Homemade Ghee

Desi ghee, or homemade ghee, has become a sought-after delicacy and comes with a hefty price tag. As it regains popularity, particularly in the US, I’ve been inspired to make it at home, reminiscent of my childhood when I watched my mom and grandma skillfully prepare it.

Ingredients for ghee

Only thing you need for this homemade ghee is a good quality heavy whipping cream. From here you have two methods. You can choose any.

Fermenting method

In this method, you will be fermenting the heavy cream into yogurt first. For this, add all of the heavy cream to a pot and heat it until it comes to a boil but not boiling. Then let it cool down to 120°F or when you dip a finger in it, you can keep your finger in for 10 seconds. This means it’s not too cold or hot to touch.

For every 1 cup of heavy cream, you need 2-3 tsp of yogurt. Add yogurt to the heavy cream and mix it well with a spatula. Now cover and wrap the pot with a thick blanket or kitchen towel and leave it in a warm place. Make sure to leave it in an undisturbed place for a minimum of 12 hours. Once it thickens, you can proceed to the next step.

Regular method

For this method, you don’t need to ferment the cream, but make sure the heavy cream is really, really cold to begin with, or else it’ll take forever to make butter.

What type of whisk or blender to use

You can use a stand mixer, a hand blender, or a regular blender to whisk the yogurt or cream. I start with low speed but then increase the speed to maximum and keep whisking until I see butter solids. Once you see butter sticking to the whisk and liquid has been separated, stop whisking it.

Now add icy cold water to the pan so you can easily collect the mixed solids.

This step can be tricky as it’s very cold. Ask your husband or mother-in-law to help you. Start grabbing the butter and press it gently to get rid of liquid milk. You can store this butter in the fridge as it is, or melt it to make ghee.

Why cream have to be cold

It’s important to start with cold heavy cream, as it takes less time to get butter; room temperature cream will take more time to form butter.

How to make ghee from butter

To make ghee, add butter to a pan and start heating on medium-low heat. Butter will melt and turn into a foamy liquid; lower the heat and keep cooking. The liquid will start clearing but will still be foamy. Keep cooking until the milk solids turn light golden and you’ll see clear yellow liquid.

Turn off the stove and let it cool down a little before straining. You need a sieve and another container to hold the sieve for you. Now drain the liquid and collect any solids left at the bottom.

Store ghee in an airtight container. There is no need to refrigerate it; it can stay on the kitchen counter for 6-7 months.

Any remaining solids can be used to make butter cookies.

What to do with the remaining milk liquid

If you have fermented your heavy cream, the remaining liquid is the buttermilk you can use to make ranch, curry, or just use it as it is.

If you have not fermented your cream, then the remaining liquid is fat-free milk. Feel free to use it as you would use regular milk.

Why making ghee

I love using butter, but butter has to stay in the refrigerator, meaning it doesn’t have a higher shelf life. On the other hand, ghee can be kept at room temperature for a long time.

Ghee also has a high smoking point compared to butter; it can be easily used to make gravies, sauté onions, and other vegetables without burning.