Ghee vs. Butter: Everything You Need to Know

So what is ghee, anyway? Let’s talk about why it’s a lot like butter, but better.

What is Ghee?

In terms of how it’s prepared and how it tastes, ghee has a close relationship with butter, making it a terrific choice whether preparing a proper meal or super-charging your morning coffee. But given its additional uses and nutritional particulars, the two definitely aren’t one and the same.

Specifically, ghee is a type of clarified butter -- that is, butter that has been heated and strained to remove the water it contains. It takes things another step further, however.

If you were making traditional ghee, you’d start with organic or grass-fed butter, clarify it, and simmer until the milk solids sink to the bottom and turn brown. In filtering out these milk solids with cheesecloth, you’ll discover the difference between ghee and butter up close and personal.

What you’ll be left with is sweeter, darker, and nuttier. And what you’ll be able to do with it is even sweeter.

What is Ghee Used for?

Critically, ghee has a higher smoke point than butter, which means it can cook at higher temperatures without burning and producing smoke (and the harmful byproducts that come along with it). Other benefits of ghee include its contribution to HDL “good” cholesterol and high proportion of butyrate acid, which some studies have shown to aid digestion and produce certain anti-inflammatory effects.

And since the milk solids have been removed, while ghee isn’t dairy-free, it does not contain lactose or casein. Rejoice, lactose-intolerant brothers and sisters!

Those on a vegan diet can still enjoy the benefits of this amazing product, however.

Traditional ghee recipes are still based on a framework of clarified butter, but Nutiva Vegan Ghee provides the benefits devotees enjoy without any of the dairy. This is possible thanks to a special blend of coconut and avocado oil that’s enhanced with sunflower seeds and naturally fermented plants to balance the flavor just right.

You won’t suffer from a single bit of ghee FOMO going the vegan route. We have proof of this: our chai-spiced sweet potato cupcakes.

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