Homemade Instant Pot Ghee | Clarified Butter

Enjoy the health and nutritional benefits of ghee with this Homemade Instant Pot Ghee recipe, perfect every time.

It seems that the world has discovered ghee, something that Indians have used for thousands of years for everyday cooking, medicinal purposes, and religious ceremonies.  I never imagined there would be a day when ghee would become a staple in western kitchens, and I think that’s terrific!

I’m going to show you how to make homemade Instant Pot Ghee, so you never have to buy it in the store again.  It can get quite expensive buying good quality ghee!

So some of you may be asking “what exactly is ghee?”  Ghee is basically clarified butter.  This means that butter is heated, melted and removed of all milk solids and impurities.  Unlike regular clarified butter, ghee is cooked for a bit longer, to the point that the milk solids have a caramelized color. What’s remaining has intense flavor, aroma and color.

Ghee has a high smoke point, much higher than butter, and that means it can be heated to high temperatures.  It also tastes great unheated, used in place of butter.   Ghee doesn’t spoil at room temperature like butter can. And it has many health benefits: it’s lactose free, is rich in vitamins, is good for digestion and has antioxidant properties.

I used to use a stand-alone slow cooker to make ghee and it came out great. But using the Instant Pot to make ghee takes less time and I get more consistent results. My Instant Pot Ghee recipe is simple and easy, but not “instant”!  You’ll need a couple of hours, of which hands-on time is about 10 minutes.

And no, it’s not a typo – you set the Instant Pot on slow cook with the lid off so condensation doesn’t drip back into the butter. It’s fine to keep the lid on during the slow cook stage, but you’ll have some splatter in the second stage of cooking (‘Saute’).

I recommend a couple of tools: a splatter screen and a fine mesh strainer. The splatter screen protects your countertop and floor in case the melted butter bubbles up.

In terms of butter, I use butter made from grass-fed cows. I like to use Kerry Gold or Trader Joe’s butter for making ghee. Although they are more expensive, since it’s good quality grass-fed ghee, I justify the cost! I also find that there’s less foaming with the grass-fed butters.  The choice of butter is entirely up to you; use what you like.

You’ll also need a large mason jar or a few smaller jars.

If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, please read the Instant Pot Manual / Beginner’s Quick Start Guide blog post first and then come back here to learn how to make Instant Pot Ghee.

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Homemade Instant Pot Ghee Ingredients

Homemade Instant Pot Ghee Step-by-Step Instructions

• Place sticks of butter in Instant Pot.
• Leave the lid off. This will keep condensation from dripping into the melting butter.*
• Press ‘Slow Cook’, press ‘Adjust’ to set temperature to ‘Normal’and then press ‘+’ or ‘-‘ till time shows 2:00 (2 hours).
• The timer will count down to 0:00.  After 2 hours, the timer will beep. Press ‘Cancel’.

* If you wish to cover the Instant Pot during this stage, then during the next stage of cooking (saute mode), you may have some bubbling and splatter due to condensation, so be sure to cover the Instant Pot with a splatter screen till the bubbling slows down.

• The milk solids will have settled to the bottom and will still be pale yellow in color.
• Press ‘Saute’ and press ‘Adjust’ to set temperature to ‘Normal’.

• Cover the pot with a splatter screen, because there may be some bubbling and splatter.
• Saute for 9 to 10 minutes, stirring often till the milk solids turn to a golden color.
• Be careful to keep your face away from the Instant Pot in case the ghee bubbles up.
• Turn off Instant Pot and let the ghee cool down. The milk solids will darken to a caramel color in the residual heat.
• If the milk solids start to darken too much, remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot.

• If the milk solids are too light, the ghee will spoil quicker.
• Make sure the milk solids are a golden yellow color.
• When they cool down in the residual heat of the Instant Pot they will become a caramel color.

• Allow ghee to cool completely.
• Strain the ghee through a fine mesh strainer into mason jars.
• Store in a cabinet away from sunlight. Ghee will last for months at room temperature because all the milk solids have been removed.  Storing in the refrigerator will make it last even longer.

Use Instant Pot ghee in place of butter or oil in your everyday cooking, as in this Instant Pot Chicken Curry or try spreading it on a slice of toast or a baked treat. Mmmm-good!

Homemade Instant Pot Ghee

Enjoy the health and nutritional benefits of homemade ghee with this Homemade Instant Pot Ghee recipe, perfect every time.

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Course Condiment

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours 10 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Servings 2 cups

Calories 45 kcal

Author Paint the Kitchen Red

Ingredients

• 24 oz. butter (1 1/2 lbs) preferably grass-fed

Instructions

1. Place sticks of butter in Instant Pot.
2. Leave the lid off. This will keep condensation from dripping into the melting butter. *
3. Cook in 'Slow Cook' mode for 2 hours at 'Normal' temperature.
4. The milk solids will have settled to the bottom and will still be pale yellow in color.  Turn off Instant Pot.
5. Cover the pot with a splatter screen, because there may be some bubbling and splatter.
6. Cook in 'Saute' mode for 9 to 10 minutes, stirring often till the milk solids turn to a golden color. (Be careful to keep your face away from the Instant Pot in case the ghee bubbles up.)
7. Turn off Instant Pot and let the ghee cool down. The milk solids will darken to a caramel color in the residual heat. If it darkens too much, remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot.
8. Allow to cool completely.
9. Strain the ghee through a fine mesh strainer into mason jars or glass bottles that can be closed tightly.
10. Store in a cabinet away from sunlight. Ghee will last for months at room temperature because all the milk solids have been removed. Storing in the refrigerator will make it last even longer.

Recipe Notes

• * If you wish to cover the Instant Pot in the first stage of cooking (slow cook), then during the second stage of cooking (saute mode), you may have some bubbling and splatter due to condensation, so be sure to cover the Instant Pot with a splatter screen till the bubbling slows down.
• If the milk solids are too light, the ghee will spoil quicker.

Nutrition Facts

Homemade Instant Pot Ghee

Amount Per Serving (1 teaspoon)

Calories 45 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 5g 8%

Saturated Fat 3g 15%

Cholesterol 15mg 5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

I am not a certified nutritionist.  I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers.  If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons,  I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.

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