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Learn how to make Clarified Butter, an easy process that removes the water and milk solids from whole butter. Clarified butter has a more concentrated, richer flavor, lasts longer in the refrigerator, and has a higher smoke point for cooking.
Meggan’s notes
When you make clarified butter, you skim milk solids off the top of melted butter and leave the released water in the bottom of the pan. The stuff in the middle, the liquid gold, is 100% pure butterfat.
This means a higher smoke point, a longer shelf life, a rich buttery flavor, and a more versatile substance great for making everything from stir-fries to sauces.
This recipe is not for Ghee, a specific type of clarified butter that is shelf-stable at room temperature, although I cover the differences and how to make it in the FAQ section.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Better butter: The best butter for clarifying is European-style, imported butter. These butters usually contain more milk fat than American butter (82% to 86% milk fat in European vs. 80% to 82% in American). After clarifying some store-brand or other inexpensive butters, I was left with what looked like a pan of yellow water. Not appetizing! If you are clarifying butter to make a delicious Hollandaise Sauce, choose a delicious butter (since Hollandaise Sauce is mostly butter). But, If you’re clarifying butter to make a stir-fry, the quality won’t be quite as important.
- Butter solids: You can lightly brown the butter solids (the layer you scooped off the top) in a small amount of clarified butter to make “browned butter.” Then, add to cookies, vegetables, soups, and mashed potatoes for extra butter flavor, or use as a condiment on bread.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a small saucepan over low heat, warm butter without boiling or agitation of any kind. As the butter melts, the solids rise to the top, and water sinks to the bottom. Sometimes the solids appear to bubble up from the bottom.
- When the butter is melted, skim the milk solids from the top using a ladle or slotted spoon (see notes for ideas of what to do with the solids).
- When the skim solids have been removed, transfer the butterfat to a clean saucepan, bowl, or jar using a ladle. Leave the water in the bottom of the pot.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: 1 pound of butter yields about 12 ounces of clarified butter, enough for 8 servings, 1 ½ ounces (3 tablespoons) each.
- Storage: Store clarified butter in a jar the fridge for up to 2 months.
- Freezer: Pack in a freezer-safe container, label, date, and freeze clarified butter for up to 6 months.
- No slotted spoon: Strain your solids away with cheesecloth, a fine-mesh sieve, or fine-mesh strainer.
- Flavors: Add fresh garlic, herbs, and spices to your clarified butter. See Compound Butter 6 Ways for delicious flavor combinations for butter.
- Serving suggestions: Drizzle hot clarified butter over your next New York Strip Steak, Roast Beef Tenderloin, or Steak and Lobster for extra richness. Or, try on pancakes, crab legs, and roasted vegetables (especially potatoes). Clarified butter is also an ingredient in some Hollandaise recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Clarified butter and ghee are almost the same thing. They are both regular butter with the milk and water solids removed (leave pure butterfat). Ghee is a particular type of clarified butter normally used in Indian cooking.
Clarified butter is often made by melting butter, skimming off the foam, and leaving the water in the bottom of the pan. Ghee, however, is boiled rapidly over medium-high heat until the water in the butter bubbles and actually boils off, and the milk proteins brown. You strain the ghee to remove the milk solids, and the resulting butterfat, ghee, is pure and can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 months or 1 year in the refrigerator.
Because clarified butter is pure butterfat, it has a high smoke point (about 450 degrees) compared to regular butter (about 350 degrees).
The clarified butter method in this recipe does not produce shelf-stable butter and must be kept in the refrigerator. Ghee, which has been boiled for at least 10 minutes to remove the water, and then strained to completely remove all milk solids, is the shelf-stable version for up to 3 months or can be refrigerated for up to 1 year.
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Clarified Butter
IngredientsÂ
- 1 pound unsalted butter
InstructionsÂ
- In a small saucepan over low heat, warm butter without boiling or agitation of any kind.
- As the butter melts, the solids rise to the top and water sinks to the bottom. Sometimes the solids appear to bubble up from the bottom.
- When the butter is melted, skim the milk solids from the top using a ladle or slotted spoon (see notes for ideas of what to do with the solids).
- When the skim solids have been removed, transfer the butterfat to a clean saucepan or bowl using a ladle. Leave the water in the bottom of the original saucepan.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Better butter: The best butter for clarifying is European-style, imported butter. These butters usually contain more milk fat than American butter (82% to 86% milk fat in European vs. 80% to 82% in American). After clarifying some store-brand or other inexpensive butters, I was left with what looked like a pan of yellow water. Not appetizing! If you are clarifying butter to make a delicious Hollandaise Sauce, choose a delicious butter (since Hollandaise Sauce is mostly butter). But If you’re clarifying butter to make a stir-fry, the quality won’t be quite as important.
- Butter solids: You can lightly brown the butter solids (the layer you scooped off the top) in a small amount of clarified butter to make “browned butter.” Then, add to cookies, vegetables, soups, mashed potatoes for extra butter flavor, or use as a condiment on bread.Â
- Yield: 1 pound of butter yields about 12 oz. of clarified butter, enough for 8 servings, 1 ½ oz. (3 Tbsp.) each.
- Storage: Store clarified butter in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
- Freezer: Pack in a freezer-safe container, label, date, and freeze clarified butter for up to 6 months.
What a great recipe! Easy to follow and execute!
You’re welcome, Jake! Take care! – Meggan
There are a few inaccuracies in your recipe.
Ghee and Clarified Butter are not the same things. Ghee is cooked longer and it has a nuttier taste.
Also the water is not what is left at the bottom… instead the water is being evaporated by melting/boiling the butter… it is the milk solids that settles to the bottom. The whey (which is moisture) is what is skimmed off of the top.
Hi Shay, thank you for taking the time to read the post and point this out. I’ll look into it and make the appropriate corrections. Thanks again! – Meggan
How long will Clarified butter good for?
Hi Marj, clarified butter is good at least 2 months in the refrigerator. Take care! – Meggan
Had heard of these words and/or process “clarified butter” for a long time, but never seemed to pay it no mind, for one reason, or another. So glad now that I finally discovered this wonderful golden ingredient, behind so many decadent recipes!
Thanks Shawn! – Meggan
What butter is the best butter to make the clarified butter (ghee) out of?
How about the members mark sweet cream unsalted butter?
Hi Kiran, The best butter for clarifying is European-style, imported butter. These butters usually contain more milk fat than American butter (82% to 86% milk fat in European vs. 80% to 82% in American). Hope this helps! – Meggan
Nervous about the solids staying almost 100% at the bottom. The slotted spoon was too wide so I switched to a stainless steel serving spoon from my flatware set with smaller holes. I ended up wasting a little of the clarified butter because I didn’t want the solids coming out.
Why would a baking recipe call for both clarified butter and milk. It doesn’t seem to be a higher smoke point issue if you add milk back in. Couldn’t you just increase the butter and decrease the milk to get the about the same oil/water/milk balance?
I tried this same method using cheese. It didn’t work.
Well done.
Thank you David! -Meggan
Butter was clarified easy per instructions given
Used clarified butter(cb) to make chicken Milanese. The cb turned darker after the first 3 cutlets and continued to darken through 8 cutlets I cooked. Was the flame to high or is the cooking life of cb short?
Hi Rich, chicken Milanese sounds delicious! Clarified butter will continue to brown as it is exposed to heat. If you were able to get through the cutlets and nothing burned, I don’t think your flame was too high. – Meggan
Just add olive oil to your clarified butter to help increase the longevity of the butter to keep from burning. Hope this helps.