Bilona Ghee Process Explained: How A2 Bilona Ghee Is Made Step by Step?

The bilona ghee process starts with fresh A2 milk from desi cows. That milk is turned into curd, the curd is hand-churned into makkhan using a wooden bilona, and the makkhan is slow-simmered into ghee over a low flame. 

If you've ever wondered how is bilona ghee made, the answer lies in a traditional process that transforms fresh milk into curd, curd into butter, and butter into ghee without shortcuts or industrial machinery.

That is how bilona ghee is made, and that is exactly what makes it different from the ghee you find in most shops. No cream separator, no machine churner, no shortcuts. These traditional practices are one of the reasons many families choose A2 desi cow ghee over conventionally produced alternatives.

If you want a simple explanation of A2 bilona cow ghee and why it sits apart from regular ghee, this guide will take you through the bilona ghee process step by step, along with what each step is doing and why it matters.

What Does 'Bilona' Actually Mean?

Bilona is a wooden hand-churner. That is all it is. It is not a brand name or a marketing term. It is a simple, ancient tool with a rope wound around a wooden spindle, used to churn curd into butter.

The bilona ghee making process takes its name from this tool. This matters because no bilona churner means no bilona ghee, regardless of what any label claims.

The Charaka Samhita, one of Ayurveda's foundational texts, describes the preparation of ghee from churned butter as the ideal and most nourishing form of this sacred food. The Sanskrit word used is mantha, meaning churned. 

For thousands of years, this was how every Indian household made ghee. Many people still ask what is the Bilona method of making ghee, especially as traditional foods become more popular again. The answer is simple: it is a curd-based process that uses a wooden bilona to churn butter before converting it into ghee.

The bilona method of making ghee is simply that tradition, given a name and passed down through generations.

The 7 Traditional Steps Behind The Making Of Bilona Ghee 

Step 1: It Starts With the Right Cow

The foundation of the bilona ghee process is the cow. Rathi and Sahiwal are native Indian breeds, and both produce only A2 milk. Their milk contains the A2 beta-casein protein, which the human body handles more comfortably.

Understanding the difference between A2 and A1 ghee can help you make a more informed choice when buying ghee for your family.

What the cows eat matters just as much as the breed. These herds graze on open land in Rajasthan, feeding on bajra straw, local grasses, and wild herbs. That diet gives the milk a richer fat and a deeper flavour that travels through every stage of the bilona ghee process and into the final jar.

The cows are milked only after the calf has been fed first. This is an old Ayurvedic principle, and it shapes the quality of every batch.

Step 2: Boil the Milk And Cool It

This is the step that separates the bilona ghee making process from commercial ghee production. Where a factory starts from cream, the traditional a2 bilona ghee process starts from fresh milk that is first converted into curd.

Fresh A2 milk is boiled gently over a low flame, then cooled to body temperature. A small spoonful of the previous day’s curd, called jamavan, is stirred in. This live culture starts the fermentation.

Step 3 - Set the Curd

The milk is poured into an unglazed earthen matki and left undisturbed for 8 to 10 hours. The matki has a porous surface that breathes through the night, keeps the temperature steady, and supports the right kind of bacterial activity. Steel containers cannot do this.

Good, ghee-ready curd is firm, mildly sour, and pulls away cleanly from the walls of the pot. Under-set curd produces very little makkhan. Over-set curd makes the ghee taste sharp. Getting this right is a matter of feel and experience.

Step 4: The Bilona Churn

This is where the bilona ghee process step by step gets its name. Early in the morning, before sunrise, the curd is brought out. A little cold water is added. The wooden bilona spindle is placed at the centre of the pot, and the maker pulls the rope alternately, left then right, in a steady rhythm.

The bilona spins clockwise, then anticlockwise, back and forth. This bidirectional motion is what machines cannot replicate. 

High-speed churners spin in one direction only, which creates heat and damages the fat at a molecular level. 

The bilona’s back-and-forth motion coaxes the fat apart gently, letting it collect slowly into soft white makkhan without breaking.

When people ask how is bilona ghee made, this hand-churning stage is often considered the heart of the entire process because it gently separates butter from curd without generating excessive heat.

This is one of the central reasons why people prefer A2 ghee made by the bilona method, as the fat is preserved, not damaged.

Step 5: Collecting The Butter

As the churning continues, the curd thins and froths. White clumps begin to appear on the surface and collect on the spindle. Those clumps grow and float up as makkhan. 

The thin, pale yellow liquid left behind is chaas, the probiotic-rich buttermilk, which in Rajasthan is drunk fresh with jeera and rock salt.

Step 6: The Slow Simmer

The makkhan is rinsed once with cold water to remove any remaining buttermilk. Then it goes into a heavy-bottomed brass or iron vessel over the lowest possible flame. What follows is a slow, three-stage transformation.

In the first stage, the makkhan melts, and small bubbles form at the base. Water is evaporating.

In the second stage, foam rises and settles, the liquid turns golden, and you hear a steady crackle. Milk solids are separating from the fat. 

In the third stage, the crackling quietens, the milk solids sink to the bottom and turn a light golden-brown, and the aroma deepens to nutty and sweet. This is when the ghee is ready.

Step 7: Strain and Store The Ghee

The traditional test is to flick a single drop of water into the ghee. If it beads instantly and evaporates with a sharp sizzle, the ghee is done. 

Remove from the flame, let it settle, and strain through fine muslin into clean, dry glass jars. No additives, no preservatives.

Why Is Bilona Ghee More Expensive Than Regular Ghee?

One of the most common questions people ask is why Bilona Ghee costs more than ordinary supermarket ghee.

One reason is that the a2 bilona ghee process involves multiple labour-intensive stages, including milk fermentation, traditional churning, butter separation, and slow cooking.

Traditional Bilona Ghee is made by first converting milk into curd, then churning the curd into makkhan, and finally slow-cooking the makkhan into ghee. Each stage takes additional time, labour, and raw material.

A significant portion of milk is naturally lost during fermentation, churning, and buttermilk separation, which means far more milk is needed to produce the same quantity of ghee. In many cases, producing 1 kg of Bilona Ghee can require nearly twice as much milk as cream-based commercial methods.

Unlike industrial methods, the a2 bilona ghee process cannot be rushed because every stage contributes to the quality of the final product.

The result is a slower and more resource-intensive process, which is one of the main reasons authentic Bilona Ghee is priced differently from mass-produced alternatives.

Common Misconceptions About Bilona Ghee

Bilona Ghee and A2 Ghee Are the Same Thing

Not necessarily. Bilona refers to the method used to make ghee, while A2 refers to the type of milk used. Bilona Ghee can be made from A2 milk, but the two terms describe different things.

Bilona Is a Brand Name

No. Bilona is the traditional wooden churner used to separate butter from curd. The ghee-making method takes its name from this tool.

All Handmade Ghee Is Bilona Ghee

No. For ghee to be considered Bilona Ghee, it must follow the traditional milk → curd → butter → ghee process. Simply making ghee by hand does not automatically make it Bilona Ghee.

Bilona Ghee Is Made From Cream

Traditional Bilona Ghee is not made from cream. It begins with whole milk, which is first fermented into curd before being churned into butter.

Bilona Ghee Is a Modern Trend

The Bilona method has been practised in Indian households for centuries. In recent years, the name has become more widely recognised, but the process itself is much older.

Many consumers ask what is the Bilona method of making ghee and assume it is simply handmade ghee. In reality, it is a specific milk-to-curd-to-butter-to-ghee process that follows traditional Ayurvedic principles.

The Same Bilona Process, Passed Down Through Generations

The Bilona method is not complicated. It is simply slower, more patient, and more deliberate than modern cream-based production. Fresh milk is transformed into curd, curd into makkhan, and makkhan into ghee through a sequence of steps that has remained largely unchanged for generations.

Every stage has a purpose, from overnight fermentation to hand-churning and slow simmering. Together, these steps create the rich aroma, grainy texture, and deep flavour traditionally associated with pure A2 bilona ghee.

If someone asks how is bilona ghee made, the answer is found in these traditional steps: fresh milk is fermented into curd, churned into makkhan, and then slowly cooked into ghee.

Understanding what is the Bilona method of making ghee helps explain why traditional Bilona Ghee continues to be valued even today. The a2 bilona ghee process preserves a centuries-old method that prioritises patience, craftsmanship, and authenticity over speed.

At Rawat's Farm, this is the same process that has been followed since 1995, using milk from native Rathi and Sahiwal cows and traditional curd-churning methods. The tools may be simple, but the care, time, and attention behind each batch remain the same.

Frequently Asked Questions