Making Ghee The Easy Way in Only 3 Steps!
The idea of making ghee was something I found super intimidating at first. In theory, ghee isn’t difficult to make. Actually, in reality ghee isn’t difficult to make. But most of the recipes I looked up were really long and said to use cheesecloth. Now, chesecloth doesn’t sound THAT hard to find, but I’ve never seen cheesecloth in a grocery store (to be fair I’m never actually looking for it), nor have I used cheesecloth. Even Whole30 wasn’t about to make me change that. In addition, something about “separating milk solids” just sounded too technical aka too much effort, so I bought ghee for my first Whole30. Then I ran out of my Trader Joe’s stash and went to buy some more at my local health store. I think I actually gasped in the store at the price. I definitely didn’t buy it and decided that yep, I was going to figure out how to make it. Without the damn cheesecloth.
If only I knew making ghee was SO easy then I would’ve done this from the beginning. Whole30 is a learning curve, so I understand if you are just trying to master the basics. Even as someone who has experimented with healthy cooking for years I found the idea of making Ghee intimidating. It doesn’t have to be! Save yourself the money (and I mean a lot of money!) and make ghee yourself.
What you need:
- A glass jar + lid Note: The first time I made ghee, I used an old pickle jar. Even after I washed it, the ghee ended up tasting like pickles. It was actually pretty funny but just an FYI, be aware if recycling a jar;)
- Spoon
- Large bowl (preferably glass also)
- Strainer – I got mine for $3 locally, but here is an example of a set on {Amazon} for $7 if you can’t find one.
- Coffee filter
- Saucepan
That might look like a lot, but you probably already have 90% of the things you need! The batch I’m making today filled my 1L jar a little less than halfway. I used 6 sticks of butter to make this amount. Sometimes I’ll fill it completely but it takes forever to go through the strainer.
With Motivation,
Rachel
- Melt all butter in saucepan on medium heat. Wait until the solids separate from the gold liquid (see photo below). This takes mine about 10 minutes.
- once separated, skim off the white solids with your (clean, completely dry) spoon. I put these straight into the trash or sink. Usually I get some solids on the top and some on the bottom. Put your coffee filter into the strainer, and over a large (clean, compeletely dry) bowl. Pour the liquid into the filter/strainer. Wait until it’s strained (this can take a bit!) Note: if there are milk solids at the bottom, be careful about not getting those into the strianer. If you need to throw out a little extra liquid, that’s okay. It’s better to lose a little ghee than to include the milk solids. Additional photos at bottom of recipe.
- Transfer from large bowl into (clean, compeltely dry) glass container. Leave open and let COMPLETELY cool. Condensation can cause mold. Once completely cool, put the lid on and you’re done!!
Other helpful things:
- Your spoon, glass bowl, and storage container must be COMPLETELY dry to prevent mold. You must also wait until your ghee is completely cooled before closing for the same reason. My very first batch of ghee went moldy and I was gutted. I realized it was because some of the items had just been washed and were likely still damp. I've made dozens of batches since and have not had a problem.
- Ghee can be stored in the cupboards for about 3-6 months. Usually this batch lasts my family of three a month and a half.
- Use on anything you'd want to have a buttery flavor, but know that the flavor will be a bit deeper and nuttier
- If you accidentally "cook" the butter too long and it goes brown (been there!) continue. The flavor will be great.
- To get fancy, you could add in herbs while cooking. I've personally added rosemary and it was outstanding. Remove while straining.
Rachel is the creator and owner of Fresh Pine Co. and its subsidiaries, including allwavyhair.com = the #1 Web Source for naturally wavy hair information & tips. Rachel received a Breakout New Blogger Scholarship at FinCon 2018. She enjoys writing niche content about budget lifestyle, eco-friendly living, and mental health.
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