Easy Probiotic Kefir Cultured Ghee

As much as I love the idea of ditching dairy in all possible way, my vegetarian family doesn’t quite love that idea. And unsurprisingly, they love their daily dose of ghee or the quintessential Indian clarified butter. That’s why I make this easy Probiotic Kefir Cultured Ghee to give them the best quality ghee I can. Yes, this is super easy, homemade and full of all that goodness that traditionally made Indian ghee is known for.

Ghee or clarified butter is an age-old dairy derived fat used in Indian cooking. Traditionally, ghee is made from cultured cream through a tedious churning and cooking process. The milk fat is collected after boiling raw milk and stored until a desired amount is collected. Then the cream is allowed to ferment with a spoonful of yogurt(all those good bacteria in Ghee comes from here) and then churned into butter. The butter is then used to make clarified butter or ghee by heating under medium until the milk fat separates and a clear golden liquid floats. That’s the pure, aromatic and cultured ghee my friends.

My easy probiotic kefir cultured ghee also goes through a fermentation process. That’s why it is good for digestion and has a beautiful sweet aroma just as the cultured homemade ghee we find in India. I used both yogurt and kefir to ferment the cream before making butter and ghee out of it.

Is Easy Probiotic Kefir Culture Ghee Good for You?

Whether ghee is good for you or not, that’s still debatable. People on a plant-based diet who ditch any kind of fat for good can never approve ghee in their diet. However, ghee is recently gaining popularity among those following a strict low-carb and keto diet. Ghee is after all a good source of fat. But the store bought ones are not good enough as the actual cultured ghee we find in India. Because most store bought ones are not cultured, they don’t have a good grainy texture, a perfectly sweet aroma and a light yellow tint.

Unlike that, my easy probiotic kefir cultured ghee is fragrant. It’s easy on stomach and aids digestion because of the good bacteria from kefir and yogurt. Whether you love ghee or want to make some for your family(as I do), you will find this recipe of my easy probiotic kefir cultured ghee very helpful.

Few Recommendations:

• For this process, you will need a hand/stand mixer, blender or a processor. Any of these will work absolutely fine to give you some authentic cultured homemade butter or ghee.
• Fermentation is an absolute must if you want the perfect probiotic kefir cultured ghee. If you don’t like the idea to wait till 48 hour before starting to make some ghee, then start with step two for making butter out of cream and proceed to make ghee.
• Ghee stores well in room temperature. You can also refrigerate it to store it for a longer time.
• If you want to make only butter, make sure to rinse and squeeze the butter as much as you can. As a result, you will have a smooth, water-free and creamy cultured butter.
• And lastly, there is nothing like this homemade cultured butter and ghee. Try it for yourself to see how does it taste like.

Recipe of Easy Probiotic Kefir Cultured Ghee:

Step-1: Culture Cream

• For making homemade easy probiotic kefir cultured ghee, you will need 1 pint of full-fat cream(preferably pasteurized), ¼ cup plain yogurt and ¼ cup plain kefir. Don’t use the sugary or the flavored kefir or yogurt for this recipe.
• In a big microwave safe bowl, add the cream. Heat the cream for few seconds and mix it thoroughly and heat it again for few seconds until the cream feels warm. (may take 1-3 minutes)
• Now add the kefir and yogurt to the cream and mix thoroughly.
• Cover the bowl and keep it in a warm and dark place. (you can keep it in a preheated oven too if the room temperature is very cold)
• Allow the fermentation for 24-48 hours until the mixture thickens just like yogurt.

Step-2: Process and Separate Butter:

• You will need 4 cups of ice cold water and a food processor/mixer/blender for this process.
• Add 2-3 cups of cultured cream to the food processor and process until smooth.

• Once you start seeing the butter separating, add ½ cup to 1 cup of ice-cold water.

• As you keep processing, the butter will separate and float on the liquid.

• Use a muslin cloth/cheese cloth/strainer to separate the butter from the liquid.

• Do not throw the liquid. This is cultured buttermilk, which you can use in recipes.

• In a similar way, process rest of the cream and separate butter from the butter milk.
• Collect all the butter in a heavy bottom pan.

Step-3: Prepare Ghee:

• Before making ghee, squeeze the excess buttermilk from the butter thoroughly.
• If you wish to store some butter, rinse the squeezed butter a few times until the water runs clear.
• Then squeeze it again and roll it on a flat surface to shape it.
• Store it in the refrigerator for a week or two.
• For making ghee, heat the butter at medium temperature.

• The butter will melt and become frothy. This is very normal. You don’t have to remove the froth from the liquid. However, separating the froth will make the process a bit quicker.

• Allow the butter to cook under low temperature until the liquid turns clear and milk fats settle at the bottom.

• At this point, you will be able to see a clear orange liquid and a layer of settled milk fat at the bottom of the pan.
• Stop cooking the butter at this point. Turn the heat off and allow the liquid to cool down.

• Strain the liquid and separate the milk fat. You can either discard or use the milk fat in some recipes.
• Your easy probiotic kefir cultured ghee is ready.

• Store it at room temperature in a cool and dark place or refrigerate it for a better shelf-life.

Nutrition Facts:

The easy probiotic kefir cultured ghee recipe yields 32 oz of ghee depending on the quality of the cream. Here is a nutritional fact breakdown.

📖 Recipe

Some vegan nut butter recipes from the blog are here! Just click on the images to visit the recipe page.