Ghee

Want to get on board the Ghee train but unsure where to start? We’ve got a Ghee Recipe Guide ready to go for you!

What is Ghee?

It seems like everyone is looking for healthy substitutes lately, and that trend isn’t leaving butter out of the equation. Some people looking for healthy butter substitutes may have developed some sort of allergy or are just looking to stray away from dairy altogether.

We know that fat can be a substitute for another fat, such as coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil. But today, we’re investigating the raging popularity of ghee. Ghee, also referred to as ghee butter, is a butter with a much more refined end product.

What is ghee made of?

Ghee is clarified butter that’s typically made from cow’s milk. During the clarification process, much of the dairy proteins are eliminated, resulting in a liquid, fat substance left behind. It has a nuttier flavor because ghee is heated for a longer period of time than other clarified butter.

How is butter different from ghee?

Because butter and ghee are created from the same cow’s milk, their contents are extremely similar. The biggest difference is the number of dairy proteins remaining. Butter contains many dairy proteins until it’s clarified, and then once it’s turned into ghee, it loses most of them. So, if you’re someone who has a not-so-great reaction to dairy, ghee might be a better alternative for you. Also, since ghee has a higher burning point, it’s great for sautéing or even frying.

How to make ghee at home

Having an easy-to-follow ghee recipe might be a lot more simple than you think! Of course, the quickest way to obtain ghee is to buy it straight from the grocery store, but that might not always be the cheapest option. However, if you’re in a pinch, that’s always a route you can go!

If you want to make it at home, you can start out by buying butter – no margarine or I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter allowed here. In this case, unsalted regular butter is best. Melt the butter slowly and remove the solid chunks that break off and come to the surface. Continue to skim the solids off of the surface and cook the butter until the solids at the bottom start turning brown. The cooked solids at the bottom are what give ghee its flavor and rich coloring. Drain the liquid into a container and set aside for it to solidify. No refrigeration is necessary.

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Ghee:

Ghee is clarified butter that’s typically made from cow’s milk. During the clarification process, much of the dairy proteins are eliminated and you have a beautiful golden liquid, with a delicious nutty flavor.

Course Kitchen Basics

Cuisine Indian

Keyword Ghee, Kitchen 101

Prep Time 0 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cups

Ingredients

• 1 pound unsalted butter

Instructions

• Cut butter sticks into smaller pieces (any shape or size is finand put it in a thick bottom cooking pan. I use a heavy bottom sauce pan.
• Place the pan on the stovetop and turn the heat on to medium low. Now let the butter and heat play with each other. Just stay around to keep an eye but do not touch it and definitely do not stir it.
• Slowly the butter will melt down and then as it reaches the optimum temperature, and the milk content begins to cook, it will start to sputter. A white foam of milk content will slowly begin to come to the surface. Using a large spoon, just scoop the foam off the surface, carefully without touching the base of the pan.
• This should continue for a few minutes, some 5-8 minutes after the butter melts.
• Once the cooking process continues and you have scooped pretty much all the milk content, you should see an almost clear liquid with golden browned milk content stuck to the base of the pan.
• Soon after this stage you will again see a quick foam formation on the surface but the density of this froth will be much less than the previous one. This is an indication can it is time to turn the heat off.
• Take ghee off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes before straining it through a strainer or sieve layered with cheesecloth.

Notes

Strain clear ghee into a clean, dry mason jar. Let the ghee cool down completely before putting the lid on the jar. Store in a dry place at room temperature or can also pop it into the refrigerator.