Ghee vs. Clarified Butter: What’s the True Difference?

From cooking shows to grocery store aisles, both ghee and clarified butter have sparked curiosity and are increasingly found in kitchens. When asked about ghee, a common reply is often, 'It's just clarified butter.' But is that really the case?

The distinction between these two butter-based ingredients may seem small, but it’s important to recognize. The fact is, while all ghee is clarified butter, not all clarified butter can be considered ghee.

What Sets Ghee Apart from Clarified Butter?

Given their similarities, it’s helpful to first explore the ways in which ghee and clarified butter are the same before diving into their differences.

First and foremost, both ghee and clarified butter are made without milk solids. This absence makes them excellent choices for high-heat cooking methods like sautéing, frying, and roasting due to their high smoke point. They’re also stable enough to be stored at room temperature for long periods. Plus, since they lack lactose and casein, they’re suitable for those who are lactose intolerant or follow paleo diets—though they’re still not suitable for vegans.

While butter is primarily used as a rich spread, it excels in baking and low-heat preparations. Adding a dollop to finish a sauce? Pure perfection. Using it to sauté vegetables? Not so much—it will burn quickly. Clarified butter and ghee, on the other hand, are far more stable and less likely to oxidize, making them a superior choice compared to most vegetable oils.

The process of making clarified butter and ghee starts by heating butter in a saucepan on low until its water content evaporates and the milk solids separate. Here’s where the distinction lies: Straining the mixture at this stage results in clarified butter. If you continue to cook the butter longer, allowing the milk solids to turn dark golden brown and settle at the bottom before straining, you’ll end up with ghee. Essentially, ghee is clarified brown butter, or as the French call it, beurre noisette.

Clarified butter is closely associated with French cuisine, often used in classic French dishes. Ghee, however, has its origins in India, where its stability made it ideal for the country’s warm climate. It’s commonly used not just in South Asian cooking, but also in Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India.

Can Ghee and Clarified Butter Be Substituted for One Another?

Absolutely!

Ghee has a richer, nuttier flavor compared to clarified butter, thanks to the additional cooking and browning. This gives ghee a unique depth that enhances Indian dishes and adds subtle flavor notes that clarified butter simply can’t provide. Alton Brown, the food guru, recommends it for everything from making popcorn to frying up a steak and eggs. He even claims it makes a killer hollandaise—and when he says it, you know it's worth trying.

If you're eager to give it a go, you're in luck. Ghee is far more readily available in stores than clarified butter. Unless you're sourcing it from a restaurant or a specialized food service, you'll almost always find ghee on the shelf. Want clarified butter instead? You’ll likely need to make it yourself.

The effort to make clarified butter or ghee is definitely worth it. After the heating and straining process, both will solidify at room temperature and can be stored in the pantry for months or in the fridge for up to a year.