Learning how to make clarified butter is one of those simple professional techniques that elevates everyday cooking. Clarified butter is pure golden butterfat - butter that's been gently melted and strained to remove the milk solids and water. The result? A rich, clean-tasting fat with a high smoke point and that unmistakable buttery flavor and fantastic to cook with.
While I cook mostly with olive oil, there are times only butter will do - for softly scrambled eggs, sautéed mushrooms, or pan-seared steak. Making clarified butter at home means you can enjoy that flavor without the milk solids that burn easily or cause trouble for dairy-sensitive eaters. And while you can buy it, homemade is better.
Why You'll Love Clarified Butter
- Pure buttery flavor - All the richness of butter, minus the milk solids and water.
- High smoke point - Perfect for sautéing, searing, or roasting without burning.
- Dairy-friendly option - Easier on those sensitive to lactose or casein.
- Long shelf life - Stays fresh for weeks unrefrigerated, even longer chilled.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Unsalted butter - Use the best quality butter you can find. With only one ingredient, the flavor of your clarified butter depends entirely on the butter you start with. Look for grass-fed or European-style butters for a richer, more golden result.
- If planning for a certain volume of clarified butter, realize that you will lose about 20%-25% of the original weight.
Chef's Tip - Butter isn't 100% fat - it's roughly 80% butterfat, 15% water, and 5% milk solids. When you clarify butter, the water and milk solids are removed, leaving pure golden butterfat that won't burn at high heat and is often tolerated by those sensitive to dairy.
How to Make Clarified Butter
- Melt the butter slowly - Melt unsalted butter in a small pan over low heat.
- Simmer gently - Turn the heat up just a little and allow it to simmer on low for about 8-10 minutes longer. A creamy white foam will develop on top, which is the milks solids separating from the butter fat. Bubbles will appear on the surface, at first large ones then smaller as the water cooks off. You will hear it too, as the bubbling almost stops.
3. Watch for separation - You will also see the clear golden butterfat underneath. The aroma of the melting butter will change a bit, developing a slightly nutty fragrance (think of browned butter).
4. Strain and store - Carefully pour the melted butter through a fine sieve lined with four layers of cheese cloth into a glass jar. When you get to the bottom of the pan, leave the solids behind if there are any. You should have pure, clear, golden butter fat.
Chef's Tip - What Is Ghee
Ghee is clarified butter taken a step further. It's simmered a little longer so the milk solids brown and caramelize, giving it a deeper, nutty flavor and a slightly higher smoke point. It's commonly used in Indian cooking.
How to Use Clarified Butter
Use clarified butter anywhere you'd use oil or butter for high-heat cooking. It's excellent for sautéing, searing, roasting vegetables, or whisking into sauces like hollandaise. Its high smoke point (about 450°F) makes it perfect for tasks where butter would normally burn.
Storage & Freezing
Clarified butter can be kept at room temperature for several weeks, but refrigeration is best for long-term storage - up to 3 to 6 months or even longer if you use it infrequently. For extended storage, it freezes beautifully; just portion it into small containers or silicone molds for easy use later.
Recipe FAQs
Technically yes, but unsalted butter is best. Salted butter tends to foam more and can leave behind a slightly salty or uneven flavor in the final product.
You'll know it's ready when the bubbling slows, the top becomes foamy, and the butter underneath turns clear and golden with a mild nutty aroma.
Yes! Clarified butter works beautifully for high-heat cooking - sautéing, searing, roasting, or even frying. It adds rich, buttery flavor without burning.
Recipes That Use Clarified Butter
Clarified butter is one of those quiet kitchen upgrades that makes everything taste better. Use it anywhere you want buttery richness and high-heat performance, basically anywhere that you'd use butter.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you make clarified butter please let me know! I love to hear from you and appreciate your feedback, plus your comments help other readers.
📖 Recipe
How to Make Clarified Butter
Equipment
- Cheesecloth
Ingredients
- 8 ounces unsalted pastured organic butter
Instructions
- Place butter in a small 2-quart pan over low heat. Melt the butter slowly. When the butter is melted, turn the heat up just a bit and allow the butter to slowly simmer to cook off the water and separate out the milk solids, about another 8-10 minutes. At first the bubbles will be large, then smaller as the water evaporates, and the bubbling gets more quiet.
- When the bubbles are very small and most of the water has evaporated and a whitish foam has developed on top (the milk solids), carefully pour the clarified butter through a fine sieve lined with 4 layers of cheesecloth. You should have pure clear golden fat.
- Pour into a small jar and refrigerate for 3-6 months. Use as desired for cooking in place of regular butter or oil.
Notes
Nutrition
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kent cameron says
I've never used clarified butter before but used it to saute mushrooms and it was really nice. Good to find a new type of good fat to cook with. Thanks for teaching the details.