Homemade Instant Pot Ghee or clarified butter also referred to as ‘Paleo Butter’ is a great cooking alternative. Add a small amount of ghee to any dish and it attributes an amazing flavor and a creamy texture to any meal.
Smell triggers memories and we all have fond memories of the foods that we enjoyed as children. Ghee for me is ONE of them. It brings back so many beautiful memories that I had spent with my mother. Homemade Instant Pot Ghee
She was an excellent cook and would feed us vegetables, bread and lentils smeared and cooked with generous amounts of homemade ghee and we loved it to the core. Back then everything in our house was cooked with ghee.
My cooking inspiration comes from my mom and whenever I make ghee it makes me nostalgic and reminds me of her cooking.
WHAT IS GHEE?
If you are not familiar with ghee then let me first give you a heads up. Ghee is a traditional food made from butter. And butter is made up of water + milk solids+ casein (a protein found in milk) + butterfat. Butter can go bad quickly in a tropical climate, but ghee doesn’t. It stores very well.
How? By removing it’s milk solids.
Boil butter in a pan and remove all the water, casein, and milk solids. The liquid that is left behind is an all-cooked-up browned pure butterfat and that is GHEE! These cooked browned milk solids are what brings out the nutty flavor of ghee.
Did you know – Ghee is one of those well-adapted foods that if taken care can adapt to the varying environmental conditions.
GHEE IS A MUST-HAVE!
Ghee is a staple in my house and I use it in my day-to-day-cooking. But instead of the traditional approach (cooktop method), I prefer to cook ghee at times in my crockpot and sometimes in my Instant Pot. Both the appliances are a great savior in the kitchen.
If I find myself needed to cook ghee in a shorter amount of time, I toss the butter in my IP and it gets done in 15 minutes.
But if you prefer a more relaxed approach, try making ghee in a slow cooker. It’s equally good. At times, when I like to slow cook my ghee than crockpot is my best buddy.
How to make Ghee in Instant Pot?
The process to make ghee is pretty simple. Add the unwrapped butter stick to the instant pot and set your IP to ‘saute mode – normal setting’. Set an external timer for 15 minutes and watch the magic happen.
Soon the milk solids will begin to separate. Water will start to evaporate from butter and the caramelized milk solids will settle at the bottom of the pot. Once the timer goes off, switch off the IP as butter will continue to sizzle for few more minutes.
Allow it cool down a bit. Strain it into a heatproof-glass-jar and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Seal the jars tightly. If you prefer, you can add a label with date and store it in a cool dry place in your pantry.
Your very own homemade golden ghee is ready to be consumed!
COOKING TIMES May VARY! Homemade Instant Pot Ghee
If you plan to cook a smaller batch of ghee than cooking times will vary. For 8 cups of butter, 32 ounces, cooking time will be somewhere between 10-12 minutes.
But if you plan to cook only 4 cups or 16 ounces of butter that cooking time will be just 8-9 minutes in ‘Saute mode’.
COOL FACTS ABOUT GHEE!
- Ghee is lactose-free. People who are lactose intolerant can consume ghee without any worries.
- Ghee is excellent for frying, cooking, and sauteing because it has a high smoking point of 480 degrees F. That means it won’t burn easily. But if ghee or any oil is heated past its smoke point, it is not healthy.
- Ghee is rich in vitamins and is excellent for digestion.
- Ghee has a long shelf life. If milk solids are burned properly, ghee can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 months.
Can we freeze Ghee?
It’s actually not required.
Ghee stores well at room temperature. If the milk solids were carefully removed, ghee will store well in your pantry in a dark, cool place or even in your refrigerator.
In fact, ghee will remain fresh for long (4 months), if stored in the fridge. The fridge is a better option than the pantry. Just make sure no water or moisture gets close to it. Store it in an airtight container so that it doesn’t pick up odors from other foods in the refrigerator.
But if you still want, you can freeze ghee for up to six months in an airtight container.
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them.
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Homemade Instant Pot Ghee
Instructions
- Unwrap the butter sticks and add it to the Instant Pot. If you plan to half the recipe to 8 sticks/32 oz then cooking times are mentioned above in the main post.
- Set your Instant Pot to the ‘Saute Mode’. Adjust to ‘Normal setting’ (in the center of the display screen). Set an external timer for 15 minutes.
- Soon butter sticks will start to melt.
- Butter after 8 minutes. The milk solids will begin to separate.
- 12 minutes into cooking. Please see the Recipe Notes below about stirring.
- After 15 minutes of cooking, the water will start to evaporate from butter and the caramelized milk solids will settle at the bottom of the pot. Once the timer goes off, turn off the IP. Butter will continue to cook for few more minutes. Depending on the temperature, in some cases, butter may require a little longer to cook. But not more than 15 minutes. Remember butter will continue to cook in the IP, even if it is switched off. So, to avoid burning start keeping a watchful eye on the butter around 12 minutes.
- Allow it to cool down. Strain the ghee through a coffee filter or cheesecloth into a clean dry jar.
- Left behind caramelized milk solids after straining butter.
- Store ghee in a cool dry place or refrigerator. If stored properly, ghee will last long.
- If you are making ghee for the first time in IP - keep a watchful eye. But once you the hang of it (how much time milk solids takes to brown in your IP) you can simply set the timer and carry on with the other chores. Let IP do the work for you. 🙂
Sonal says
I have been thinking h of making ghee in IP since a long time. Will follow your instructions and make it soon!
Ruchi says
Thanks, Sonal.
You will love it. 🙂