Ghee is a healthy fat to use when cooking in diets like keto, paleo, and whole30. Store-bought ghee can be expensive; making your own using your slow cooker or Instant Pot is not only easy but cheaper too.
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Updated 2020
Normally I only provide slow cooker & Instant Pot instructions. Since ghee is easily made on the stove-top, I’m providing those instructions as well this time.
before (slow cooker)
What Is Ghee
Ghee originated in India and the Middle East and it is known not only for its flavor but also as a healthy ingredient sometimes even used in traditional medicines. Ghee is an important part of Ayurveda, which is a type of healing that addresses both the physical and the spiritual. Ghee is considered sacred in Ayurveda so it is said that when you take the Ayurvedic medicine made with ghee, it will help heal you both inside and out. Ghee is a type of clarified butter, which means that butter has been heated until all the water has evaporated out of it. After the water is gone, all that is left is the milk solids (which are what is used to make powdered milk), and the milkfat. Milkfat is what the 2% on your milk is referring to, there is only 2% milkfat in the entire jug. This may sound complicated, but what it all really means is that ghee is butter that is heated until it is absolutely pure. This makes it so that people with dairy sensitivities are able to use ghee in their food, and it’s a little bit healthier overall, which I will talk about in the next section. Ghee has a slightly nutty flavor and is very aromatic.
leave the lid slightly ajar to release the steam
The Benefits of Ghee
Since ghee is lactose-free, it is a great alternative to butter for people who have dairy sensitivities. It can be used to replace butter in many cooking and baking recipes, opening up many foods that would have otherwise been to hard on the digestive system to eat. It has also been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties due to all the nutrients, which is another reason why ghee is better for your digestive health. Low heat preparation maintains many of the vitamins and nutrients like vitamin A and E, antioxidants, and other organic compounds. Ghee can help the body absorb these nutrients, and when you cook other nutrient rich foods, like vegetables, in ghee it can help you absorb more of the nutrients from those as well. It is also packed with Omega-3s, which are heart healthy fats that can also be found in salmon. Good ghee is also all natural. As long as the butter that ghee is made from is of a high quality, you know that your ghee will be also. You might have to do some research on store bought ghee to make sure it is made ethically and organically, but when you make your own ghee you have more control over the quality of your product.
after (slow cooker)
How to Use Ghee
I love using ghee as a replacement for butter in my recipes because it is whole30 and paleo compliant. While there are going to be a few exceptions, you can generally use ghee just like you would butter or other cooking oils, even when baking! It also has a decently high smoke point (which is the temperature at which oils burn) of almost 500 degrees, which means that you won’t burn anything when you use it to sauté on your stovetop. It also will not pop and splash like butter will since there is no water left in it to cause a bad reaction with the oil. That means there is less chance of you accidentally getting burned, and less cleanup after dinner, too. Basically, you can substitute ghee into recipes just about any place you would use butter.
strain the ghee
Straining Ghee
When you cook ghee, the milk solids brown & fall to the bottom of the appliance. You will need to strain those out. Most people use a cheesecloth but I have found that a coffee liner works just as well. My 2 pounds of butter filled four 8-ounce mason jars.
How to Store Ghee
Ghee can be stored both at room temperature and in the refrigerator, but I wouldn’t recommend storing it in the freezer unless absolutely necessary. In general a jar of ghee can be left on your counter for up to 3 months & in the refrigerator for up to 1 year. Storing ghee at room temperature will make it soft, but you don’t need to worry about it going bad because there is not dairy in it to spoil. If you refrigerate it, it will be solid, and you will have to scoop it out of the jar using a spoon or a butter knife. I prefer to keep it in the refrigerator myself because I want to be able to easily scoop it into a measuring cup or my pan while I’m cooking. If I know I will need my ghee to be softened or melted, I just leave it on my counter while I begin prepping to cook and by the time I need it, it’s right where I need it to be.
I used my 4-quart slow cooker but you can easily double this recipe to make more if you have a larger 6-quart slow cooker. I only own a 6-quart Instant Pot do I use that when I make ghee. If you make this on the stove top, using a heavy bottom pan will help keep the milk solids from burning.
Tips For Making A Successful Ghee
- Start with a good quality, unsalted butter. Vital Farms & Kerry Gold are good options.
- If making this in the Instant Pot, you will need to make adjustments if you use less butter. 1 pound of ghee cooks for 8 to 10 minutes, rather than 12-14 minutes.
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How To Make Ghee
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
Ingredients
2 lbs unsalted butter
Instructions
- Add unsalted butter to a slow cooker. Leave the lid slightly ajar to let steam escape.
- Cook on high 2-4 or low 4-6 hours.
- When done, let cool slightly.
- Line a strainer with cheesecloth or a coffee liner. Place the lined strainer over a mason jar. Carefully pour the liquid through the strainer.
- Turn on the pressure cooker and select sauté. If your pot tends to heat up faster, switch to “less” . mode.
- Add butter to the pan. Set stopwatch for 12 minutes. Simmer the butter until the until the milk solids start to separate and fall to the bottom of the pressure cooker.
- Around minute 12 minutes, the milk solids at the bottom should start to brown. When this happens, turn off pressure cooker. Using oven mitts, remove the inner pot of the pressure cooker from the base so the butter doesn’t continue to cook.
Stove Top
- Melt butter in heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.
- Stir occasionally while the butter simmers.
- Turn off the heat when the milk solids that fall to the bottom of the pan start to brown. Let cool.
- Line a strainer with cheesecloth or a coffee liner. Place the lined strainer over a mason jar. Carefully pour the liquid through the strainer.
Notes
For this recipe you’ll also need cheesecloth or coffee liners and mesh strainer.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tbsp
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Thanks for the Clarification!
Ive never made a butter joke before…..