Is Ghee Better than Butter?

Have you heard of ghee? It holds a revered place in culinary traditions worldwide and has been used in Indian and Pakistani cultures for thousands of years. This golden, nutty substance also boasts medicinal properties in Ayurvedic practices. But what exactly is it? And is ghee better than butter? Tune in to find out. 

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Ghee holds a revered place in culinary traditions worldwide. This golden, nutty substance also boasts medicinal properties in Ayurvedic practices. On today’s episode we’ll discuss this ancient substance and compare it to its cousin – butter. 

M: I’m Professor Megan 

S: and I’m Professor Susan, and we’re

Both: Your Nutrition Profs!

M: We are registered dietitians and college professors who have taught more than 10,000 students about health and nutrition. We have answered a LOT of questions about nutrition over the years – 

S: Some questions we get asked every year and some are rarely asked but very interesting.

M: We’re here to share our answers to these common (and uncommon) nutrition questions with you.

S: So bring your curiosity and let’s get started. 

Both: Welcome to our class!

S: Welcome everybody to our podcast! We hope you’re all doing well! 

M: We are having so much fun answering your questions. If you have a question you’d like Your Nutrition Profs to answer, please visit our website or email us as YourNutritionProfs@gmail.com. 

S: Ok, so our question today comes from  a listener, Jason, and he listens in Houston. And he asked…. “Is ghee better than butter?” And honestly, I didn't know the answer so it’s been good to do a little bit of research.   

M: Thanks for the question Jason! And thanks for listening! Well, let’s start with the basics: what exactly is ghee? 

S: Yes, I mean, if you’ve never heard of ghee. Don’t worry, you are not alone. It’s really not very common here in the U.S. The word “ghee” actually comes from the Sanskrit word for “sprinkled”. It’s also known as “liquid gold” or “sacred fat”. 

M: Ghee originated in ancient India when the domestication of cattle and the consumption of butter first began, so somewhere between 1500 and 500 BCE...  so like 3000 years ago.

S: That’s a long time.

M: That’s a long time. And it’s reported that ghee was created to prevent butter from spoiling during warmer weather.

S: Ghee is often labeled as the foundation of Indian cooking. Not only is it a common cooking oil there, but it’s also used in Ayurveda, which is an ancient Indian medicinal practice. It’s rooted in holistic healing and balance and you may have heard of it..

M: Yeah. It’s typically made from cow’s milk butter. Because in Hinduism cows are considered sacred, any dairy products that come from them are also sacred. And that means that ghee is sacred too.

S: Thus the sacred fat. In Ayurveda ghee is thought to nourish the nervous system, so it brings calm energy throughout the day. It can be consumed in foods, it can be used for massage, or it can be used as a base for herbal ointments to treat things like burns and rashes. 

M: As we said, making ghee is an ancient technique that’s been practiced for thousands of years in India, but it’s been growing in popularity here in the U.S. 

S: But that’s not to say that ghee is new to the U.S. In fact, Edgar Allan Poe mentions ghee in his short story MS Found in a Bottle, where he describes a trading ship from Java carrying “ghee, cocoa-nuts, and a few cases of opium.” 

M: Well in a letter Mark Twain wrote to Rudyard Kipling in 1895, he asked Kipling, who was soon traveling to India to “be on hand with a few bottles of ghee for I shall be thirsty.”

S: So did he drink it? 

M: There’s no way to know… I don’t know. But more recently, ghee became a bit more common thanks to the Paleo diet and bulletproof coffee. Do you remember bulletproof coffee? 

S: I do. 

M: I remember it being called bullet coffee quite a bit.

S: Right, isn’t that where you put butter in your coffee for a whole host of purported yet unproven benefits?

M: Yes, well in addition to butter, ghee was also recommended along with coconut oil. 

S: Wow… I’ve never had bulletproof coffee.

M: I don’t really want to.

S: I don’t either. I like butter and I like coffee. 

M: But not together….

S: Not together… Yeah, ghee is sometimes called a “superfood” on the internet because it is considered a more flavorful and nourishing alternative to butter. 

M: It’s rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. It also contains the fat-soluble vitamins A, E, and K. Some sources will even claim that it can boost immunity and fight inflammation.

S: But keep in mind that most of the sites that talk about the amazing health benefits of ghee also sell it so as always, buyer beware. And there are other more nutrient dense food options to get antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids than ghee.

M: True. So you may be wondering dear listeners how ghee is made. It’s actually quite simple. You start by melting unsalted butter on low heat in a saucepan. The butter will get bubbly and foamy and the foam is the water in the butter evaporating. 

S: The melting separates butter into liquid fats and milk solids. And some milk solids will gather on the surface and those, you’re just going to skim off. The rest of the solids will sink to the bottom of the pan.

M: The butter continues to slowly cook until all the remaining milk solids have turned a deep golden brown and the liquid is clear. And it may smell fragrant and maybe a bit nutty. 

S: And at this point, you’re just going to strain it using something like cheesecloth into a sealable jar or bottle. And then let it cool and solidify and now you’ve got ghee.

M: You know, I remember learning a bit about ayurveda in some yoga workshops that I’ve attended over the years. And I’ve heard the term clarified butter and ghee used interchangeably. But they’re not. 

S: Right, they are not the same. If you've had fresh lobster, you’ve probably had clarified butter come on the side for dipping.

M: Yum.

S: So good! Well clarified butter is really just melted butter with most of the solids skimmed off the top. So remember we skimmed off the top… but then with ghee you keep going, right? 

M: Yeah, the ghee is cooked longer so that all of the water is removed, and the milk solids actually caramelize into the fat. And then they’re strained out. The extra cooking time to caramelize the solids is key to making ghee.

S: So that’s the difference between the clarified butter and the ghee. And that makes total sense, right? I mean you made some, right Megan?

M: I did. 

S: It’s good?

M It’s really good. It’s really good. 

S: It’s a beautiful golden brown color… smells and tastes a little bit nutty I think. We did post some pics on our website at yournutritionprofs.com, and you can see the ghee that Megan made.

M: Ghee can be used the same way you use butter, so cooking, baking, spreading on toast, making egg dishes. It’s quite versatile.

S: And it does have a higher smoke point than butter or even olive oil, so it could be used to fry when those fats and oils would not work well.

M: So let’s just define “smoke point” for those who may not cook much. 

S: That’s a good idea. Every cooking fat including butter, lard, oil, or ghee, has what’s called a smoke point. This is the temperature where it stops shimmering and starts to smoke in the pan.

M: And this is because oils are made through the mechanical crushing or pressing of things like nuts and seeds to squeeze out the oils and fats which contain solids. So if it’s raw or “virgin”, it retains its natural flavor and color, but it also retains these solids – things like minerals, enzymes, and other compounds – that may not really like heat.

S: So when you’re cooking with these oils, if their temperature gets too high the solids in the oil start to break down, it starts to smoke and that temperature is considered the oil’s “smoke point”. 

M: And that high temperature causes the release of harmful free radicals and a substance called acrolein which gives burnt foods their bitter flavor and that stinky aroma. 

S: Ugh yeah. And as the oil degrades it’s also getting closer to what’s called its flash point. This is the point where it starts producing ignitable gasses. 

M: Yikes!

S: Yeah, this is never good for your kitchen, especially if you’re cooking on gas and an open flame!

M: But if you remove those compounds from the oil through filtering or other methods, you can cook it to a higher temp before any of this smoking, free-radical releasing, burnt food, ignitable gasses thing happens. And you can use this oil for more cooking methods. 

S: So butter contains milk solids like casein and whey. But with ghee the solids have been removed, so it has a higher smoke point than most oils including olive oil or butter. 

M: So olive oil has a smoke point of 350-400°F depending on its “virginity”. The more virgin it is, like extra virgin, the lower its smoke point because it has more solids. 

S: Butter’s smoke point is about 350°F, clarified butter has a little higher smoke point of about 480°, but ghee’s is a whopping 485°F.

M: Wow!

S: That’s hot!

M: Yeah, so if you need to cook or fry something at a really high heat, consider using ghee instead of butter. 

S: So what about the nutritional value of ghee vs butter? Well, 1 tablespoon of ghee (which is about the size of a woman's thumb) has about 30 Calories more than butter and it also has more total and saturated fat. This is because butter has a little more water than ghee.

M: Yeah, cause we’ve cooked– we’ve cooked it off. 

S: Right.

M: Well the rest of the nutrition in butter vs ghee is about the same. For both, the Calories come pretty much exclusively from fat – saturated fat in particular, and they both contain the fat-soluble vitamins A, E, and K.

S: So ghee is not more nutritious than butter. They’re both really calorie-dense though so moderation is key!

M: Often ghee is touted as an alternative for those with lactose intolerance. Since ghee has no milk solids like casein or whey, it also doesn’t have any lactose. So that– that’s technically true.

S: I’m sensing a but…..

M: But butter also contains very little lactose so many who are lactose intolerant are perfectly fine with butter. So both butter and ghee would be easier to digest for those who are lactose intolerant. 

S: But, if you have an allergy to casein, both butter and ghee should be avoided. Casein is the main protein in milk. Butter contains casein. And even though ghee is supposedly casein free, commercially prepared ghee can be cross-contaminated during production.

M: If you’re making your own ghee, and you’re really good at getting out all of the milk solids, you may be OK. But if your allergy is very severe we would recommend just avoiding ghee and butter completely.

S: OK one last thing you hear about ghee is that it contains butyrate which plays a role in digestive health and may be anti-inflammatory.

M: Butyrate is really interesting. It’s a beneficial short-chain fatty acid that is produced by the bacteria in the first part of your colon. 

S: That’ microbiome! 

M: That microbiome! It’s made from undigested carbs like resistant starches and dietary fiber. 

S: Gotta love it!

M: Botta love it! Butyrate is the major energy source for the cells that line your colon. It keeps them healthy and strong, reducing inflammation and improving immunity. 

S: There are food sources of butyrate like legumes, whole grains, fruits and veggies. And it’s also found in dairy products like butter and even cheese. In fact, butter is considered the most abundant source of dietary butyrate. And since ghee is made from butter, it contains butyrate too. 

M: But your gut bacteria make much more butyrate from the dietary fiber you eat than you can get from dairy. So neither butter nor ghee provide much benefit in that area.

S: Yeah, unless you’re eating buckets of it, which–

M: Don’t do that!

S: Don’t do that. We do not recommend it! So ghee has also been touted online as a “metabolism booster” because it contains medium-chain triglycerides or MCT and also contains conjugated linoleic acid or CLA. This is the primary reason why ghee and things like coconut oil are added to bulletproof coffee for these MCTs and CLAs… But, these MCTs and CLAs have been very loosely linked to weight loss with pretty limited amount of scientific evidence. 

M: But guess what? Butter contains a little bit of MCT and CLA too! 

S: Oh my gosh!

M: So if there are any actual weight loss benefits from either MCT or CLA – and the current science really hasn’t convinced us –

S: No it has not!

M: — ghee is the equivalent to  butter. It’s not better, it’s not worse.

S: What about the omega-3 fatty acids that they talk about with ghee? Well, again, both ghee and butter contain these beneficial essential fatty acids. But if you want more omega-3s in either of them, choose the grass-fed versions. 

M: But because we aren’t consuming buckets of either of these –

S: I hope note!

M: –  the amounts of omega-3 fatty acids you’ll get from either is really pretty small. So if you really want to ramp up omega-3 consumption, choose fish and other seafood, walnuts, and flaxseeds. 

S: But there is one other reason that ghee IS better than butter… shelf life. The shelf life of butter is about 3 months. Removing the milk solids in ghee doubles the shelf life to about 6 months. 

M: Hmmm… So what’s the bottom line, is ghee better than butter?

S: Well in some ways.. It’s got a much higher smoke point than butter which makes it a more versatile fat for lots of different cooking methods. I mena, if you’re going to fry something at a super high heat, definitely use ghee over butter. And like we just mentioned, its shelf life is twice as long.

M: But is ghee healthier than butter? Well… the nutrient values are about the same, although ghee is a slightly more concentrated source of calories. Both are very low in lactose and both contain tiny amounts of butyrate and omega 3 fatty acids. 

S: So should you use ghee instead of butter? That’s really up to you. You can make it yourself or you can buy it at some grocery stores or online. You can even find ghee with flavorings like vanilla bean, turmeric or garlic, I found that.

M: We checked our local grocery store, HEB. Name brand butter is currently $0.31 per oz, while the options for ghee ranged from $0.98 to $1.15 per oz.

S: Wow, I mean 3-4x more expensive, that’s a bigger difference than I thought.

M: Yeah. 

S: Online I’ve seen it for even more…

M: Wow! 

S: As much as $1.66 an ounce! 

M: Oh my gosh….

S: And those flavored ones are even higher.

M: I’m sure. 

S: So if you’re going to use ghee, you may want to save it for a special dish you’re making.

M: So dear listeners, do any of you use ghee at home? We’d love to hear about your favorite recipes using it. 

S: We would!

M: This was a great question, thanks Jason!

S: Thanks Jason. I enjoyed researching this topic. And thank you for joining us. Next time we’ll answer the question, “How do GI meds work?”

Both: Class dismissed. 

S: We hope you enjoyed this episode. You can find the show notes and a list of sources on our website, yournutritionprofs.com. 

M: Your homework is to follow us at your nutrition profs on Instagram and to listen to our next episode. You can listen on Amazon Prime, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or anywhere podcasts are found. We’d appreciate it if you’d “like” us, write a review, subscribe, and invite your family and friends to join us too. 

S: If you have a nutrition or health question you’d like answered, let us know! We may even do a show about it! Send an email to yournutritionprofs@gmail.com or click on the “Contact Us” page on our website.

M: Thanks to Brian Pittman for creating our artwork. You can find him on instagram @BrianPittman77

Both: See you next time!