What is ghee? And is it the same as clarified butter?
What is ghee? Butter or cream simmered until the water is gone and the milk solids toast, then strained. All ghee is clarified butter, but not all clarified butter is ghee. Here is why.
What is ghee? It is butter or cream simmered slowly until all its water cooks off and the milk solids turn lightly golden, then strained. What is left is almost pure milk fat with a nutty, toasty aroma. All ghee is clarified butter, but plain clarified butter is not toasted, so it tastes milder.
Ghee has been India's cooking fat and ritual offering for thousands of years, and it now sits on supermarket shelves from London to Los Angeles. The labels can be confusing: desi, cultured, bilona, A2. Here is what ghee is, how it is made, how it differs from clarified butter and brown butter, and what those words on the jar mean.
At a glance
- Ghee is about 99.5% fat, 0.2% water and 0.3% protein, with no carbohydrate.
- It is made by simmering butter past the point of clarifying, so the milk solids toast, then straining them out.
- Clarified butter stops once the water is gone, so it tastes milder; brown butter keeps its browned solids in.
- Desi ghee means traditional ghee made from milk fat, as opposed to vanaspati, a hydrogenated vegetable fat.
- Stored cool, dry and sealed, ghee keeps for months without a fridge.
What is ghee made of?
Milk fat, and very little else. USDA figures give ghee about 99.5 g of fat, 0.2 g of water and 0.3 g of protein per 100 g, with no carbohydrate, which is why it is almost free of lactose. Roughly 62% of the fat is saturated, 29% monounsaturated and 4% polyunsaturated, and ghee also carries vitamin A.
| Ghee | Per 100 g | Per level tablespoon (12.8 g) |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 876 | About 112 |
| Fat | 99.5 g | 12.7 g |
| Saturated fat | 61.9 g | 7.9 g |
| Monounsaturated fat | 28.7 g | 3.7 g |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 3.7 g | 0.5 g |
| Cholesterol | 256 mg | 33 mg |
| Vitamin A | 840 µg | 108 µg |
The starting point varies. Ghee can be made from butter, from malai (the cream that forms on boiled milk) or from makkhan, the white butter churned from curd, and each gives a slightly different flavour.
How is ghee made?
Slowly, over gentle heat. Butter is melted and simmered, its water boils away in a foam, the milk solids sink and turn golden, and the clear fat is strained off. Heating on after the water has gone, to around 120°C (250°F), is what browns the milk solids and gives ghee its flavour.
- Melt unsalted butter in a heavy pan over low heat.
- Let it simmer. It foams and crackles as the water boils off; stir now and then.
- When the crackling quietens, the fat turns clear and golden and the milk solids settle at the bottom.
- Keep going for a few more minutes until the solids turn light brown and the kitchen smells nutty, then take the pan off the heat before they darken.
- Strain through fine muslin into a clean, completely dry glass jar.
- Let it cool with the lid off, then close it tightly.
The traditional Indian ways
Many Indian homes still make ghee from curd rather than from shop butter. Whole milk is boiled, cooled and set as curd, the curd is churned with water into makkhan, and the makkhan is simmered into ghee. This is the bilona method, named after the wooden churn, and our guide to the bilona method explains it step by step. Other homes collect malai over a week or two and simmer that instead.
Is ghee clarified butter?
Yes, a particular kind of it: all ghee is clarified butter, but not all clarified butter is ghee. Clarified butter is finished as soon as the water has gone and the milk solids have separated, so it is pale and mild. Ghee is simmered longer, so the milk solids toast before they are strained out, which makes it nutty and aromatic. Here is ghee vs clarified butter side by side, with brown butter for comparison.
| Ghee | Clarified butter | Brown butter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it is made | Simmered past clarifying, solids toasted, then strained | Melted until the water is gone, solids removed before browning | Melted butter cooked until the solids brown |
| Milk solids | Strained out | Strained out | Kept in |
| Flavour | Nutty and toasty, with caramel notes | Clean, mild and buttery | Deep and hazelnut-like |
| Smoke point | About 250°C (482°F) | High, similar to ghee | Lower, as the solids can burn |
| Keeping | Months in a cool cupboard | Long, like ghee | Short; keep it in the fridge |
What is the difference between ghee and brown butter?
Brown butter, the French beurre noisette, is melted butter cooked until its milk solids and sugars turn golden or dark brown, and the browned bits stay in for flavour. Ghee goes through a similar browning, but the solids are strained out, leaving a clear fat that keeps far longer and takes much more heat.
What does ghee taste like?
Rich, nutty and gently toasty, with a hint of caramel from the browned milk solids. Cow ghee is usually golden yellow, while buffalo ghee is whiter. Ghee made from curd-churned butter is especially prized in India for its aroma.
Its texture changes with temperature: liquid when warm, soft and grainy (danedar) when it sets slowly, and firm in a cold kitchen. All of these are normal. Ghee's place in Indian life goes well beyond the kitchen; our article on ghee in Ayurveda explains what the tradition holds.
What does desi ghee mean?
Desi means "of the country" or homegrown in Hindi and Urdu. Desi ghee is real ghee made from milk fat, a term that sets it apart from vanaspati, a hydrogenated vegetable fat long sold as a cheaper stand-in for ghee. Older cookbooks also call pure ghee usli ghee.
Other words on the label
- Cultured ghee: made from butter that was fermented first, as in the curd-churned Indian method.
- Bilona ghee: made from curd churned into makkhan, then simmered.
- Cow ghee or buffalo ghee: tells you which animal's milk was used.
- A2 Gir cow ghee: made from the milk of Gir cows, an Indian breed whose milk is valued for its A2 type of beta-casein protein. Ghee is only about 0.3% protein, so this mostly tells you about the herd and the milk, not about a big difference in the fat itself.
Who should go easy on ghee?
- High cholesterol or heart disease: ghee is about 62% saturated fat, so ask your doctor how much suits you.
- Milk allergy: ghee is a dairy food and can carry traces of milk protein.
- Weight goals: a tablespoon has about 112 calories, so measure it.
- Lactose intolerance: ghee is usually well tolerated, since it has practically no lactose, but start with a small amount.
Our A2 ghee
Our A2 Gir cow ghee is made the bilona way: milk from Gir cows is set as curd, hand-churned into makkhan and slowly simmered, taking roughly 25 to 30 litres of milk for each litre of ghee. It is naturally golden and grainy, with nothing added, and keeps for about 12 months stored cool and dry. Try it in a tadka (spices bloomed in hot fat), on hot rice and dal, or in sweets such as our besan laddoo in bilona ghee.
The bottom line
Ghee is butter simmered until the water is gone and the milk solids toast, then strained: almost pure milk fat with a nutty aroma and a high smoke point. All ghee is clarified butter, but only ghee has that toasted depth, and desi ghee simply means the real thing.
Frequently asked questions
Does ghee need to be refrigerated?
No, not if it is stored well. Keep it in a clean, airtight jar in a cool, dark cupboard and always use a dry spoon, since water and stray crumbs are what spoil it. A fridge makes it last longer but turns it hard, so let it soften before use.
Is ghee dairy-free?
No. Ghee is made from milk, so it is a dairy food. It has practically no lactose and only traces of milk protein, which is why many lactose-intolerant people tolerate it, but anyone with a milk allergy should avoid it unless an allergist says otherwise.
Why is my ghee grainy?
Grainy, or danedar, ghee forms when melted ghee cools slowly and its fats crystallise into small grains. It is a natural texture, not a fault, and on its own it is not proof of quality either. Ghee that cools quickly tends to set smoother instead.
Can ghee be made from buffalo milk?
Yes. Buffalo ghee is common in India and is made the same way. It is whiter than cow ghee because buffalo milk fat carries less of the yellow pigment carotene. Many families prefer cow ghee for rituals and for its golden colour, while others like buffalo ghee for its richness.
What is ghee called in English?
There is no exact English word, and "ghee" itself is now standard English. It is often described as clarified butter, which is close but not identical, because ghee is simmered longer so that its milk solids toast before they are strained out.
