We’ve found shortcuts for almost everything.
Mixers replaced the mortar and pestle. Gas stoves replaced wood fires. Yet Bilona, a method that can take days to make ghee, is still being practised.
Why stick with the longer route when faster methods exist? Does Bilona really make a difference, or is it just a fancy word on a label?
To judge whether it’s worth the effort, you first need to know what Bilona ghee actually is.
TL;DR
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Bilona ghee is made by setting milk into dahi, churning the dahi into makhan and slowly heating the makhan into ghee.
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Setting the dahi overnight and churning it are the two steps that make ghee bilona.
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Churning is traditionally done at Brahma Muhurat and in both directions, which helps the makhan separate well.
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Churning dahi gives the ghee a fuller, rounder flavour than ghee made from cream.
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Bilona ghee costs more because the method is slow, batches stay small, and the same milk gives less ghee.
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Words like A2, desi and Gir describe the milk, so the surest check is to ask how the ghee is made and request a lab report.
What Is Bilona Ghee ?
Bilona ghee is ghee made by setting milk into dahi, churning the dahi into makhan, and slowly simmering the makhan until golden ghee remains. For generations, this is how ghee was made in many Indian homes.
The dahi was set overnight in a clay matka and churned the next morning with a wooden churner until soft makhan gathered on top.
Ayurveda held this ghee in high regard. Its classical texts treat ghee made from dahi as the standard and uses it as the base for many herbal medicines. That trust never left Indian homes, and a dab of ghee on cracked lips in winter is still one of the first gharelu nuskhe Indian mothers reach for.
Then there is the taste. A grainy spoonful melts into hot khichdi, and its nutty aroma makes a simple roti and dal taste like home.
Every bit of that is shaped at each step, starting with what the cows eat.
How Is Bilona Ghee Made?
Bilona ghee is made in six steps, from feeding the cows to simmering the makhan into ghee. Two of them, setting the dahi overnight and churning it, are what make it bilona. The other steps look after the quality of the milk and the ghee. Every ghee maker should be able to answer questions about these steps, starting with how the cows are fed.
1. Feeding the Cows Well
What a cow eats ends up in her milk. In research at a government dairy institute, cows fed fresh green fodder gave milk with about three times more CLA, a natural milk fat that scientists study closely, than cows fed mostly on grain. So, a good maker always knows what the cows are eating.
2. Collecting and Boiling Fresh Milk
The milk is boiled soon after milking, just as it is in most homes every morning. Milk that sits around too long often gives a runny, sour dahi. Boiling it fresh clears out unwanted germs, so the dahi sets well.
3. Setting the Dahi Overnight
Once the milk has cooled a little, a spoon of yesterday’s dahi is mixed in. This starter has a name in almost every home. It’s Jaman in Hindi, Melvan in Gujarati, Virjan in Marathi and Jaag in Punjabi. The pot is covered and left overnight, and by morning the dahi is thick enough to hold a spoon upright.
4. Churning the Dahi Into Makhan
This churning method is what gives bilona its name. The fat in dahi sits in tiny drops and churning knocks them into each other until they join and rise as soft makhan. A little cold water is added while churning, which keeps the dahi cool and helps the makhan separate cleanly. The thin liquid left in the pot is buttermilk, the same chaas many homes drink after lunch with jeera and salt.
5. Washing and Pressing the Makhan
The makhan is scooped out and gently pressed to squeeze out any buttermilk still trapped inside. Then it’s rinsed in cold water, so it stays firm and doesn’t go sour. The clean makhan is kept in an earthen pot until it’s ready to be heated.
6. Simmering the Makhan Into Ghee
The makhan is heated on a low flame. Bit by bit, the water in it dries up, and the milk solids turn light brown and sink to the bottom. If the flame is too high, these solids burn and the ghee turns bitter. What’s left on top is clear, golden ghee, ready to be strained into a jar.
Of all six steps, churning leaves the deepest mark on the ghee, which is why it still matters today.
Why Does the Churning Method Still Matter?
The churning method still matters because it shapes the flavour of bilona ghee and carries traditions that make practical sense even today.
Here’s how the two compare at a glance.
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Bilona (curd-based) ghee |
Cream-based ghee |
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Starts from |
Dahi set overnight |
Cream, or butter made from cream |
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How the fat is separated |
Dahi is churned into makhan |
Cream is churned into butter or heated directly |
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Flavour |
Fuller and rounder |
Milder |
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Ghee from the same milk |
Less |
More |
Because the makhan comes from churned dahi, the bilona ghee picks up a fuller, rounder flavour.
Churning has been traditionally done at Brahma Muhurat, the hours before sunrise considered the most positive of the day according to Ayurveda. The dahi is still cool at that hour, so it gives up its makhan more easily.
In the traditional setup, the matka stays in place while a rope turns the wooden churner one way and then the other. Unidirectional churning makes the dahi swirl along with the churner, so the fat rarely comes together. Bidirectional churning breaks that swirl and keep the dahi tumbling until the makhan gathers.
With so much going into the word “bilona”, it is worth knowing how to tell whether a jar lives up to it.
How Do You Check If the Ghee Is Bilona?
Real bilona ghee is identified by how it is made, not by the label. A genuine maker can explain each step, from setting the dahi to churning it, without hesitation.
A2, desi and Gir describe the cow and her milk, while bilona describes the method. Indian food rules also allow ghee to be made straight from cream or butter, so “ghee” alone says nothing about churning.
A few simple checks help.
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Read the label for “curd” or “bilona”, not just “desi”.
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Ask about the milk source and the breed.
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Check whether the dahi is churned bidirectionally.
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Request a lab report to make sure the ghee is free from adulteration.
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Trust texture only so far, since cooling and storage also change the grain.
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Visit the farm if visitors are welcome.
The best bilona ghee in India is the one whose making is open to see and easy to understand.
Final Thoughts
Bilona ghee is less about a word on the label and more about a way of making ghee that takes time and care at every step. The churning still matters because it is where the ghee gets its flavour, and because it has carried an old kitchen habit from village homes into the kitchens of today.
Ghee is never hard to find. But pure ghee made the old way is.
Each jar of bilona ghee that reaches the table helps keep this part of India’s food culture and tradition alive a little longer. How different ways of making ghee affect health, however, is something research has yet to fully answer.
A Note from GirOrganic
At GirOrganic, our Gir Cow Ghee is made from the milk of our herd of 600+ cows, and the calves always get their share first. For 35 years, we followed the same traditional Bilona method in which the milk is turned into curd, churned into butter, and slowly simmered into ghee.
Our work in pure breed Gir cow conservation was awarded with the National Gopal Ratna Award, while our ghee was featured by TasteAtlas among the World’s Best and Iconic butters.
If you're looking for ghee that still tastes the way it's meant to, this is a good place to start.
FAQs About Bilona Ghee
1. Why is it called bilona ghee?
The name comes from the Hindi word bilona, which means “to churn”. It describes the step that sets this ghee apart, where dahi is churned into makhan before the makhan is heated into ghee. So, when a jar says “bilona”, it just tells the reader how the ghee was made.
2. Why is bilona ghee more expensive than regular ghee?
Bilona ghee costs more for three simple reasons. When it is made from Gir cow milk, it starts with rare milk, because Gir cows give less milk than most other cows. It also takes a lot of milk to make a little ghee, because some of the fat gets left behind in the buttermilk. And making it takes many hours and many hands, from setting the dahi to churning it and heating it slowly.
3. Is bilona ghee better than regular ghee?
For many Indian families, yes. Bilona is how ghee has been made in India for centuries, and Ayurveda treats ghee made from dahi as the standard. Churning the dahi also gives it a fuller, richer flavour. Its health effects compared with regular ghee are still being studied, and anyone who feels discomfort after regular use should check with a nutritionist.
4. Can bilona ghee be made at home?
Yes, and many families still make it. Milk is boiled and set into dahi overnight, and the dahi is churned the next morning until makhan rises. The makhan is washed in cold water and then heated on a low flame until it turns into golden ghee.
5. Does bilona ghee need to be refrigerated?
No. Kept in a clean, airtight jar away from heat and sunlight, bilona ghee stays good at room temperature. Using a dry spoon each time helps it last longer.