Instant Pot Ghee (Instant Pot or Stovetop Recipe)

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Instant Pot Ghee is much more affordable to make at home than buying it from the grocery store. Ghee, also known as clarified butter, is a popular alternative to vegetable oil and it can be used in just about any recipe. The process of cooking regular butter in the Instant Pot separates the milk from the oil turning it into a cooking oil that doesn’t burn easily making it a popular cooking choice. Use it to cook Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pancakes or saute onions for this Vegetable Lentil Soup.

Ghee in a mason jar on a table.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure here.

What is Ghee and why use it?

Ghee or clarified butter is a cooking oil that has been made from cooking butter until the milk has separated from the oil. The butter is “clarified” leaving an oil that can be used for cooking at high temperatures without burning. Ghee has a higher smoking point than many other oils such as olive oil and coconut oil, which makes it ideal for sauteing and frying.

Clarified butter doesn’t taste buttery, but rather like a neutral oil, and is perfect when you want to use a neutral oil in cooking. It is easy to keep on hand because, unlike butter, ghee can be stored on the counter, making it the perfect pantry staple.

Recipe Ingredients

Butter – You’ll only need 1 (1lb) package of butter. Use unsalted otherwise as the butter is cooked the salt in the butter will become more concentrated making your ghee salty.

How To Make Instant Pot Ghee

  1. Unwrapped sticks of butter then place in the instant pot liner. Press the “SAUTE” button. Allow the butter to melt, stir every few minutes with a spoon to help the melting process.
  2. Once the butter has completely melted allow the butter to continue to cook for another 5 – 7 minutes or until the milk solids have separated from the oil and have started to brown on the bottom and sides of the pot. Turn off the Instant Pot then remove the liner from the unit. 
  3. Allow the ghee to cool slightly pour into over a clean pint-sized mason jar. Use a fine mesh strainer to strain out any milk solids then top with a lid for storage.

How To Make Ghee Over the Stove

  1. Melt your butter on medium-high heat. Once the butter has come to a rapid simmer, bring down the heat to medium-low, stirring occasionally. The ghee will sound loud as it simmers. If it pops out of the pan turn the heat down to medium. 
  2. Stir occasionally. As the butter cooks, it will have milky foam on the top. This is the milk separating from the oil in the butter. This milky foam is what is burning when you cook with butter in its natural form. While the butter cooks, the milk will start to harden and crystalize to the sides and bottom of the pot.
  3. After another five minutes, the butter will be clear and little bubbles will occur on the surface of the ghee. It will start to look foamy and you can see that the milk has completely crystallized. Once this point has been reached, you are done!
  4. Remove the pot from the heat. You can allow the ghee to cool slightly or immediately strain it into a pint-size mason jar to use in everyday cooking. It will have the perfect light golden color.
Overhead view of ghee in a mason jar on a table.

Tips and Tricks

  • Remove the Instant Pot liner from the unit as soon as the ghee is finished cooking, otherwise, the ghee will continue to cook and possibly burn.
  • Only cook your ghee until it starts to foam with small bubbles on top and the oil has a light yellow color. You don’t want the ghee to be too brown.
  • Your ghee might solidify as it cools or it might not, it’s still fine either way!
  • Store your ghee at room temperature for several weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to make or buy ghee?

It is definitely cheaper to make ghee rather than to buy it. 1 pack of organic unsalted butter is $5 – 6 and yields about 2 cups of ghee. I’ve seen the same amount or even less cost $10 – $17 at the store.

Is ghee and clarified butter the same thing?

Yes! Clarified butter is another name for ghee. Ghee is butter that has been cooked so that all the milk solids have been removed or clarified.

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Instant Pot Ghee (Instant Pot or Stovetop Recipe!)

Instant Pot Ghee is much more affordable to make at home than buying it from the grocery store. Ghee, also known as clarified butter, is a popular alternative to vegetable oil and it can be used in just about any recipe. The process of cooking regular butter in the Instant Pot separates the milk from the oil turning it into a cooking oil that doesn't burn easily making it a popular cooking choice. Use it to cook Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pancakes or saute onions for this Vegetable Lentil Soup.
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Course: cooking oil
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
Servings: 16
Calories: 203kcal
Author: Tonya Fowler
Cost: $5

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 lb unsalted butter* 1 package of unsalted butter

Instructions 

  • Unwrapped sticks of butter then place in the instant pot liner. Press the “SAUTE” button. Allow the butter to melt, stir every few minutes with a spoon to help the melting process.
  • Once the butter has completely melted allow the butter to continue to cook for another 5 – 7 minutes or until the milk solids have separated from the oil and have started to brown on the bottom and sides of the pot. Turn off the Instant Pot then remove the liner from the unit.
  • Allow the ghee to cool slightly pour into over a clean pint-sized mason jar. Use a fine mesh strainer to strain out any milk solids then top with a lid for storage.

Notes

*Use unsalted butter because the salt content in salted butter can cause the ghee to be salty.

Stovetop Instructions

  1. Melt butter in a medium saucepot on medium-high heat.
  2. Once the melted butter comes to a rapid simmer bring the heat down to medium-low. Stir occasionally.
  3. The butter will sound very loud while it cooks. It will have milk foam covering the surface of the ghee for a bit, then it will start to crystalize on the sides and on the bottom of the pot. This will take 10 – 15 minutes.
  4. The ghee will sound quieter and it will start to look foamy and bubbly, and it will be completely clear of the milk foam. At this point, take it off the heat. You can wait for it to cool or immediately pour into a pint-size mason jar, for later use. It’ll be hot, be careful!
  5. Once cooked, the ghee is perfectly fine to leave out on the counter for easy use.

Tips and Tricks

    • Remove the Instant Pot liner from the unit as soon as the ghee is finished cooking, otherwise, the ghee will continue to cook and possibly burn.
    • Only cook your ghee until it starts to foam with small bubbles on top and the oil has a light yellow color. You don’t want the ghee to be too brown.
    • Your ghee might solidify as it cools or it might not, it’s still fine either way!
    • Store your ghee at room temperature for several weeks.

Nutrition

Calories: 203kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.02g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 7mg | Sugar: 0.02g | Vitamin A: 708IU | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.01mg

All nutrition information is automatically generated and should be only used as a rough estimate. This recipe card may contain affiliate links.

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