Guide to Cooking with Ghee

Ghee is

Ghee is like clarified butter. To make ghee you first start with local milk, churn into butter, and then gently heat the butter. The milk solids fall to the bottom while the oil contained within the milk rises to the top. This oil is ghee. Ghee is considered lactose free as the milk solids have been removed.

Cooking with Ghee

Ghee is traditionally used in Indian, Middle Eastern, and Southeast Asian cuisine, as well as with Ayurvedic medicine. Ghee can be used in roasting, frying, and sautéing or wherever butter would be used.

You can use ghee in roasting potatoes, vegetables, or rubbing on chicken. Roasting with ghee produces a crisp outside and a buttery flavor. Toss whatever you are roasting in ghee and herbs and you won’t be disappointed.

Ghee makes for a good frying oil. We like using it for grilled cheese, hash browns, and eggs. Because of ghee has a smoke point of 465F, above most vegetable oils, it is a good oil for deep frying.

We like using ghee to sauté vegetables. The buttery taste of ghee and sautéed green beans is just delicious. Stir fry vegetables in ghee, use over rice, or add to curries for a richer taste.

Ghee is good for you

Ghee is high in saturated fat, which in many schools of thought makes it off limits in terms of healthy fats. But, some studies show that saturated fat, when consumed in moderation, are not a significant health risk. While the jury may still be out if ghee is good for you, we do know it has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes.

Ghee is used in Ayurvedic medicine, a 6,000 year-old-form of medicine that is still widely practiced in India and across the world. Ayurvedic medicine uses ghee to administer medicine, and believes in both a medical and spiritual benefit in eating ghee. Ghee and other fats can increase the bioavailability and absorption of healthy vitamins and minerals. For example, the benefits of turmeric are more readily available when mixed with fat like ghee and peppercorn.

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How to store ghee

You can store ghee on the kitchen counter or cabinet in an airtight container for about 3 months. Moisture and sunlight can cause the ghee to breakdown so store ghee it in a dark, dry space is ideal.

Like coconut oil, ghee becomes solid in the refrigerator but softens up once at room temperature.

Cooking with ghee made from local milk can be a healthy fat to cook with and tastes so good! The buttery flavor of ghee makes it our favorite for grilled cheese and cooking eggs as a butter alternative.