time but I clarify the butter differently. I slowly melt 1 lb butter in a small teflon wok. When all the butter is just melted, I gently scrape the surface material off with rubber spatula and discard. Then, gently place the wok in the refrigerator until the separated contents has solidified. Then I break the solids into about four pieces. They will have a coating on the outside of white curds. Run some tap water until it is warm and quickly dash the quarters under the running water until the curds wash away. The remaining ghee is frozen until needed. The remaining whey (liquid) is discarded. What I learned here is that the curds and whey can be used also. So, now I will try to save this instead of discarding.
Also, I have a question. In the US butter is required to be refrigerated by the merchant. But, ghee is routinely sold unrefrigerated. Ghee labels do not indicate any preservatives. How can this anomaly be? Why doesn’t Indian ghee get rancid? Butter certainly does, if not refrigerated in the summer.
Shilpa: I don’t know. Probably because it does not have perishable milk solids.
Store butter is pasteurized so the proteins and lactose in the butter will go rancid. Raw butter wont (but will sour), ghee is just the saturated fat, which will stay good indefinitely so long as you keep it dry.
Thanks for this post. For the first time i tried making ghee for my son when the fresh ghee supply from India finished up and i couldnt bring myself to buy another old ghee bottle (dates too old on those). someone mentioned this idea but no details. your post made it picture perfect to go thru all steps and NOT burn it :).
Its great to see you taking time for making this one perfect. Wish you all the best for all next recipies.
P.S. – At my home place ppl pt a little sugar or loung (clove), it brings sji like texture for ghee which is very desired in our home side. next time i wold try and see if that works.
thanks for the pictures. I finally can make ghee correctly. most of the times in the past i burnt it until i saw your blog.
My grandma adds onions, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric,elaichi, betel leaf stalks and methi all pounded together into a fine paste and added just before the butter boils…great taste and a lovely green colour!!
Thank you for the detailed pictures and information how to’s. Your perseverence at taking pictures at each step shows how much trouble you took so that someone else will know how to make ghee. God bless you.
Where I live, unsalted butter is not available. In fact, there are only two brands of salted butter available. Is it possible to make ghee with salted butter? If so, are any adjustments to the procedure necessary? Also, would a higher-quality butter be better for making ghee (presuming it’s even possible with salted butter), or would lower quality be better?
Thanks!
Never mind. I looked, but didn’t see that someone else had already asked about salted butter, and that you had already answered. Thanks, anyhow.
I had to make ghee and was not sure how to do this because my mother was not at home. i search googlgles on net and these photographs were extremely useful for me. i was looking for exactly this and it was really very helpful. thanks for posting this because such things prove very useful in day to day life.
I used to make ghee from everyday collected cream from in a jar for a week. then churn and make butter and then make ghee from it. Now a days i make ghee directly putting collected cream in a non-stick pan on a gas. I add a pinch of salt to it when it is about to be ready.The salt here works as a preservative.ghee does not require any refrigeration..
Thank you for sharing this knowledge with others. I work out of my home and therefor do most of the cooking these days. I have been making ghee from cream collected and put over a flame, and in the last few years from unsalted butter as you have proposed here. I agree with you that it is nice as it is without adding anything to the ghee. Very tasty.
When I make Ghee it stays liquid. Any ideas on what I am doing wrong?
Thanks
I think it needs some more heating. When cooled to room temperature, refrigerate it and it will get hard
made ghee from organic salted butter last night. the foam and solids were very salty. all i can say is the ghee didn’t taste salty at all.
Thanks Shilpa. The pictures are really helpful . I have just made ghee at home ..
thankyou very much ……………..
from here, even Indian Store was far away …
Hi
really good..
can you add the Tamil name ‘Nei’ and also Telugu name.
It will be appearing when somebody search in Google.
Thanks
Sen
This is the first time I made ghee. I simply followed your instructions. Wow… the first attempt itself is a success. Thanks for the recipe and pictures.
I m a lady from Kenya, I managed to have cows for milk, the value of milk here in Kenya is down,so I’ve decided to make Ghee from my milk and sell because of the small price we are given from business people or factories. I don’t know how to make Ghee locally from my house, please write to me how to make Ghee, I don’t have money to buy instruments, that’s why I want to make locally.
Please check this comment by me
Hi Nancy,
I found these steps in following link with some nice pictures too..
http://www.shishuworld.com/index.php/ask-ma/75-ques1?showall=&start=1
Should we keep mixing the ghee?
Pingback: Crunchy Chewy Mama » Blog Archive » Fitting in with carbs: gluten-free rolls
Hi Shilpa,
Is there any way I cna make ghee from SOUR CREAM?If so pls post the recipe.
Thanks!
response for Nancy’s question.
Nancy – boil milk, and let it cool down. scrape the thick cream over mailk when it is cold. boil it again and there will be another layers of thick layer of cream. when cold, remove it and put it at the same place as earlier. store the cream in refrigerator or at a safe place. after few weeks you will have lots of cream. At this point churn all cream with cake mix till it is absolutely soft. Once it is very fluffy and soft, add some cold water over it and gently stir with big spoon. when cream floats on the milky color water, pick all the creams and put it in a pan with thick bottom. let it cook on the stove on medium heat till ghee is seperated from the cream. Make sure not to burn it. once it is luke warm, strain it and put it in a glass jar.
Instead of salting and cooling I just skimmed the solids off of the surface. This produced a perfectly clear yellow fluid. Yummy. Just as a note, the left over milk solids are frothy, most of the butter mass still remains as ghee even though the leftover solids appear to be a substantial amount of the butter slab used. I’m actually thinking mixed in with herbs (the solids) this would make a good braise over naan that will use the ghee in the bread itself.
The method mentiomed by shika is the original way to make ghee. Im an old man, not the current issue here, but i was born in mangalore, in a village. I saw my grand mom make it that way xcept for the fridge off course. Fresh milk from the cow, heated, cream upon cooling would go into a cooled clay pot that was kept cool in a large clay pot, filled with water in a dark room! Lots of milt consumption 14 kids, resulted in faster volumes, i guess! Every week the cream was churned using a special churning device, that created the butter, separating it from the milk. The separeted milk was called buttermilk. The butter kept very well, in the same cooling arrangment, and once a monrh the ghee was made using shikhas method!
Thanks Shilpa. I had this Costco Butter from long time in my refrigerator and wanted to make ghee out of it, but had no idea how to. I will try this today. Thanks again!!
hi shilpa,
I am from NJ,recently came from india.. I decided to prepare Ghee from butter , and i got the same pack from Costco but i got salted one, but only after reading this post i have a confusion whether i shud use an salted or an plain one.. can u suggest me?
Plain one. You cannot use salted
thank you wher much for contrbuting recipes, ur way of making dishes and ghee ,as soon iam going to get married i made my wife to read this and made her do it ,now iam happy that i can get fresh good and healthy ghee made by my wife in future
Good recipe…………. I usually use Costco butter too. This time I’m trying Plugra. But I simply put the butter ( 2 lbs ) in a saucepan and leave it in the oven until it smells toasty. The brown bits that settle on the bottom give the rich caramely taste.
Thanks, Shilpa for the recipe. A few friends encouraged me to make ghee at home and gave me instructions. Your step by step pictures helped me to really get it. I just turned the heat off of my very first batch of ghee! Thanks!
made ghee step by step as said. hope it comes out well .the pictures helped.
I find that making ghee at home can be time consuming, but I like the home-made taste. After sampling various brands of ghee, I can simply say that the best is Ancient Organics ghee. The butter they use is higher quality that any kind I can buy in the store. The quality is even better than any home-made ghee I have made or tried.
THANK YOU FOR SUCH SIMPLE AND EASY WAY.I TRIED IT YESTERDAY AND IT CAME OUT VERY NICE.PICTURES HELPED A LOT.
Is the homemade ghee lactose free like the store purchased ghee?
I believe that the lactose is caramelized into the brown bits on the bottom, the proteins are the floaters and the water is evaporated off leaving the purified milk fat in between. At least that’s what I gather from cheesemaking.
You can use salted or unsalted butter but unsalted is best. The better the quality of the butter you use the better the ghee. I found with organic butter that it takes less time to cook and has a sweetness (but more expensive). I use a heavy stainless steel pot clad with copper – this is very important as you want to cook it for a while. Once the butter is melted and boiling, I turn it down to a low simmer. The solids will settle to the bottom of the pot and the foam from the top will eventually disappear – you do not need to scoop it out – just be patient and make sure it is on low enough so it does not burn. Depending on how much butter you start with this could take 20 minutes or more. Once all the solids are on the bottom (sort of stuck to the pan) turn it off. Wait a little while (20 min or so) and pour into mason jars or other non plastic containers. You will not need a strainer until the very last bit. It will become harder as it cools – depending on the room temperature. It can be stored in the fridge or on the counter. I do not recommend using the left over milk solids especially with non organic butter – this is what you are trying to remove in the first place. Ghee is a building and restorative food and can be used in good health.
I had a question. I followed the steps but lost track of time. My ghee turned dark brown but doesn’t have a burnt smell. I am scared to use it in my cooking now. Any idea what can be done? I used about 2lbs so don’t feel like throwing it. Thanks.
You can use it if it is not giving any burnt smell
i am in US and use a lot of ghee. another way to make ghee is use heavy whipping cream buy 2 quarts of heavy whipping cream and pour it in a non stick pan and let it cook over medium flame stirring occasionally. cook for 45 minutes or until ghee is seperated and it leaves a golden residue (this can be used as khoya). drain it in a muslin cloth. your ghee is ready .smells and tastes delicious.
Thank you Shilpa! Have a recipe calling for ghee/cooking oil so I googled and came across this. Very informative with great pics. I also really enjoyed the feedback from folks of varied cultural backgrounds. I am in US of blended Cherokee/German/Scots heritage and never thought I would do anything more exotic with butter than than combine it with white bread, sugar, and cinnamon… 🙂 Blessing to all – Scott
another way to find out whether the ghee is ready is that when the bubbling sound stops then it is a signal that our ghee is almost ready…..in another two minutes we can turn off the heat….
Hi Shilpa, I like your website because you respect our traditions, hence I would like to clarify certain things about ghee which most of us have forgotten. The English name clarified butter is not appropriate for ‘ghee’. Clarified butter is simply transforming one fat into another. Ghee is considered auspicious because of its health benefits. It has good cholesterol and hence used in lot of ayurvedic medicines. Ghee is made after ‘panch sanskar’ meaning 5 processes on the milk as below:
1. Heat the milk to get cream (malai)
2. Cool the milk and set the curd – this step adds lacto bacillus which helps in creating good cholesterol
3. Churn the curd to make butter milk
4. Keep churning till the white butter forms – white butter too has lot of medicinal applications
5. Take out the white butter, wash it thoroughly to remove traces of butter milk and then heat it to get ghee
Ghee being such integral part of our food and tradition, we should know the basics about it hence this post.
Pingback: Quora
How much is fridge life of freshly made ghee? Thank you for reply.
I usually keep it for 2-3 months
hi i love ur dishes …can u plz post me hyderabadi street food sweet corn..i dont know what does it calll.but it tastes yummmmmmy plzzz post je that recipeee i be thank full to u
I’m a sixty year old English guy who loves Indian food.
Moved from Manchester where there was plenty of it to a part of Wales where there isn’t!
I found that some branches of Tesco now sell tins of ghee and it’s ok.Found you by accident and thanks for your clear and simle to follow ghee making instructions.
Can’t wait to give it a try.
Thanks … I’ll be back.
T best ghee is supposed to b granular ghee…. if u use good quality butter ten u will get that granular texture…without having to add nythng xtra…..u can make ghee with saltef butter also………no prob
This is not ghee – This recipe if for clarified butter. The distinct flavor comes from the dahi culture which should be made to work on the butter. Better to use sour-cream than butter.
The best method to make ghee: Ayurvedic Method:
Take a bowl of cow milk and add half tea spoon of buttermilk/curd in it.
Keep it in warm climate until it becomes curd.(usually it takes 12-14 hours to become curd/dahi/yogurt)
After that you need to add some water and blend it well until butter is separated.
This butter is then used to make ghee.
This ghee is the best ghee.
Dear Shilpa and all the other readers on this forum:
Please note that the ghee you are preparing from this method is not Ayurvedic and therefore is not beneficial for health in any way. Ayurvedic Ghee increases longevity of life.
For the preparation of Vedic ghee, you have to culture the milk to curds and then extract butter from the curds/yogurt.
Another good suggestion I have. Add a big betel leaf (chopped) along with its stem when the ghee is about ready.The sign of its readyness is that the oil like substance and the particles which are one kind of dirt only,get separated.Immediately filter or strain this ghee with the help of a fine cotton cloth.The cloth of old discarded dhoti is the best for this.But it should be slightly moistened with water.Dip it in water properly and then immediately squeeze out much water as possible by throughly pressing it with our closed palm.Also,there should not be a single whole also,in this cotton cloth.When the ghee cools properly,store it in a glass jar or a stainless steel container only.Only these two materials are the best for storage of ghee.Afterwards also,if a big,whole,fresh betel leaf along with its stem is placed in the jar or container,then this ghee does not become rancid quickly.It can be stored for 6 to 8 months and that too with a good smell or aroma.
I boiled the curd..what will happen
It will curdle and separate
Hello Shilpa
Thank you very much for this recipe. I too found the ghee in the Indian store expensive and so my family loves sweets made out of ghee. I am glad you have made it so simple by putting the pictures.