Clarified Butter: What It Is & How to Use It

What Is Clarified Butter?

Clarified butter—also known as drawn butter—is simply butter that has been cooked to remove the milk solids and some of the water, leaving behind a clear yellow liquid. Clarified butter has the richness and flavor of butter, but it can be used for cooking at higher temperatures than regular melted butter since it's the milk solids in butter that tend to scorch.

Clarified butter has a clean, intense buttery flavor that can be a bit less sweet than regular butter since the milk solids have been removed. In its liquid form, clarified butter is clear yellow, as opposed to melted butter, which is paler and cloudy. When left to re-solidify, clarified butter is smooth but not as creamy as regular butter, and it will not get as firm as non-clarified butter.

Are Clarified Butter and Ghee the Same Thing?

While all ghee is clarified butter, not all clarified butter is ghee. Ghee, a style of clarified butter used in many South Asian cuisines, is cooked longer than French-style clarified butter. The longer cooking time removes more of the water in the butter, and ghee has a more concentrated, intense flavor with nutty notes. And while ghee doesn't need to be refrigerated, clarified butter does.

If you mostly want clarified butter for higher-heat cooking, ghee will be a good option, but if you want it for delicate sauces like hollandaise, you will want to clarify your own butter, as the nutty flavor of ghee comes through in sauces.

How to Make Clarified Butter on the Stovetop

The simplest way to clarify butter is on the stovetop. Regardless of how you clarify butter, it's worth seeking out European-style unsalted butter, which contains more butterfat and less water. Brands to look for include Plugra, Lurpak and Kerrygold.

While many recipes suggest using cheesecloth to remove the milk solids, you really don't have to if you have a good skimmer. These look like wide, flattened fine-mesh sieves on the end of a handle. They're useful for removing the milk solids, and can also be used for skimming the foam off soups and stocks.

The skimming method can be easier if you're clarifying larger amounts of butter, at least a half-pound or more, since you will have a greater surface area to use your skimmer on. When making small amounts, especially if you want to use the clarified butter in high-heat cooking, use the cheesecloth method to ensure all of the milk solids are removed so that the risk of burning is mitigated.

See below for instructions on making clarified butter on the stovetop.

How to Make Clarified Butter in the Microwave

Using your microwave can also make fast work of clarifying butter. While the stovetop method is a bit easier, the microwave can be a great option, especially when cooking with kids, since the risk of spattering grease is eliminated.

See below for instructions on making clarified butter in the microwave.

Is Clarified Butter Healthy?

As with any food that's high in saturated fat, you should consume clarified butter in moderation as part of a balanced diet. For those with mild lactose intolerances, clarified butter and ghee can often be eaten without negative effects, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Can You Clarify Salted Butter?

You can clarify salted butter, but remember that almost all of the salt will remain in the final product. This can actually be a benefit if you are clarifying butter to use as a dip for food like lobster, crab or artichoke leaves, since the salt will enhance the flavor of those foods. But if you intend to use it in sauces like hollandaise or for sautéing, you are better off clarifying unsalted butter so that you can control the amount of salt. If you choose to clarify salted butter, look for one labeled "lightly salted" or "slightly salted" like Lurpak.

What Is the Smoke Point of Clarified Butter?

One of the reasons to clarify butter is to increase its smoke point, or the temperature at which it will burn and impart off-flavors to your dishes. Regular butter has a smoke point of between 300°F and 350°F, while clarified butter has a smoke point of about 450°F. This makes clarified butter as easy to use in sautéing or other higher-heat applications as a high-smoke-point oil.

So you can sauté vegetables at high heat in clarified butter and get the buttery flavor without burning. You can also use clarified butter to sear burgers or steaks, where the butter flavor will enhance the meat, or even to cook delicate fish, where the flavor of oil can sometimes be too pronounced.

How to Use Clarified Butter

Whether you are using clarified butter as a dip for seafood or vegetables, to sauté proteins or fry eggs, or to make traditional sauces, it is a very useful product to know how to make. We love it in this Vori Vori (Corn Dumpling Soup) from Paraguay, where it makes a light fluffy dumpling, or in a classic Baklava, where it makes the pastry crispy with no risk of burning. You can also sub some or all of the oil in a vinaigrette with clarified butter for a new flavor sensation that's especially good with bitter chicories or root vegetables.

How Long Does Clarified Butter Last?

While ghee is shelf-stable at room temperature, regular clarified butter is not and will need to be kept in the fridge. But it has a longer life there with less risk of rancidity than regular butter because you have removed both the milk solids and the excess water. Clarified butter will keep for up to six months in the fridge. It also freezes well, so you can make a large batch and freeze in an ice cube tray and then pop the cubes out into a freezer bag or container to use as needed. Clarified butter will last in your freezer for over a year. Just be sure to keep it in a tightly sealed container so it doesn't pick up other flavors from the freezer.

What Can You Do with the Milk Solids and Water?

While there is minimal waste in making clarified butter, you still have milk solids and milky water to contend with. The water is a great addition to any soup or stock or stew, so feel free to save it and freeze it, and add to your next simmering potful for a bit of bonus flavor. The milk solids can actually be cooked in a skillet until browned and crispy—they make a delicious garnish for vegetables, pasta or rice, where they add little pops of nutty caramelized flavor. You can also stir them into cookie dough.

Bottom Line

If you love the flavor of butter, clarified butter will give you all sorts of new ways to incorporate it into your cooking. And you may find that because it has that richness, you need less of it to boost your dishes than you might with a less luxurious fat. Find the method that works best for you and start cooking with clarified butter!