A2 Ghee · Making
How Much Milk Makes 1 kg of Ghee? Cow vs Buffalo, Bilona vs Cream
It takes roughly 25–30 litres of milk to make 1 kg of bilona ghee, the figure from our own process. The exact amount depends on the milk’s fat content and the method: buffalo milk (around 7% fat) needs less milk than cow milk (around 3.5–4.5% fat), and separating cream by machine recovers more fat than churning curd by hand, so cream ghee needs fewer litres than bilona ghee.
Quick take
- Our bilona process: about 25–30 litres of milk per kilo of ghee.
- Theory: 1 kg of ghee needs about 1 kg of milk fat — ~14 L of 7% buffalo milk or ~25 L of 4% cow milk, before losses.
- Hand-churning curd leaves fat in the buttermilk, so bilona yields less than cream separation.
- Low yield is a big part of why A2 bilona ghee costs more.
“How many litres of milk go into a kilo of ghee?” is one of the questions we are asked most, usually by someone comparing prices. The honest answer is a range, and the reasons for the range explain a lot about how ghee is made.
You can buy A2 ghee online from A2 Farmer, with the full lab report published.
Start with the fat maths
Ghee is almost pure milk fat (our report: 99.76%). So 1 kg of ghee needs about 1 kg of milk fat. How much milk holds 1 kg of fat depends on the fat percentage:
| Milk | Typical fat | Milk holding 1 kg fat | Real-world litres per kg ghee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murrah buffalo | ~7% | ~14 kg | ~16–20 L (cream), more by bilona |
| Desi cow (Gir, Sahiwal) | ~4–5% | ~20–25 kg | ~25–35 L, more by bilona |
| Crossbred cow | ~3.5–4% | ~25–29 kg | ~28–35 L |
Fat percentages are typical breed averages (Murrah ~7% per the TNAU breed guide); individual animals, season and feed vary. Milk weighs ~1.03 kg per litre. Real-world figures allow for fat lost in processing.
Why the method changes the answer
- Cream (malai) method: a separator spins the cream out of milk and recovers most of the fat. The cream is then cooked into ghee. Fewer litres per kilo, faster, cheaper.
- Bilona method: whole milk is set to curd, the curd is hand-churned with a wooden bilona, and the makhan that floats up is cooked into ghee. Hand-churning curd leaves more fat behind in the buttermilk (chaas), so the yield per litre is lower. It is also slower, which adds to cost.
That is why, even though buffalo milk is rich, our own bilona process takes roughly 25–30 litres of milk per kilo of ghee (how A2 Farmer ghee is made). The trade-off is flavour: culturing the milk first gives bilona ghee its fuller, slightly tangy aroma (malai ghee vs bilona ghee).
Kilos vs litres of ghee
Ghee is lighter than water, about 0.91 g per ml. So 1 litre of ghee weighs about 910 g, and 1 kg of ghee is about 1.1 litres. When you compare prices, compare per kilo with per kilo (ghee weight-volume converter).
What this means for price
If a kilo of bilona ghee needs 25–30 litres of milk, the milk alone is a large cost before any labour, testing or glass. A “bilona A2 ghee” selling near ordinary ghee prices is worth questioning (how to spot fake A2 ghee). For a full price breakdown, see A2 ghee price in India and is A2 ghee worth it?
Making it at home
At home, collecting the malai from boiled milk over a week or two and cooking it is the practical route; you will notice how little ghee a litre of milk gives. Step by step: how to make ghee at home. For what “A2” adds to all this, start with what A2 ghee is.
Sources & references
Frequently asked questions
How many litres of milk make 1 kg of ghee?
Roughly 25 to 30 litres for bilona ghee in A2 Farmer's own process. Cream-method ghee from rich buffalo milk can need less, around 16 to 20 litres, because a separator recovers more fat.
Does buffalo milk give more ghee than cow milk?
Yes. Buffalo milk has about 7% fat against roughly 3.5 to 5% for cow milk, so the same volume of buffalo milk holds more fat and gives more ghee.
Why does bilona ghee need more milk?
Bilona ghee is churned from curd by hand, which leaves more fat in the buttermilk than machine cream separation, so each litre of milk yields less ghee.
How much ghee does 1 litre of milk give?
Roughly 30 to 60 g depending on fat content and method; 1 litre of 7% buffalo milk holds about 72 g of fat before processing losses.
Is 1 litre of ghee the same as 1 kg?
No. Ghee weighs about 0.91 g per ml, so 1 litre is about 910 g and 1 kg is about 1.1 litres.
30 litres of milk, one jar of ghee
A2 Farmer Buffalo Bilona Ghee — A2A2 confirmed by PCR, 99.76% milk fat, hand-churned and glass-packed. From ₹799.
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