HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE GHEE: DELICIOUS DAIRY-FREE

In this post I’m going to walk you through the simple process on how to make homemade ghee. Don’t worry, it’s easy, delicious, and dairy-free!

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Homemade ghee is a seriously delicious option for people who are sensitive to dairy. By simply simmering butter for about 15 minutes and straining, nearly all the casein and lactose are removed, leaving you with only the butter fat. Give it a try! I bet it will quickly become a yummy staple for your family as well.

Do your research on whether ghee is right for you if you have a severe allergy to milk. Technically ghee is a product made from milk. I’ll explain more on why this product becomes “dairy-free” throughout this post, but I am not guaranteeing anything for the safety of my readers. My post is based on research, and I encourage you to research as well!

Making ghee is a great way to preserve your raw butter if you have a dairy cow and an abundance of butter to use up.

What is ghee?

Ghee is butter that has been simmered long enough for the milk solids and water to be removed, leaving just butter fat. It is basically lactose- and casein-free. Ghee has a long, long history in traditional cultures. I can imagine why, with its rich, nutty taste and long shelf life.

While ghee can be expensive when purchased from the store, it’s nearly as cheap as butter when you make it at home! And if you have a dairy cow and have the butter anyway, it’s free!

Homemade ghee recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 – 1 lb. unsalted butter* (we use organic, pasture-raised)

Tools:

• Saucepan
• Strainer (paper towel, coffee filter, or cheese cloth)
• 1-2 C. glass storage container

Directions:

1. Chop 1/2 pound butter (optional)

For quicker melting, chop your butter into small pieces.

2. Melt butter in a saucepan on low heat

This will take 5-10 minutes for the butter to melt on low heat. If you want it to go more quickly, you can set your butter out the night before so that it is room temperature by the time you make ghee.

3. Simmer on low heat until milk solids have browned

Once it is melted, simmer on low to medium low heat until the milk solids have fallen to the bottom and turned golden brown (10-20 minutes, more time for more butter).

4. Strain your homemade ghee

Strain through a tightly-woven strainer like a coffee filter, paper towel, cheese cloth, or flour sack towel.

5. Store ghee in a glass container

Store in a glass container on the shelf for up to 6 months, or in the fridge for up to a year.

Notes:

*You can use salted butter, if you prefer. Unsalted is typically recommended because it’s the traditional way to make ghee. It also helps avoid over-salting in your cooking.

Use as high a quality of butter as you can get. We use the butter I make from our dairy cows fresh milk. As you can imagine, the quality of your ghee is directly related to the quality of your butter.

Also, avoid the temptation to turn up the heat too high in order to speed up the process. Higher heat could burn the butter and mess with the final product.

How to strain homemade ghee

There are countless ways to strain homemade ghee, but here are some basic guidelines.

First, you want something with a tight enough weave to strain out the tiny milk solids at the bottom of the pan. even a fine mesh strainer is too loose.\

You also want something that won’t fall apart and can withstand hot liquid.

Some options are:

Disposable options for straining:

• Coffee filter
• Single layer of paper towel

Reusable options for straining:

• Cheesecloth
• Small, fine mesh bag
• Flour sack towel
• Old piece of cotton (clothing, pillowcase, sheet, etc.)

Don’t throw out the milk solids!

Some people enjoy eating the strained milk solids from the ghee!

The caramelized milk solids are a yummy treat sprinkled on a variety of dishes. So, if anyone in your family does tolerate milk, give this a try.

How long does homemade ghee last?

Homemade ghee generally lasts 6 months at room temperature, and up to a year in the fridge. With a shelf life like this, you can imagine why ghee has a long history in traditional cultures (before fridges and freezers and such).

Can you freeze ghee? Yes! Some sources say that ghee lasts indefinitely in the freezer. I would assume freezer burn would take over before your ghee would go rancid.

One important note is that you want to keep moisture out of the ghee container, as this can encourage bacterial growth. So, be careful of having it too close to the steamy stovetop as you’re cooking. If water does get into it, I would recommend putting it in the fridge until it is used up.

This has never been a problem for me because I go through more than a cup of ghee per week these days.

Uses of homemade ghee

Homemade ghee is very versatile! It can basically be used as a 1:1 substitute for butter in all of your cooking. Just note the flavor difference; ghee is more rich and nutty-tasting than butter.

Because of ghee’s high smoke point – around 480 degrees F, versus the 302 degree F smoke point of butter – ghee is great for sautéing.

Lastly, ghee is a rich choice for all kinds of baking. Chilled ghee can even be used in pie crust instead of shortening. I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to start cooking up some nutrient-dense homemade pies!

Is homemade ghee the same as clarified butter?

Think of it this way: When you take butter and simmer it on low heat, it actually passes through 3 distinct stages:

1. Clarified butter: While regular butter is made up of butterfat, water, and milk solids, clarified butter has been simmered just long enough to remove the water and milk solids. This is a useful cooking staple because of its higher smoke point and longer shelf life.
2. Ghee: If you allow the clarified butter to cook longer on low heat, those milk solids will begin to caramelize at the bottom of the pan. This gives ghee its traditional nutty, rich flavor. The longer cooking also does a more effective job of removing water and milk solids, making ghee basically lactose- and casein-free.
3. Brown butter: And if you let the ghee go even longer, the butterfat will begin to brown. Don’t throw this out! Brown butter is a flavor-packed cooking staple. It seriously tastes like toffee or butterscotch.

Some say that ghee is the same as “clarified butter.” However, I have found convincing explanations that these are two separate things.

What is the consistency of homemade ghee?

Ghee is semi-solid at room temperature. My ghee stays at a semi-solid consistency most of the time here in Ontario Canada.

Typically, it cools to a semi-hard, spreadable state at room temperature.

In the fridge, ghee resembles the consistency of refrigerated butter. This can be useful for things like pie crust.

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If you enjoyed this recipe on how to make homemade ghee, I’d love for you to leave a comment with your thoughts on ghee!

Shoutout to my friend Amelia for her contributions and insight within this post! Thanks girl!

Another post you might like;

How To Make Homemade Ghee: Delicious Dairy-Free