clarified butter

Learn how to make clarified butter (ghee), an easy process that removes the water and milk solids from whole butter. Clarified butter tastes great, lasts longer in the refrigerator, and has a higher smoke point for cooking.

How to Make Clarified Butter

unsalted butter

In a small saucepan over low heat, warm butter without boiling or agitation of any kind.

As the butter melts, the solids rise to the top and water sinks to the bottom. Sometimes the solids appear to bubble up from the bottom.

When the butter is melted, skim the milk solids from the top using a ladle or slotted spoon (see notes for ideas of what to do with the solids).

When the skim solids have been removed, transfer the butterfat to a clean saucepan or bowl using a ladle. Leave the water in the bottom of the original saucepan.

1 pound of whole butter will yield approximately 12 ounces clarified butter. The clarified butter can be kept in the refrigerator or freezer.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/ZcIkIyNG.mp4

How to Make Clarified Butter - Culinary Hill

Informational guide on how to make ghee from butter for cooking and baking. A step-by-step guide for the butter clarification process for making richly flavored homemade ghee.

How to Make Ghee

Cut butter into even pieces and place in a large heavy bottomed skillet or dutch oven.

Turn heat to medium and allow butter to melt. Once melted simmer over medium-low heat.

Gently simmer the butter until the solids float to the surface, about 10 to 15 minutes depending on the how hot the stovetop and pan used. Bubbling will also occur with the foaming.

Meanwhile, use a slotted spoon to remove the white frothy milk solids from the surface of the melted butter and discard. This can be done as soon as you see the solids rising to the top.

Once the surface solids are removed, only yellow butterfat and white milk solids that have sunk to the bottom will remain.

Continue to simmer the clarified butter until milk solids on the bottom are light amber in color, and the butterfat becomes a deep golden yellow color. The ghee should smell nutty when done. Time will vary depending on your stove.

Turn off heat and remove the pan from the stove to ensure that the browned milk solids do not burn.

Allow the ghee to slightly cool for about 3 to 5 minutes.

Set a fine-mesh strainer over a heat-proof bowl or cup. Line the strainer with a triple layer of cheesecloth that hangs over the edges of the strainer.

Carefully pour the ghee through the lined strainer into the container. The browned milk solids should collect in the cheesecloth.

Transfer the ghee to a clean glass jar with a lid.

Ghee can be stored in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 3 months, or 1 year in the refrigerator.

Easy tutorials for how to make clarified butter, how to make homemade ghee, and how to make brown butter.

How to make Clarified Butter, Ghee, & Brown Butter

butter

Line a fine-meshed sieve with a few layers of...

Line a fine-meshed sieve with a few layers of cheesecloth and set over a large heatproof measuring cup. Set aside.

Cut the butter into 1/2-inch slices and place in a...

Cut the butter into 1/2-inch slices and place in a medium saucepan. Heat the butter over low heat until completely melted.

Allow the butter to simmer over low heat,...

Allow the butter to simmer over low heat, as the butter bubbles and splutters, foam–or whey proteins–will begin to rise to the surface. I use a metal spoon and carefully skim the surface (do not stir the butter) to remove the foam during the entire cooking process (I have a small bowl set aside for it). This allows you to see the butter and watch it more carefully. Don’t throw out the foam, it can be stirred into sauce, tossed with pasta, etc. Adjust the heat as necessary.

Once the foam dissipates  (time will vary depending on...

Once the foam dissipates  (time will vary depending on quality and quantity of butter) and the butter starts spluttering, very small, clear bubbles should form on the surface of the butter. This is a sign that it is almost finished cooking, watch carefully.

Remove the butter from the heat immediately, allow...

Remove the butter from the heat immediately, allow it to sit for a few minutes, skim any remaining foam that rises to the surface, and carefully pour the butter through the cheesecloth lined sieve, leaving the solids on the bottom of the pan. Allow the butter to cool before transferring to a heatproof jar or container. Use or store in the refrigerator (it should keep for at minimum a month, if not significantly longer).

Repeat Steps 1-4 above.

Once the foam dissipates and the butter stops...

Once the foam dissipates and the butter stops spluttering, continue to cook the butter just until the milk solids begin to caramelize and turn golden brown on the bottom of the pan. It will be slightly more golden in color than clarified butter, and just begin to have a light nutty fragrance.

Remove the butter from the heat immediately, allow it to sit for a few minutes, skim any remaining foam that rises to the surface, and carefully pour the butter through the cheesecloth lined sieve, so that the cheesecloth catches the milk solids. Allow the butter to cool before transferring to a heatproof jar or container. Use or store in the refrigerator (it should keep for at minimum a month, if not significantly longer).

Allow the butter to simmer, at this point...

Allow the butter to simmer, at this point you can increase the heat to medium to speed up the process (however, watch it carefully the whole time).

Continue to cook the butter as it splutters...

Continue to cook the butter as it splutters and bubbles, stirring continuously with a rubber spatula and scraping the bottom of the pan continuously (this will help the milk solids caramelize more evenly). The foam will eventually subside, small bubbles will form, and the milk solids will begin to caramelize lightly. Reduce the heat to low and swirl the pan until the butter becomes fragrant (nutty) and a light amber in color.

Turn off the heat immediately (the butter will...

Turn off the heat immediately (the butter will continue to cook) and transfer the butter to a heatproof bowl, be sure to scrape any remaining brown bits that stick to the bottom of the saucepan into the bowl–this is the best and most flavorful part of brown butter! Cool the butter, and then store in a glass jar or container. Use or store in the refrigerator (brown butter will keep for at minimum a week, if not longer).

Recipe video above. Ghee is a form of clarified butter, where butter that is simmered until the water content is evaporated, then the milk solids are strained out to leave just pure gold butter fat with a nutty, intense butter flavour. It&#039;s shelf stable (3 months pantry, 1 year fridge), has a higher smoke point than butter so you can pan fry and roast on high heat without smoking out your house. Chef-secret ingredient, used in many recipes in place of ordinary butter for extra flavour (like Hollandaise Sauce), make pan fried things like Potato Rosti super crispy, and the traditional fat used in Indian curries.

How to make Ghee and Clarified Butter (same thing - almost)

Use a small or medium saucepan or small skillet with a silver base so it&#039;s easier to see when milk solids are golden.

Put butter in then let it melt over medium-low heat.

Leave to simmer for 10 minutes - it will start to foam at about 5 minutes, then at 7 minutes most of the foam will be gone, and by the end the foam should be almost all gone.

The ghee is ready when the milk solids that settle on the base of the pan turn golden.

Strain through a mesh colander lined with a single sheet of paper towel.

Then pour into a jar for storage. Keep in the pantry 3 months (firms to peanut butter consistency), or fridge 1 year (hardens like butter).

Use in place of butter or fat for pan frying, roasting, sauces. The smoke point of ghee / clarified butter is 230°C / 450°F which is considerably higher than common oils such as vegetable oil and olive oil, so it won&#039;t smoke and burn.

Use with caution in baking recipes - such as cakes and cookies.

Using:

Marhaf Homsi learned to make this Syrian-style walnut baklava from his family in Hama. The baklava he and his wife, Nawal Wardeh, now bake in Brooklyn and sell at their online store, Syrian Sweet Refuge, is less intensely sweet than the sticky confection familiar to many Americans. Cut into large squares, as is traditional in Hama, where the couple ran a bakery for 30 years, the baklava is lightly soaked in a lemon sugar syrup, rather than honey. Use the best quality walnuts available and chop them by hand; Mr. Homsi finds that walnuts chopped in a food processor get bruised and overly pulverized, creating a powdery texture. Be sure to leave time to defrost frozen phyllo dough, which takes 2 hours to thaw on the counter.

Syrian Walnut Baklava

walnuts (3 1/4 cups whole walnuts)

confectioners’ sugar

orange blossom water

phyllo dough (1 pound,

granulated sugar

lemon juice

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Chop walnuts by hand into small pieces. (A food processor will bruise and pulverize the walnuts, creating a powdery effect.) Transfer to a bowl and mix with confectioners’ sugar and orange blossom water.

Cover phyllo pastry with a clean, lightly damp kitchen towel. Layer a pastry sheet into a 13-by-18-inch pan, securing it in a few places with dabs of clarified butter in the bottom of the pan. Brush sheet lightly with butter before layering on the next sheet. Continue layering butter and sheets; once half the sheets have been used, scatter the walnut mixture evenly over the top, being careful not to rip the pastry or leave any spots uncovered.

Layer the remaining sheets, brushing each lightly with butter, including the top one. If your sheets are larger than the pan, trim the stack all at once so the edges are flush with the pan. Cut baklava into 3-inch squares, and pour any remaining butter around the edges. Bake for 40 minutes, or until top is a light golden brown.

Meanwhile, prepare simple syrup: Boil granulated sugar and 3/4 cup/180 milliliters water together in a small pot over medium-high heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Stir, set aside and let cool to lukewarm.

If there is excess butter in the baklava pan, carefully tip it over the sink to drain. While baklava is still hot, drizzle over the lukewarm syrup, being sure to get it in the gaps between pieces. Once completely cool, the baklava is best stored covered at room temperature and eaten within a few days.

A simple, healthful homemade Ghee butter (clarified butter) - following a simple process, tastier, and more cost-effective than store-bought varieties!

How To Make Ghee Butter (Clarified Butter)

unsalted butter (this can be store-bought

Place your butter in a pan and gently melt it over medium-low heat.

Once melted, it will begin to separate into three parts: a foam on top, the yellow-ish middle &#039;oil&#039;, and the milk solids at the bottom. The middle layer is what will eventually become our ghee.

Skim the foam from the top of the butter (you may need to do this a few times- this whey can be composted, added to mashed potatoes or smoothies, etc.). At this point, you could stop, strain this mixture, and you&#039;d have clarified butter. However, for ghee butter, we need to continue heating it -  I&#039;ve found that the entire process takes between 20-25 minutes. 

Allow the milk solids at the bottom of the pan to go lightly brown, and this will give the ghee that lovely nutty, caramelized flavor. Make sure the browning milk solids don&#039;t burn as this will affect the flavor of the ghee. If you want brown butter, then this is the time to turn off the heat and use the butter, milk solids, and all. However, for ghee, follow the next step.

When ready, turn off the heat and allow the ghee to cool for a few minutes. Then, pour the liquid carefully into a jar through either a fine-mesh strainer, nut milk mag, or layers of cheesecloth to filter out the solids. This golden liquid is your ghee!

Storing Instructions: As long as you properly filtered out all of the solids, and store the ghee in a sterilized, dry container, then homemade ghee can keep for up to 3 months at room temperature, 1 year when refrigerated. In frozen, ghee will last indefinitely.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/hR6gBk60.mp4

This is a tutorial on how to make a simple, healthful homemade Ghee butter (clarified butter). It follows a simple process and is tastier and more cost-effective than store-bought varieties!

How To Make Ghee

Ghee is liquid gold when it comes to its health benefits. Making ghee at home is quite easy and today I will teach you how to make ghee in a crockpot.

How to Make Ghee in Crockpot

Remove the wrappers from butter and place them in the crockpot. Remember what I said about not closing the lid of the crockpot shut. Slightly move the lid of the pot to the side, making sure the lid is still secure.

If you are home while the ghee is cooking, you can turn the dial to HIGH (or set it to HIGH) until the butter has melted down. This will expedite the process a little. OR you can set the dial to LOW and let the process begin. IF you set the pot to HIGH, make sure to only keep it on high until the butter has melted, I can’t stress this enough.

The butter will slowly melt and will start slowly boiling. AGAIN make sure the lid is not closed shut. You need to leave the way out for the moisture to escape.

While the butter is cooking down it will first go through the clarification state and the second stage will be the development of ghee. When you see the lactose bubbling up on the surface of the butter, you may remove it and strain out the butter at this stage. CONGRATULATIONS, you just made clarified butter! But that’s not what we are making, so, keep on going.

Aside from what you might have skimmed out from the surface, the majority of the milk solids will wind down on the bottom of the crockpot. During the process of cooking, these milk solids will also cook down and turn brown. This is an indication that the ghee is ready.

Turn off the crockpot, and let it cool down a bit. Prepare 4 layers of cheesecloth to help you filter out the ghee. It is important that none of the milk solids get in the final product.

I use clay pots to store the ghee. Cover the clay pot (or container) with the cheesecloth and immobilize it by propping the container against the crockpot, trapping the edge of the cheesecloth. Pour the adequate amount of ghee into the container. My clay pots take about 5 ladles of ghee. Gently pick up the cheesecloth and place it on another container to repeat the process of portioning the ghee.

Towards the end more and more of the brown milk solids will end up in the ladle. Since you are using 4 layers of cheesecloth, none of the milk solids should end up in the final containers. Once you are done separating the ghee, gently squeeze the cheesecloth and discard what remains in it. Wipe down the sides of the container with a damp cloth. Cover the lids and put away ghee into the storage. I store my ghee in room temperature. You can also put them in the refrigerator for an even longer shelf life.

Homemade Garlic Ghee

garlic (smashed)

In a medium saucepan over medium/low heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and stir.

Increase the heat to medium/high and allow the butter to come to a boil. Boil for approximately 1 minute.&nbsp;

Reduce the heat to low and simmer lightly for 4-5 minutes. You&#039;ll notice the milk fats have settled on the bottom of the pan and the clarified butter is on top.

Use the strainer and cheesecloth to strain the ghee into a glass jar and discard the milkfat.

Allow the ghee to cool and place the lid on the jar.&nbsp;

Store in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months. Use as you would regular butter and also to saute and pan-fry foods.

Time seems why to short, usually takes me 40 - 50 minutes or so for 2 1/2 lbs of butter. Lately have to cook on lower temperature due to water content.

You must strain out the garlic before it burns.  I just ruined a huge batch because I didn't know this little point.  Let it cook, then strain or scoop out the garlic by some means or other and then continue with the clarification, but don't leave it in there for the full duration of the clarifying process or it WILL burn and basically ruin everything.

So simple yet such a great way to add extra flavor. Delicious!

Woah! I never thought about adding garlic to my ghee-- I love this idea!

Clarified butter is simply butter with the solids removed. Use any amount of butter you like, but more is better in this low-and-slow method. Scroll down to see my video tutorial!

How to Clarify Butter

butter, preferably European-style

Place the butter in a saucepan over the very lowest heat.

Melt the butter, completely undisturbed, untill fully melted, about 30 minutes at this low temperature. It is essential not to stir or move the saucepan while the butter melts. The goal is to allow the solids to remain at the bottom of the pan.

If using European butter, carefully and very slowly pour the melted butter from the saucepan into a heat-resistant container or jar. As you get to the bottom of the pan where the solids reside, be extra careful not to allow any of the solids to pour off into the clarified butter container. Set aside the remaining solids for another use, such as dressing steamed or roasted vegetables.

If using standard butter, use one of these three methods: skim and pour off, chill and rinse, or strain (see notes).

Store, airtight, in the pantry for at least 3 months, in the refrigerator or freezer for up to a year.

I adore all things that you do! Thank you. Your recipes have fed several branches of my family tree because you cookbooks are my go to gift. 

Toum. Need I say more! Grazie!

So easy to follow.  Patience is the key.  Worked wonders.

Simplicity itself; you have to work at messing this up!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/UJqoD806.mp4

A simple and straightforward guide on how to make brown butter

Top 10 clarified butter recipes from across the web

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How to make Clarified Butter, Ghee,...

How to make Ghee and Clarified Butt...

Syrian Walnut Baklava

How To Make Ghee Butter (Clarified ...

How to Make Ghee in Crockpot

Homemade Garlic Ghee

How to Clarify Butter

How to make brown butter

Top 10 clarified butter recipes from across the web

The most viewed clarified butter recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

How to Make Clarified Butter

How to Make Ghee

How to make Clarified Butter, Ghee,...

How to make Ghee and Clarified Butt...

Syrian Walnut Baklava

How To Make Ghee Butter (Clarified ...

How to Make Ghee in Crockpot

Homemade Garlic Ghee

How to Clarify Butter

How to make brown butter

The most viewed clarified butter recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine