Ghee guide
How ghee is made: the bilona method explained
By Vedika Ghee · 29 July 2026
All ghee is clarified butter, but how you get to that butter changes everything about the taste, aroma, and price. There are two main methods.
The quick way: direct cream ghee
Most commercial ghee is made by separating cream from milk, heating it, and clarifying it into ghee in a matter of minutes. It is fast and high-yield, which is why it is cheap. It is also flat in aroma and lacks the grain of traditional ghee.
The slow way: the bilona method
Bilona ghee starts from curd, not cream. The steps are:
- Fresh milk is cultured into curd overnight.
- The curd is hand-churned to draw out fresh white butter, the makhan.
- The makhan is slow-simmered on a low flame until it turns into golden, grainy (danedar) ghee.
Culturing the curd first is what builds the aroma and the easier digestibility that people associate with real desi ghee.
Why bilona ghee costs more
It takes roughly 25 to 30 litres of milk to make a single litre of bilona ghee. The process is slow, low-yield, and cannot be rushed. That is the honest reason a jar of genuine A2 Gir cow bilona ghee costs more than factory ghee, and why it is worth it.
Our A2 Gir cow ghee is made this way, in small batches, and every batch is lab-tested with a report you can scan.
Frequently asked questions
What is the bilona method?+
Bilona ghee is made from cultured curd that is hand-churned into butter and then simmered into ghee, rather than from cream. It gives a richer aroma and grainy texture.
Why is bilona ghee so expensive?+
It takes about 25 to 30 litres of milk to make one litre, and the process is slow and low-yield, so it costs more than fast, cream-based ghee.