What is the difference between Ghee and Butter?

Ghee is often thought to be the same with butter, but they may have some differences with each other. Ghee is known to be similar to butter, but it does not come with water and some of the milk solids that butter is composed of. In order to make ghee, one would need regular butter.

There is a process that the butter will go through so that the water can be completely removed. Ghee is considered to be the better option when you are lactose intolerant or when you are looking for a healthier alternative to regular butter. There is also a slight difference in flavor as ghee tends to be on the nuttier side as compared to regular butter.

Ghee is produced by simmering butter in a slow manner to remove the milk solids and water present in butter. It is golden yellow in color. Ghee is much safer for lactose intolerant people as the milk content in butter has been taken out. It has a higher concentration of fat compared to butter. It also has a higher concentration of calories than butter. Ghee is also in liquid form.

Ghee has a higher smoke point (about 480oF). This makes it a good option for frying. Butter is made from emulsification or milk-producing by churning the cream of milk. It is usually pale in color. The state of butter is determined by the room temperature. At high-temperature butter is liquid and at low-temperature butter is solid. Butter has a low smoke point (about 350oF) making it easy to burn. It is also not a good option for frying.

Ghee is known to be a type of clarified butter that is normally used when cooking Asian cuisine. In order to create this, regular butter will be melted. This will help make the butter become separated into two parts which are composed of the liquid fats and the solids that are made out of milk. The solids will then be removed so that only the liquid fats can be left behind.

This is usually preferred by people who are lactose intolerant because the milk will be effectively removed. Take note that ghee will have more fat as compared to butter which also means more calories. It is not advisable that ghee will be used as an alternative to butter.

In some countries, ghee is used instead of butter, or you may even encounter ghee in supermarkets, but you are not sure what it is or what it is made from. Ghee and butter look alike and also smell like. To differentiate them from each other, ghee is 99.99 to 100 percent fat and is most common in India. It is anhydrous butterfat that is mixed with the buffalo’s milk fat.

This is used as cooking oil in most Indian cuisines. Butter, on the other hand, is made of 80% fat and has two kinds, the salted and unsalted butter. Compared to the shelf life of ghee, butter expires faster than ghee because of the additives and added ingredients. Butter is usually made from the milk of a cow, sheep, yak, and a goat.