Learn how to make ghee with this Homemade Instant Pot Ghee recipe, perfect every time. Using the Instant Pot, you can make ghee with very little hands-on time.
Table of Contents
Introduction
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 ghee, so you never have to buy it in the store again. It can get quite expensive buying good quality ghee!
So, what is ghee? Ghee is essentially clarified butter. This means that butter is heated, melted, and removed of all milk solids and impurities.
However, 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 an 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 a longer shelf life than clarified butter.
So how do you make traditional ghee? You don’t use butter; you use milk skin (lactoderm), which is the sticky film that forms on top of hot milk. My mom has been making ghee this way for years. She boils milk every day for tea and coffee. She collects the milk film that builds up when she boils milk and freezes it.
Over time, she gets enough lactoderm to make ghee. She processes the milk fat in a food processor to make butter and then melts it and makes ghee in a similar way to how you’ll be making ghee with this recipe. I use store-bought butter as the base ingredient.
This 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. There are ghee recipes out there that cook the ghee on Saute mode and it’s done in 20 minutes. I find that the low and slow method yields better-tasting nutty-flavored ghee.
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 may have some splatter in the second stage of cooking (Saute mode).
Here are some delicious recipes using ghee:
– Chicken Curry Soup
– Ethiopian Lentil Stew (Misir Wot)
– Rogan Josh
– Chicken Curry
– Cashew Butter Chicken
– Vegetarian Risotto
Tips and Substitutions
Equipment
There are a few kitchen items that I recommed for this recipe:
- Splatter screen to protect your countertop and floor in case the melted butter bubbles up. This can happen during the Slow Cook phase and the Saute phase.
- Fine mesh strainer to strain the ghee from the milk solids.
- Large mason jar or a few smaller jars.
Butter
I use butter made from grass-fed cows. I like to use Kerry Gold or Trader Joe’s butter for making ghee.
Although grass-fed butter is more expensive, I feel it’s worth it because good-quality ghee makes good quality recipes! I also find that there’s less foaming with the grass-fed butter.
The color of Kerrygold butter gives the ghee a wonderful golden color, as you see in my photographs. The choice of butter is entirely up to you; use what you like. Even regular supermarket butter works well.
I prefer to make ghee from unsalted butter. Salt is a preservative and therefore unsalted butter is fresher. It tastes more authentic and the leftover milk solids are not salty and can be used in desserts.
Also if you use unsalted butter, you won’t need to adjust your recipes to account for the salt.
But can you make ghee with salted butter? Yes, you can. If it’s all you can find, then go ahead and make ghee from salted butter.
Slow Cook vs. Saute
There are many Instant Pot ghee recipes that go directly into the Saute mode and skip the Slow Cook part of the recipe. And that’s fine, but you have a greater chance of burning the butter and that’s why I prefer this recipe. You melt the butter on Slow Cook mode and although it takes more time, it requires no babysitting.
That being said, you can skip the Slow Cook stage and melt the butter in Saute mode. Keep a very close eye on the butter to make sure it doesn’t brown too fast.
Temperature
When you’re programming Saute mode, it’s very important the temperature isn’t too high. Make sure it’s on Normal or Medium (Level 3 on some models) temperature.
Please note that the Instant Pot models vary and so the amount of time it takes for the milk solids to turn color may be different for you. For me, it takes about 9 minutes. You need to keep a close eye on the ghee and take it off heat when it’s a golden color.
To a certain extent, this recipe takes a little practice and experience. Maybe you’ll have darker ghee the first time, that’s okay! As long as it’s fragrant and not burned, it’s usable.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, you might find it helpful to first read one of the following guides and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.
- Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO EVO PLUS Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO NOVA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO GOURMET Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
Instant Pot Ghee – Ingredients
- Butter
More details in the recipe card at the bottom of this post
How to Make Ghee in Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)
- Slow cook the butter.
- Turn on Saute mode.
- Allow the milk solids to darken.
- Strain the ghee.
Slow Cook Butter
- 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 the temperature to Normal then press + or – till time shows 2 hours (2:00)
- The timer will count down to 0:00. After 2 hours, the timer will beep. Press Cancel.
Pro Tip
It’s possible that your butter may bubble up initially, while it’s melting. A splatter screen is really handy to make sure you don’t have butter splatter on your countertop.
Turn on Saute Mode
- The milk solids will have settled to the bottom and will still be pale yellow in color.
- Press Saute and press Adjust to set the temperature to Normal (medium heat level).
Allow Milk Solids to Darken
- Cover the pot with a splatter screen, because there may be some bubbling and splatter.
- While stirring often, cook till the milk solids turn a golden color, about 8-10 minutes.
- Be careful to keep your face away from the Instant Pot in case the ghee bubbles up.
- Press Cancel 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, to cut off the heat source.
Milk Solid Colors at Each Stage
- If the milk solids are too light, the ghee will spoil quicker.
- Make sure the milk solids are a golden yellow color when you press Cancel.
- When they cool down in the residual heat of the Instant Pot they will become a caramel color.
Strain the Ghee
- Allow the 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.
Homemade Instant Pot Ghee
Ingredients
- 24 oz. butter (1 1/2 lbs), preferably grass-fed
Instructions
- Place sticks of butter in Instant Pot.
- Leave the lid off. This will keep condensation from dripping into the melting butter. *
- Cook in Slow Cook mode for 2 hours at Normal temperature. Use a splatter screen if necessary.
- The milk solids will have settled to the bottom and will still be pale yellow in color. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Cover the pot with a splatter screen because there may be some bubbling and splatter.
- Select Saute mode and make sure the temperature level is at Normal, Medium or Level 3 (depending on the model). Cook in Saute mode for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often till the milk solids turn to a GOLDEN color. Don't be tempted to cook for longer to make them darker; the milk solids will darken more after the heat is turned off. (Be careful to keep your face away from the Instant Pot in case the ghee bubbles up.)
- Press Cancel and let the ghee cool down. The milk solids will darken to a CARAMEL color in the residual heat. If the color changes too quickly, remove the inner pot from the Instant Pot and place the inner pot on a heatproof surface.
- Allow to cool completely.
- Strain the ghee through a fine mesh strainer into mason jars or glass bottles that can be closed tightly.
- 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.
Notes
- * If the butter starts bubbling up during the melting phase while in Slow Cook mode or during the Saute mode, use a splatter screen to keep your countertops from becoming messy.
- If the milk solids are too light, the ghee will spoil quicker.
- Every Instant Pot is different, so the times I’ve listed may be different for you. The important thing is to keep an eye on the milk solids and remove them from heat when they turn golden.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips, and see the step-by-step instructions and photographs for details on what color the milk solids should be.
Nutrition
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.
If you loved this recipe, please give it a five ⭐ rating in the comment section below and please share it on social media using the social media share buttons at the top and bottom of this post. Thank you so much!
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Linda Kidwell
Worked great came out with a beautiful golden color.
Paint the Kitchen Red
I’m glad to hear it, Linda!
Christine
Hi
Thanks for the recipe! I think it turned out good! How long does it take for the ghee to thicken once in the jar?
Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Christine, it all depends on the temperature. Ghee hardens as it gets colder. If your kitchen is warm, it can be more liquidy, and that’s fine. To keep it longer you can put it in the fridge. But mine never lasts that long 🙂
Loren Messarra
I’m so disappointed. I followed the directions exactly with KerryGold butter, but mine burned really quickly during the saute stage. It’s now coffee-colored and tastes burned. Wish the recipe had more details about how to prevent burning, as I see others have had similar issues.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Loren, I’m sorry you had issues. It’s very hard to give an exact time to saute the ghee because Instant Pot temperature may be different based on model, year, size and also what level your Saute mode is on. You just have to watch the butter and shut the Instant Pot off when it reaches a golden color. If you remove the inner pot, it stops cooking immediately and will turn a caramel color.
Patricia
Just made this and wasted 1 and a half pounds of butter! Followed directions exactly and it is burned! I wish I could include pictures of the disaster. Not too happy.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Patricia, I am so sorry you had such a bad experience with the recipe. First of all, are you sure it’s burned? Even if the ghee is a bit dark it can still taste good. It’s certainly because it was cooked too long, but the “why” is harder. Did you remove the inner pot from the base unit when the milk solids color turned golden? You do have to watch it. Thanks for your comment.
Kathleen
I think my first attempt was underdone. The white portions did not sink to the bottom in two hours. After the saute step, it looked ok but after cooling wasn’t really quite clear. It probably will taste good but I’m not sure it will keep long so I’m going to refrigerate it–it is still liquid five hours later at room temp. Just hope enough lactose is removed that it won’t make me have lactose intolerance problems.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Kathleen, I’m not sure why it was undercooked; possible that the type of butter made a difference. But sounds like you’re right and that you probably needed to let it saute for more than the 9 minutes. The solids should have been caramel-colored when you turned it off. Next time add another minute or two.
gina
Can I double the recipe?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Gina, yes you should be able to double the recipe just fine.
Bonita
Used this recipe/method in my IP to make my first batch of ghee yesterday. Turned out great! I used Kerry Gold unsalted butter. I’m on the Whole30 diet right now, and ghee is a recommended fat to consume. Can’t wait to cook with it. Thanks for posting this method of making ghee, certainly will save money and be fresher!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Me too! I just created a video for the recipe and in the process got myself a batch of ghee 🙂 This time I used salted butter. Both work great. But Kerrygold all the way!
Robyn Miller
Can you freeze ghee? I live alone and I think I would have a hard time using 2 cups of ghee on my own. Thanks!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Yes, Robyn, you should be able to freeze it. If there’s any sediment, it would probably settle to the bottom and you might need to filter it. If the ghee separates, just stir it up.
Fiefster
You don’t have to freeze ghee. Ghee, if made correctly can be stored outside the fridge for many years.
Emma
Hi there! I was wondering how long the shelf life usually is for this? Thanks!
Paint the Kitchen Red
I usually finish what I make within a couple of months and it’s fine. You can tell if it goes bad, because it’ll smell rancid.
Penny Forte
This recipe is AWESOME and so EASY!! My child was recently diagnosed with Chrons and I am lactose intolerant. Only since his diagnosis have I found ghee, but it’s just so expensive! So this recipe is a game changer for us! I can purchase the grass-fed butter and make this recipe at home for about half the cost of buying ghee in the store. The first batch I made ended up brown butter, but I’ll use that for some holiday baking. My subsequent batches have easily produce gorgeous, wonderful the!! Thank you so very much!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Penny – yes, it’s a fine line between brown butter and ghee. I think the first time most people think it’s not the right color, and keep cooking not realizing that it will darken. Thank you for your lovely comment, and good wishes to your child in their fight against Chrons.
Jill
I have used this over and over with success. I like to do a pot roast with the solids in the same pot!
I have to be careful
at the sauté point because they get brown quickly.
I like to put coconut oil with mine at the end 1:1.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you Jill, for sharing! I’ve never heard of mixing coconut oil and ghee before.
Marie Dunn
I followed all directions and my butter color is brown not golden. It taste good, like brown butter and not burnt. I think it went past the Ghee stage. I was wanting all the milk fat solids out of my butter, but brown butter has all the milk fat solids, correct?
I hate to waste this butter, but I donl’t want all the fat.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Marie, did you use Kerrygold butter? I get that golden color with that brand. When I buy regular butter, it still works but the color isn’t the same – more light brown. If it’s not burned, and you actually had milk solids left over, I think you should be fine to use it.
Sue Jackson
What setting on Saute do you use, less, normal or more? I am using 6qt DUO Instant Pot. Thanks, Sue
Paint the Kitchen Red
Sue – I use the middle setting (normal). Thanks for your question.
Cindy
Hi! Can you tell me how much ghee this recipe makes?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Cindy – it makes about 2 cups of ghee.
Cindy
…when would i add Himalayan salt? I like mine with salt~
Thank you
Paint the Kitchen Red
Cindy – you could use salted butter. A lot of the salt is left over in the milk solids but the ghee will have a light salt taste. Or you can add salt after straining and before it solidifies.
Cindy
Hi again, and thank you; also….what is the milk solids used/good for~
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Cindy – as long as they’re not burnt or too brown, you can add them to curries, rice, mashed potatoes, pasta, risotto, veggies. We make Indian sweets with the milk solids too!
Donna
Do you have to use Kerry Gold butter or can you use any butter in the food store. Not margarine right?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Donna – thanks for your question. You can use any butter, I do that sometimes. Find one that expires the latest. Land O Lakes works fine as do the Sam’s club and Costco brands.
Sally
Can you use the milk solids for anything?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Sally, thanks for your question. I mainly use in Indian dishes: desserts (sauteed with flour and sugar), rice, bread, and curries. You might be able to add to bread or pizza dough and a rice pilaf. Just make sure the solids aren’t burned 🙂
Teresa
Does it matter if the butter is salted or not?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Teresa, You should be fine. Usually the salt gets strained out with the solids. Make sure you use a fine mesh strainer.
Momof2
Instead of slow cooking for 2 hours and then saute for 10 minutes, is it possible to slow cook for 2.5 or 3 hours?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi there, I’m sure you can do it entirely on slow cook mode, but I’m not sure that time will be enough. You might try it out and just keep an eye on it for the solids to become caramel colored. If you find that it’s taking too long, just short-cut and turn on saute mode. You might also try it on ‘More’ rather than ‘Normal’ slow cooker temperature setting. Do let us know how it goes if you try it out. I’m sure others, including me, would love to know!
Sheila
I grew up with ghee and make it on the stove. I never thought of making it in an Instant Pot. Thanks for the clear instructions. Never going back to the stove version!
Paint the Kitchen Red
You’re so welcome. I love that you don’t have to watch it every minute except for the last 10 minutes.