A staple in every Indian household, nutty homemade ghee is a must for Indian cooking. Ready in under 10 minutes, this fail proof Instant Pot recipe makes the best ghee using grass fed butter and is whole30 and paleo approved!
Spread ghee on your toast or use it to cook eggs in the morning, or add a spoonful over your lentils or to mellow spicy curries, or use in place of butter for your desserts. With its high smoking point ghee is also great for sautéing.
I love the aromas, color, and texture of unsalted Kerrygold butter, which makes for the best desi ghee. I prefer using unsalted butter, but you can also use salted; just shorten the cooking time by a couple of minutes.
What is Ghee?
- Ghee is unsalted butter than has been cooked. The cooking process melts the butter, which separates the milk solids from the yellow liquid
- Sometimes also known as clarified butter, ghee is actually clarified butter that has been simmered down longer to the point where the milk solids cook a bit, giving the butter a nutty brown hue, and a roasted flavor
- Ghee has a much higher smoke point than butter which makes it ideal for sautéing and frying
- Ghee has a long shelf life. It can be stored at room temperature or can be refrigerated for extended shelf life
- Ghee can be used to most recipes that call for butter or oil
Why homemade ghee?
Although, ghee is sold in many stores, it is very easy to make it at home and once you have tried this homemade version, you will not go back to the store bought. The aroma and flavor of the ghee made using unsalted Irish Kerrygold butter is simply divine and always takes me back to my mom’s kitchen in India.
I have been making stove top ghee for 15+ years. Over the last few years, I have started making ghee in the Instant Pot using the Saute(normal) setting. Although stove-top version works well, its hard to tell the exact cooking time and temperature given that each one of us will cook in a different pot and will have different types of stoves.
Benefits of making ghee in the Instant Pot:
- Cooks consistently each time
- Makes the process easy & fool-proof
- Hands-free
Instant Pot Ghee Cook times:
Depending on the temperature of the butter, total time to make ghee could vary by a minute or 2. Here are the cook times that have worked for me for unsalted butter using the Instant Po Sauté Normal mode:
- 1 LB (16 ounces) – 9 minutes – Yields 1.5 cups
- 2 LB (32 Ounces) – 15 minutes – Yields 3 cups
- 3 LB (48 ounces) – 23 minutes – Yields 4.5 cups
Note: You can also make ghee with salted butter. Salted butter cooks much faster, so reduce the above cook times by 2 to 3 minutes.
Here in the photos below, it shows the process every 2 to 3 minutes and the different stages the butter goes through. Turn the Instant Pot off when you see all that white, milky froth disappear.
The Ghee will continue to cook for next 2 to 3 minutes as the Instant Pot gradually cools down. Note: If your ghee already looks like step 8 below, take the inner pot out and place on a hot plate to cool down so it does not cook further.
Allow the ghee to cool down completely before straining it using a mesh strainer or cheese cloth.
Frequently asked questions
How to store homemade ghee?
Store ghee in clean and dry glass jars. Ghee is shelf stable at room temperature but can be refrigerated up to a year. I always keep the ghee at room temperature as I make a fresh batch every 4 to 6 weeks. Pro Tip – Always use clean dry spoon to take the ghee out
What to do with the milk solids collected in the strainer?
Discard them or mix equal amounts of sugar and enjoy as a yummy treat or add it to paratha dough and enjoy soft delicious homemade Indian flatbreads
Is my ghee burnt?
Does your ghee look dark? Wait until the ghee cools down, as it starts to solidify the color will get lighter. So don’t panic if the ghee looks dark. It should have nutty smell, if it smells burnt it is probably burnt.
Is ghee healthier than butter
Ghee is lactose free but does have high contents of fat. So like any cooking oils it should be used in moderation
Here is my quick 10-minute method to make perfect ghee with 16 oz of unsalted butter. Also note that this recipe is written for butter that is refrigerator cold. If the butter is warmer, it may cook faster than 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the butter as it melts, and as soon as the bottom starts to brown, transfer the inner pot to a trivet to cool.
Favorite recipes using homemade ghee:
- Khichdi
- Instant Pot bisi bele bhath
- Healthy Butter chicken
- Lentils with moringa leaves
- Chana masala
- Puran Poli
- Rice Pudding
Are you interesting in learning more about the basics of Indian cooking? Check out the articles below:
★ Have you tried this recipe? We love your feedback, Please click on the stars in the recipe card below to rate.
Instant Pot ghee
Ingredients
- 16 Oz Unsalted Butter Irish Kerrygold
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to Saute (NORMAL). To change the settings on Sauté mode either press the adjust button or press Sauté button multiple times to switch between less, normal and more modes.
- Add the butter to the Instant Pot. Butter will start to melt, then turn milky & frothy. After about 8 to 9 minutes, depending on the temperature of the butter when you first added to the instant pot, the froth will start to disappear. You will see transparent bubbles being formed and should be able to see the bottom of the pot. Turn the Instant Pot off at this point.
- The Ghee will continue to cook for next 2 to 3 minutes as the Instant Pot gradually cools down. Note: If the bottom of the pot looks brownish, take the inner pot out and place on a hot plate to cool down so it does not cook further.
- Allow the ghee to cool down completely. Then strain the ghee using a strainer or cheese cloth into a clean and dry glass jar. Stored at room temperature or can be refrigerated for extended shelf life.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Brittany says
Hi, Thankyou for this recipe. I do not have an instant pot but I do have a very large croc pot. Will this work for me? If so how long will it take? I have 16oz kerigold unsalted butter too.
Archana says
Hi! I am not sure if crockpot cooktimes. But you can cook until the butter looks clear and you start to see golden brown bits forming at the bottom. You can also cook in stovetop at medium heat it should take 10 to 15 mins
Brenda says
The very first time the ghee came out beautifully…thanks for this easy recipe
Archana says
You are most welcome! Thank you for the feedback
Brenda hicks says
Love this simple, thorough explanation with the pictures. Well done.
Archana says
Thank you Brenda!
Hetal says
I have always been hesitant to make my own ghee but I decided to try it out since it sounded so easy in the instant pot. I turned it on normal sauté mode and put the butter in and put a timer for 9 minutes. Came out perfect! Thank you so much!
Archana says
Thank you for the feedback! This is the only way I make ghee now 🙂
Kavitha Niranjan says
Thanks for posting this recipe. Ghee is coming out perfectly everytime. I like this no mess method. Best part is ghee can be easily filtered into a glass jar or steel container just by lifting the pot by hand as it is not so hot to touch. Really appreciate your effort in testing and coming out with a step by step process with pictures
Archana says
Thank you for the lovely feedback. Comments like these make all the time I take to test and write my detailed recipes truly worth it!! Thank you!!
Joan says
It’s been cooking for 29 min and still foamy on top.
Archana says
Once it starts to overcook it will get very foamy. How much butter are you trying to cook?
Umme abdullah says
Tried making ghee for the first time using my newly acquired IP and it turned out amazing. Super easy and quick! The detailed cooking instructions were very helpful.
Archana says
Thank you for your lovely feedback
Emily says
I tried this tonight with 34oz of kerrygold unsalted and it overcooked in about 5 mins! I have one of the newer IPs and the sauté options are: low, high or custom (you can set the temp). I set it to custom at 335 which was in the “normal sauté ” IP range according to google. Since that was too hot, what temp would you suggest I try next time?
Thanks!
Archana says
Hi Emily, I do not have the newer model. But see if you can set the temp to 320 next time.
Ann says
How much time if I’m doing 64oz?
Archana says
Around 30 minutes but keep an eye for the last 2 to 3 mins. Once the bottom starts to look a bit brown you can cancel the sauté and take the inner pot out.
Jennifer says
I noticed that a particular type of butter is mentioned… but can any unsalted butter be used? I realise it might not be as good, but it would still be better to make your own, right?
Archana says
yes any unsalted butter will work.
Anna says
Excellent recipe and tips. Thank you.
Batul says
Thank you for this recipe! I followed the instructions exactly, but didn’t remove the inner pot after I put it off and the butter started to turn brown – I let it cool in the instant pot. My ghee looks dark brown now – is this incorrect?
Archana says
If it smells good, its good. It will lighten when it cools down
Anthea says
I love ghee but have always been daunted by the process (growing up my mom would make ghee from cream and that needed time and attention.) This is quick and simple and the ghee turned out perfect! Thank you so much!
Allen Bennett says
Is a Matfer chinois OK to use for straining it? Or is it too fine a mesh?
Archana says
Yes! I had to search what that was and looks like it will work for straining.
Ashu says
I made with instant pot ghee today on normal mode under saute. It took 13 min for the curdled milk to evaporate, it looks dark even when it has solidified. Have not tasted it , or used it in recipe as of yet. Next time, I probably will turn it off sooner but not sure then the ghee would be done since the curdled milk did not evaporate until 13 min.
Archana says
If it smells good it is good to use. The key is to look at the bottom of the pot for light browned bits and turn off the sauce mode immediately
Dip says
Thanks for the recipe Archana. Just like u , I haven been making ghee in stove top for last 18 years.
I ve Ip for 3,4 years now but not tried ghee in it.
My main concern is cleaning the pot afterwards.
How hard or easy it is as I don’t want to scratch my ip insert.
Archana says
I soak it in warm water and then put it in dishwasher.The key is to turn off as soon as its done and not over cook so there is no burning on the bottom. Basically same cleaning efforts as stove top pan 🙂
Shwetha says
Thank you so much for this fool proof method . On stove top ,
I would either burn the ghee in making or undercook it. This timed IP method with detailed description worked so well .
Deepa Bairagi says
Thanks a lot Archana for this simple way to make ghee. I’ve just made my first batch – it looks a bit dark but I’ll wait for it to cool down. The kitchen smells amazing.
Anu says
Hi Archana, thank you for this wonderful, easy recipe. I never knew making ghee was this easy.
After about 3-4 mins, mine started spluttering and I had to cover it with a glass lid to keep it from coming out. Did I do something wrong for this to have happened? It did start bubbling around 8 mins and I turned it off and it looks fine.
Archana says
If the spoon you used came in contact with water it can cause the ghee to splutter.