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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Lucy Boucher says
I have been using your recipe for years. Saved a lot of money! Thank you so much.
Ruth says
I can’t review because I don’t know if I over sautéed the butter. It’s cooling down and is getting lighter in color. It is not a light amber color but a little bit darker than your photos. My question is about the solids. They stuck to the bottom of the instant pot. I think they would have burned if I left on the heat. It does not smell burned. Can you tell me if I cooked it too long. I cooked it 10 mins because it was not doing what your photo showed it was doing at 8 or 9 mins.
Archana says
Hey! As long as it does not smell burnt you are good. It will lighten up a LOT as it cools down. Infact I love the extra cooked ghee, has awesome aroma.
Jon says
I just burnt my ghee with lots & lots dark solids stuck to the bottom of the Instapot! Fortunately, I learned that you can pressure cook water with soap & baking soda for about 3 minutes to be able to clean the insert. Next time will be easier, thanks for posting this great recipe.
Archana says
Dark solids only mean you have a perfectly cooked ghee. I bet it smells incredible. Although, yes the cleanup is needed and you found a good trick to clean it.
BS says
I used 4lb unsalted butter and was done in 32 mins. Just perfect.
Ritika says
I tried this recipe for making ghee! I can’t brag enough about it. This is probably the most easy and fuss free recipe. The instructions are so well mentioned along with the pictures. My ghee took a little more time to cook but I followed the picture on how it should look etc . Just to mention that I am very fussy to eat just grassfed ghee. I used to get store bought ghee in the States but here in London I couldn’t get a single brand that could satisfy me. This was so economical with 4 blocks of butter!! Thank you Archana ❤️
Mari says
I made the ghee as per your instructions. It doesn’t seem to be setting up, it’s a little bit runny after 24 hrs. Did I not cook long enough?
Used cold 16 oz kerrygold unsalted and cook 9 min. Is there anything I can do at this point?
Either way, had a great time. Thank you!
Archana says
Depending on the temperature if your kitchen/home the ghee may not fully solidify and its normal. As long as the ghee smells good, you are good to use it.
Fatima Iqbal says
Hi Archana,
Its my second time trying this recipe. First time it got burnt. This time I had been keeping a close eye but their were all bubbles and the centre didn’t get clear neither I was able to see the bottom of the pot. I just switched off and took out the pot. Here is the look so
Please comment about that and also is it normal for this froth to appear on the strained ghee. Thankyou
Archana says
Does the ghee look golden yellow after straining?
Fatima Iqbal says
Yes. It was golden yellow & the smell was amazingly nutty.
Fatima Iqbal says
Sorry I forgot to add pictures & now I’m unable to attach them
Archana says
Usually if it smells good, you are all good!
Aesha Desai says
This is my 1st time trying making ghee in instant pot, mind you I just purchased instant pot and don’t even know how to use it much, but the instructions were so EASY , fuss free and smells amazing. Wondering why did I not try this sooner. Won’t ever purchase ghee from stored anymore. Thank you so much.
Ridhi says
What saute setting for instant pot ultra? It has low medium and high setting only.
Archana says
medium setting
Sonia says
Im using 1 lb unsalted butter but even after 15 mins it still looks as in image 3.Do I have to close the lid in this process?
Archana says
You do not need to cover. Simply keep stirring for an additional 4 to 5 minutes.
neo says
using 16oz SALTED butter and the smaller instapot duo mini.
Noted some splattering – any tips? maybe used too much and need to only do 8oz at at time
turned off at 7mins, cool down and reheat for 2 mins and repeated cycle couple more times to reach image #4
Then let it cool …my milk solids did not get as brown as yours.
anyways, thanks for the recipe
Archana says
Make sure you dry the Instant Pot insert before adding butter. Any excess moisture can cause splattering. Also, stir the butter a couple of times as it’s melting. You can also use a splatter guard.
Geetha says
So going to try this! Miss the smell of home made ghee, takes me right back to my childhood. My mum mixes the slightly burnt solids with a few spoonfuls of hot rice – so yum!