DIY Ghee

What is ghee? Ghee is made from butter. Butter is heated until the water evaporates, and the fat seperates from the milk solids. Since the milk solids are removed, ghee is generally tolerated by those with lactose issues. There are many benefits to cooking with and eating ghee…

Health Benefits of Ghee
Ghee is expensive, but you can easily make your own in a crock pot for so much cheaper. In preparation for moving, I just bought a bunch of French butter…can’t pack up butter, but you can pack up jars of ghee! This stuff does not need to be refrigerated, and lasts (almost) forever. I always make a big batch, and typically, I keep the jars that I’m not using in the freezer, FYI. And you can keep butter in the freezer too…so next time you see good quality butter on sale (not the GMO laden spread with sweet cream…not naming names) stock up and freeze it! Kerry Gold is a great brand of Irish butter made cream from grass fed cows. 

Here’s how you do it…Warning: this will make your house smell amazing. You may not think butter contributes to what you smell when you bake; it does! Several times I’ve left while making ghee, and come home thinking,”Where the hell are those cookies!?” But there are no cookies…just a crock pot full of butter. Ok, here we go.

1. Butter goes into crockpot- lid stays OFF! The time will depend on your crockpot…mine typically takes 5 hours on high.

2. Keep an eye on it. It starts to bubble, foam, and seperate. Here are a few pics of the process…

****At this point, you could be done…this time, I went a little longer to make brown butter ghee.****

3. When the top turns brown, and looks kind of crusty, you’ve done it!

4. Now you strain it. Careful it’s very hot! I use coffee filters, but cheesecloth will work too.

Look at the gunk that’s left! That’s the milk solids…

5. Now, carefully, pour into jars. Let them sit UNCOVERED overnight. You can lay a paper towel over the top, but you don’t want to put a lid on it and create condensation. This batch is dark…if you cook it for less time, it will be more golden in color. Both are okay and good! 

This is the next morning:

Tadaa! I don’t think I’ve ever had a batch that has come out like another. Sometimes it looks smoother, lighter, sometimes is looks like it’s a little grainy- it’s all good, though! And for $18, I made $100 worth of ghee!