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

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'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.

Prep time: PT3M

Cook time: PT10M

Rating

4.88 stars (40 reviews)

Keywords

clarified butter, ghee

Ingredients

250g / 2 sticks unsalted butter (, cut into 2.5cm / 1" cubes (or so))

Cuisine

Western

Steps

Use a small or medium saucepan or small skillet with a silver base so it'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).
Using:
- 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't smoke and burn.
- Use with caution in baking recipes - such as cakes and cookies.

Reviews

Tracy King on 2026-03-30 (5 stars):
Fantastic instructions! I had 400g of Westgold salted butter. Process took around 25-30 minutes before the solids turned golden. I now have a couple of jars of liquid gold. Thank You!
John on 2026-03-23 (5 stars):
thank you for the recipe! one note for specificity—it is not quite fat+dairy that constitutes butter, it is milk fat (triglycerides like oleic, stearic, and palmitic acid) + milk solids (casein and whey) + water + phospholipids & emulsifiers (like lecithin), all of which are “dairy” as that simply refers to any milk-derived product.
Summer R on 2026-01-23 (5 stars):
Thank you Nagi for your detailed and necessary recipes as always! This comment is mainly a question I hope Nagi or someone can answer: I cook for my large family and use ghee a lot, so i want to make a fairly large batch. How big is too big of a pot? Also is using an enamelled cast iron pot ok? A skillet as suggested is too shallow for the quantity I want to make. I have a large Dutch oven (enamelled cast iron) with high edges. Would it matter much to use this or should I make separate batches in a shallow french pan instead? Also, does it matter what butter I use? Does it have to be an expensive block butter or could i just use the Woolworths unsalted block butter? I’d love some help as I plan on making this soon. Thank you!!
Marianne Soher on 2026-01-14 (5 stars):
750 gms of butter is 1.55 pounds. It did take me about 17 minutes but the fire was a bit too high. I think I am going to make it a habit. Thanks Nagi.
Dan Laws on 2025-12-17 (5 stars):
Don't crucify me for knowing this but the fast food franchise, McDonalds, use clarified butter in a spray bottle to butter their McMuffins!!!! Super fast and super tastie! Just something to mention at parties. Love your work, D.
Magda on 2025-10-06 (5 stars):
Excellent recipe ,great tip about looking for golden bits to settle on the bottom ,thank you
Syeda Fatima on 2025-05-06 (5 stars):
Hi Nagi, I love your recipes! I'm of south Indian origin and have made my own ghee at home for years. Here's a tip from me: use cultured butter. Or you could culture your own from unsalted butter by heating until it boils, thrn cooling and adding yogurt culture. Ferment for a minimum of 3 days before cooking ghee. Also, salted butter doesn't make salted ghee. The salt dissolves in the watery part and not in the fat. This is because salt, or sodium chloride is polar and fat is non polar. It just won't dissolve, so if you've got cultured salted butter, go ahead without worrying. However, I haven't tried culturing salted butter. That may not work because salt may inhibit the fermentation
Syeda Fatima on 2025-05-06 (5 stars):
Hi Nagi, I love your recipes! I'm of south Indian origin and have made my own ghee at home for years. Here's a tip from me: use cultured butter. Or you could culture your own from unsalted butter by heating until it boils, thrn cooling and adding yogurt culture. Ferment for a minimum of 3 days before cooking ghee. Also, salted butter doesn't make salted ghee. The salt dissolves in the watery part and not in the fat. This is because salt, or sodium chloride is polar and fat is non polar. It just won't dissolve, so if you've got cultured salted butter, go ahead without worrying. However, I haven't tried culturing salted butter. That may not work because salt may inhibit the fermentation
Janet on 2025-01-27 (5 stars):
I had a go at this and it worked perfectly. I've tried making ghee before but you explained it much better, and the photos were a great help. I'll be making it your way from now on.
Tama on 2025-01-07 (5 stars):
Nagi's recipes are so good that even when you goof up the end result is still delicious! I got distracted and left this on the fire too long....and ended up with the most amazing brown butter! Brown butter cookies coming up.
Ruth on 2024-10-15 (5 stars):
You can use salted or unsalted butter with the same delicious result. Salt doesn't dissolve in oil, so it gets thrown out with the milk solids.
Kate from Oregon on 2024-10-09 (5 stars):
You are a goddess of food inspiration and preparation. This late bloomer has found true joy in the kitchen. And your breadth of knowledge across so many cuisines is truly remarkable. Live long and prosper.
Liz on 2024-10-01 (5 stars):
Hi Sean, Hope you get this message. Your idea for filtering the ghee is genius. Works brilliantly. Thank you to you too Nagi, I now always make my own ghee.
Judith on 2024-08-03 (5 stars):
Great recipe ! Perfect ghee..I made mine with Kerrry Gold Butter—-YUM
Johnson on 2024-07-16 (5 stars):
I totally agree with your suggestions. People who prefer buying bulk butter ghee may follow these tricks to keep their ghee fresher for longer.
karen marie on 2024-04-13 (5 stars):
I think it worked. Hahahaha. Instead of filtering the "cooked" butter through a paper towel, I decided I knew better and used a coffee filter. It did not work - the butter barely passed through. After 30 minutes, I switched to a paper towel and, boom, it was all filtered. My ghee wasn't transparent after filtering. I let the butter simmer until it stopped making bubbles and the solids were browning, so I assumed all the water was gone. I will watch the video before doing it again but I'm sure it's fine..
Cathy on 2024-04-03 (5 stars):
WOW! Unbelievably simple and inexpensive to make. I’ve been using a locally made Ghee which costs $20.00 CDN for 420 grams. Never again. I used someone’s suggestion of straining using a coffee filter. Turned out great. Thx Nagi!