Ghee is butter with the milk solids removed, so basically butter oil. It’s great for cooking when using high heat on the stovetop as it has a higher smoke point than butter, but it still has that great butter flavour. Learning how to make ghee is really easy and it will save you some money at the same time.
Why we make ghee
We love to use ghee for high heat cooking as it has a higher smoke point than butter, but still with the buttery flavour. We have a small jar of ghee next to our stovetop and we use it to cook our eggs in and to cook veggies or meat in.
If you are dairy intolerant or are avoiding dairy products then ghee can be a great alternative to use instead of butter. When ghee is made, the dairy solids are removed, so it has very minimal actual dairy in it. If you are actually allergic to dairy products then it is still a no go, but for most people with intolerances, it is suitable.
Another good reason to make ghee at home yourself is the price! Purchasing good quality ghee can be expensive. If you choose to make it at home yourself you are only paying for the butter.
If you prefer the convenience of purchasing your ghee, here are some of our favourite options:
Best butter to use for ghee
When choosing a butter to make your ghee from you want to make sure you choose a good quality option that is grass-fed. This just means the cows that produced the milk that was turned into butter were fed their traditional diet of grass. Rather than cows that are grain fed in more industrialised farming.
Not only does grass fed butter taste better it is also better for you, just like grass fed beef is. Grass fed butter has a better omega 3-omega 6 ratio and more fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A, D, E & K2 when compared to grain fed butter.
Here are some of our preferred butter options:
Ghee in the oven?
Yes, you can also make ghee easily in the oven. Check out our vlog below, where we made some ghee in the oven at home.
How to make ghee
Ghee is a great option for most people who have dairy intolerances as most of the milk solids are removed. It’s a great fat to use as a substitute for butter in cooking. We love to fry our eggs in our homemade ghee. The higher smoke point of ghee makes it a great fat to use for cooking.
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Slotted spoon
- Sieve
- Cheesecloth or paper towel
- Heatproof jug
- Glass jar for storage
Ingredients
- Butter
Serving Suggestions
Ghee is a very popular ingredient in Indian cuisine. It is great in Butter Chicken or other curries.
We love to use ghee for any high heat cooking as it has a much higher smoke point than butter. It is delicious to use to fry your eggs in.
Ghee is great to use in any high heat cooking where butter may burn, so sautéing mushrooms or other vegetables. It gives a great buttery flavour to any grilled meat or vegetables, and is a good alternative for people who may be intolerant to butter.
Steps
- Place the butter in the saucepan and heat on medium until completely melted
- Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 5 mins then skim off the white foam layer on the top. It is safest to keep the temperature on low as it can bubble and spit a little (be careful)
- Leave to continue simmering and the milk solids will sink to the bottom and become brown and the liquid will become clear and golden. This may take 10-20 mins dependant on the size of your saucepan and stove temperature
- Allow to cool slightly, then strain through the sieve lined with cheesecloth into a heatproof jug
- Once strained poor into your glass jar for storage and allow to cool completely
- We prefer to store it in the fridge
We hope you found this helpful. Check out our other ‘How to’ posts for more step by step guides.
- How to Make Fathead Pizza Dough
- How To make Pulled Pork
- How to Roast Chicken
- Creamy Cauliflower Mash
- How to Poach Eggs
- How to Make an Omelette
- How to Fry Eggs
- How to Boil Eggs
- How to Scramble Eggs
- How To make Flavoured Butter
Ingredients
- 500 g butter 5 sticks
Instructions
- Place the butter in the saucepan and heat on medium until completely melted
- Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 5 mins then skim off the white foam layer on the top. It is safest to keep the temperature on low as it can bubble and spit a little (be careful)
- Leave to continue simmering and the milk solids will sink to the bottom and become brown and the liquid will become clear and golden. This may take 10-20 mins dependant on the size of your saucepan and stove temperature
- Allow to cool slightly, then strain through the sieve lined with cheesecloth into a heatproof jug
- Once strained poor into your glass jar for storage and allow to cool completely
- We prefer to store it in the fridge
Video
Notes
NOTE: THIS IS BASED ON THE INGREDIENTS WE USED, NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION MAY VARY DEPENDING ON THE INGREDIENTS USED.
Nutrition Per Serve
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Do you use salted butter or unsalted to make Ghee?
Hi, It will work with either salted or unsalted butter.