Bilona ghee is made from curd, not from cream. Milk is set into curd, the curd is churned by hand into white butter, and only that butter is simmered into ghee. Most of the flavour and the grainy texture people look for comes from that order of steps.
This is how the method works, step by step, and what each step looks like when it is done properly.
What does “bilona” actually mean?
Bilona is the traditional churning method used across north India. A wooden churner (the madhani) is turned inside a pot of curd until the fat gathers as white butter. The word describes the churning, so “bilona ghee” means ghee made from butter that was churned out of curd.
The alternative is to separate cream from milk with a machine and heat the cream directly. That gives ghee too, but it skips the curd stage, and the aroma is different.
India’s food regulator describes ghee as a fatty product derived exclusively from milk or milk products, with no added flavour, colour or preservative, and notes that its distinctive flavour and structure come from the way it is made (FSSAI, regulation 2.1.8, milk fat products). A UGC dairy-technology textbook lists the desi method, where butter churned from curd is heated into ghee, next to the creamery-butter and direct-cream methods (INFLIBNET e-PG Pathshala).
Step 1: How is the milk turned into curd?
The milk is boiled, cooled until it is lukewarm, and set with a spoonful of culture from a previous batch. It rests for several hours, usually overnight, until it is firm and mildly sour. Too warm and it turns sour and gritty; too cold and it stays runny and will not churn well.
Our Classic Cow Shuddh Bilona Ghee starts with cow milk from our own farms across Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, and is slow-churned in small batches at our unit in Sonipat.
Step 2: How is the curd churned into butter?
The set curd is churned slowly for a long stretch. After a while small white grains of fat appear and stick together. A little cool water is often added toward the end to help the butter gather. The butter is lifted out, and what remains in the pot is buttermilk (chaas), which is drunk or used in cooking.
Hand churning is slower than a machine and gives a smaller batch. That is the main reason bilona ghee costs more to make than ghee from cream.
Step 3: How is white butter turned into ghee?
The butter goes into a heavy pot on low heat. It melts, foams and spits as the water in it cooks off. Then the foam settles, the sound goes quiet, and the milk solids at the bottom turn light brown. At that point the pot comes off the heat.
Overshoot and the solids burn, the ghee turns bitter and darkens. Stop early and moisture is left in, which shortens shelf life. A cook watches colour, sound and smell rather than a timer.
Step 4: How is the ghee strained and packed?
The hot ghee is allowed to cool a little, then strained through a clean cloth or fine steel mesh to remove the browned solids. It is packed once it has cooled enough to handle, in a dry, clean jar. A single drop of water in the jar can spoil a batch.
What should bilona ghee look and smell like?
- Aroma: warm, slightly nutty, the smell of butter cooked until just golden.
- Texture: often granular (danedar), especially in cold weather. Grain is a sign of how the fat crystallised, not a quality score. See our note on daanedar ghee.
- Colour: pale gold to yellow. Colour changes with the season and the feed, so do not treat it as a test.
No home test can confirm how a ghee was made. If you want to know where a jar came from, look for a batch label and a lab report you can read. You can compare this with ghee made from cream in bilona ghee vs commercial ghee.
Where can I buy bilona ghee from Doodhvale?
Our range is on the desi ghee collection, with the Classic Cow Bilona Ghee as the main jar.
FAQ
Is bilona ghee the same as A2 ghee?
No. Bilona describes the method. A2 describes the type of milk protein in the cow’s milk. A ghee can be one, both or neither.
Why is bilona ghee more expensive?
It takes more milk, more hours and more handling per kilo than the cream method.
Why does my bilona ghee look grainy?
Slow cooling lets the fat form crystals. Warm it gently and it turns smooth again, with no change in the ghee itself.
How should I store it?
Keep it in a closed, dry jar away from direct sun, and use a dry spoon every time.
Can I make it at home?
Yes. You need curd set from full-fat milk, patience at the churning stage and a low flame at the end.
Sources
- FSSAI, Food Products Standards and Food Additives Regulations, Chapter 2.1 Dairy Products and Analogues, regulation 2.1.8 Standard for Milk Fat Products (version of 7 May 2025).
- INFLIBNET Centre (UGC), e-PG Pathshala: Technology of Ghee making, direct cream, creamery butter and continuous methods, in Technology of Milk and Milk Products.
