Ghee is easy to love. It’s unbelievably delicious, like ultra-rich French butter (aka the good stuff), that’s been gently caramelized and transformed into a smooth spread. It’s also shelf-stable and has a generously high smoke-point, making it pretty much the ideal cooking oil. And the distinctly flavored fat has deep roots in well-established Ayurvedic practices. It’s a lot to love, but what exactly is ghee, and what’s the best way to maximize its goodness? Read on.
What is Ghee Butter?
Ghee is clarified butter, a.k.a. butter that has been simmered and strained to remove all water. In France, clarified butter has uncooked milk solids, yielding a product with a very clean, sweet flavor. In comparison, ghee is cooked over low heat until the milk solids have a chance to start to brown lightly, creating a slightly nutty, caramelized vibe. It is shelf-stable, with a high smoke point and deeply nutty flavor. Ghee has played a key role in Ayurveda for centuries, where it’s prized for its anti-inflammatory, digestive, and therapeutic properties. It even appears in the Vedic myth of creation, when the deity Prajapati created ghee from nothingness and poured it into the fire to form his offspring.
Why we love it:
Clarifying butter by removing water creates a higher smoke point—about 465º F compared to butter’s 350º F. The clarifying process also removes casein and lactose, making ghee suitable for the dairy-sensitive. The absence of water even makes ghee shelf-stable, meaning it can be stored without any refrigeration for extended periods of time. Just be sure to keep the jar away from steaming stoves, food, and anything else that can introduce bacteria. (If you start to detect an off flavor, scrape off the top level, and store it in the fridge instead.)
Ghee is high in Omega-3s and butyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid thought to be good for your gastrointestinal tract. But, above all else, we swoon over ghee’s grassy, nutty flavor—some ghee even tastes like cajeta (caramalized goat milk). This rich depth of flavor has won the support of our food editors, who use ghee to top creamy drinks, bloom spices, and finish lobster rolls with an extra drizzle of goodness.
