Wondering how to make ghee? The answer is as simple as melting unsalted butter and waiting patiently.
How To Make Ghee
Ingredients
Directions
Place the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat and wait patiently until it melts and then separates into distinct layers. This is going to take a while. In time, you’ll observe at least two and probably three distinct layers: the milk solids that migrate to the bottom of the pan, the foam that rises to the surface, and the golden liquid that will float in between the two.
Eventually, the butter will come to an ever-so-gentle simmer. You want to maintain this until what’s in between the foam and the milk solids turns a slightly darker shade than when you started and you can see through it to the milk solids at the bottom of the pan, which will begin to turn a light shade of brown. This could take as long as 25 minutes or so. At this point, you can stop things or you can let things progress a little longer for a more intense, nuttier taste.
Using a spoon or strainer, skim the foam from the surface of the ghee and dump it in a bowl. Turn off the heat and let things settle for a minute or so.
Carefully pour the ghee through a strainer into a clean glass jar, doing your best to leave the milk solids at the bottom of the pan. Let cool to room temperature.
Transfer the solids to the bowl with any foam and reserve for another use. (Use the foam and solids as you would butter, spreading them on bread and so forth.)
The ghee will keep at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to several weeks and can be used in place of butter when cooking.
Variation
- How to Make Clarified Butter
Knowing how to make clarified butter is as easy as knowing how to make ghee. The difference between the techniques, explains cookbook author and blogger Heidi Swanson, is that ghee is cooked longer and, as a result of being in contact with the milk solids for more time as they warm, has a more intense flavor profile. To make clarified butter, simply follow the above ghee recipe but be certain to pull the pan from the heat before the milk solids begin to turn brown.
Recipe Testers' Tips
I've never actually made clarified butter before and this was a great tutorial. I had just two layers—a top layer of clear butterfat and bits of foam that would sort of bubble up from the bottom from time to time. I had a really hard time trying to pour off the clarified portion without getting any of the milk solids from the bottom. I used some on my pancakes this morning and it tasted like butter. I suppose I expected something different and exciting (maybe that's due, in part, to the hype surrounding ghee as a superfood these days!). I have the solids in a separate dish and have been using them just as I would use butter on bread or my morning toast.
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Just wondering how much ghee would I get out of 3/4 pound of butter?
Jill, that will give you about 1 1/8 cup of ghee.
That was really helpful, thank you!
You are so very welcome, Lydia!