How To Make Clarified Butter (Ghee)

Clarified Butter is a clear, pure form of butter with a nutty and rich taste that simply cannot be duplicated. Better known as Ghee.

Every Christmas, my Aunt Paula gives the gift of rendered butter. Perhaps you’ve heard of clarified butter or ghee but in my family, we call it Syrian butter. By removing or separating the milk solids and salts from the butter, you are left with a clear, pure form of butter with a nutty and rich taste that simply cannot be duplicated.


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Clarified Butter (Ghee) - The Lemon Bowl

How To Make Clarified Butter (Ghee)

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A clear, pure form of butter with a nutty and rich taste that simply cannot be duplicated. Better known as Ghee
PREP: 20 minutes
COOK: 5 hours
TOTAL: 5 hours 20 minutes
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Servings: 128

Equipment

A Large Pot

Ingredients
 

  • 4 pounds unsalted butter

Instructions
 

  • Unwrap the butter.
    case of butter
  • Put butter in heavy pan and place on high
    butter in pan on high
  • High heat until it all melts. Watch carefully.
    high heat before melted
  • Turn heat to low and add 1 cup coarse wheat. Stir every now and then to keep the foam moving to the bottom to be absorbed by the wheat.
    IMPORTANT: Keep the heat low. Do not let it boil or burn the wheat. You want it to “smile” not bubble. This step takes 4 or 5 hours and pretty much takes care of itself if the temp is right. Just check in and give it a stir every hour or so.
    melted butter
  • Eventually it will look like this. All of the gunk is at the bottom of the pan and the pure butter is on top. It is ready to be put in jars.
    rendered butter almost done
  • Use a gallon pitcher with a strainer lined with 4 thickness of “butter” cheesecloth. Make sure you get butter cloth because it is much finer gauge than regular grocery store cloth. I buy it online from cheese making sites. It lasts forever.
    Use a big ladle or cup and dip and pour through the strainer into the pitcher.
    butter cheesecloth
  • When the pitcher is full, pour the butter into canning jars
    full pitcher of rendered butter
  • Let it cool before you put the caps on
    rendered butter cooling
  • Voila! All done. Store in the basement where it is cool.
    No need to refrigerate.
    rendered butter finished product

Nutrition

Serving: 1tablespoonCalories: 102kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 2mgPotassium: 3mgSugar: 1gVitamin A: 354IUCalcium: 3mgIron: 1mg

SHOW AND TELL ON INSTAGRAM!Show me your creation and rate it below! Mention @thelemonbowl or tag #thelemonbowl! I would LOVE to see!

27 thoughts on “How To Make Clarified Butter (Ghee)”

  1. I’ve been making my own ghee for over a year now and it’s totally worth the time and effort. I’ve turned 20 pounds of butter into ghee quite easily and it makes sense to do large batches. Ghee keeps for a long time. Just be sure to use a dry spoon. It also freezes beautifully.

  2. Sylvia M Curry

    Liz, how long will the rendered butter be safe to store? Once it’s opened should it then be refrigerated? Love your site and recipes. Very similar to what I grew up with…No better food than our Lebanese Cuisine!

  3. Hi, you’ve mentioned adding one cup of bulgar wheat, but I’m not sure how much butter you’ve used, so I’m not sure about the purportions. Can’t wait to use this!

    1. As stated in the recipe it’s very important to keep it on low! I don’t believe a double boiler would get hot enough but I’ve never tried. :) Good luck!! You’re going to love it!

  4. Can you bake cookies and cakes with this rendered butter just the same as regular? or do you add something to replace the butter solids?

  5. I’m sitting here trying to mentally calculate how many pounds of butter she does at once, but lose track somewhere around 12. I can TOTALLY see myself doing this. How much does your Auntie do at once? And what is her yield (ish)???

    1. Ok just spoke with my aunt and she usually does 20 pounds of unsalted butter which is the equivalent of 10 quarts. She said she usually ends up with 8 or 9 quarts of rendered butter. Does that help?? :)

  6. Wow! Wheat in Ghee? Thanks for the heads up. I make my own but being gluten sensitive I’m always on the lookout for hidden wheat, never thought to look here. :)

    1. Hi Sarah,
      Can you please share how you make yours, I don’t fancy the idea of using wheat. Thanks a bunch! Liz – thank you for the info!

      1. Hi Niki! You can skip the wheat portion! My Aunt does it to help the process but it is 100% optional. Follow the recipe the same way just skip the wheat step. :) Enjoy!!

    1. I know – isn’t it insane? Her basement is lined with jars of it though which is fabulous for me – hahaha.

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