The best "poor man's" substitutes for ghee are regular butter, refined coconut oil, or neutral cooking oils like sunflower or canola oil. These alternatives offer similar fat content or high smoke points for cooking, with butter providing the closest flavor, while oils are more budget-friendly.
You can substitute ghee with clarified butter, which is similar but less browned, or use oils like coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, or peanut oil for high-heat cooking, while regular butter works in baking but changes flavor and smoke point, and vegan butters offer dairy-free richness, with specific oils like mustard oil used in traditional Indian cooking.
Ghee is most commonly known in English as Clarified Butter is a staple in South Asian cooking, prepared by simmering butter to remove all water and milk solids, which gives it a rich, nutty flavor, a longer shelf life, and a high smoke point.
In terms of nutrition, ghee is higher in saturated fat than olive oil, but it's also a good source of cholesterol, which is necessary for the body to function properly. On the other hand, olive oil is high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, both of which have numerous health benefits.
Why do chefs use clarified butter instead of regular butter?
Milk solids are the reason butter starts to burn at a lower temperature than something like olive oil. When you clarify butter, you remove all the milk solids and water, but are left with the butterfat. This creates a higher smoke point, which makes clarified butter ideal for cooking and sautéing.
Ghee Substitute - 8 Alternatives And Replacements For Ghee
Are there any downsides to eating ghee?
Ghee is a type of clarified butter popular in Middle Eastern and Indian cooking, made by heating butter to remove water and milk solids. While it's gaining recognition for its possible health benefits, you should still eat it in moderation due to its high fat content, which can lead to heart disease and weight gain.
Why does Mary Berry use baking spread instead of butter?
Mary Berry uses baking spread instead of butter in some recipes, especially for lighter cakes like Victoria Sponge, because it traps more air, leading to a lighter, fluffier rise and making it easier to cream with sugar for an "all-in-one" method, as it's softer and usable straight from the fridge compared to traditional butter which needs to be perfectly softened. While butter offers richness, the spread's consistency helps achieve a consistently light texture, though it's important to use high-fat butter for richness in recipes where taste is paramount, as noted in this BBC Food article and The Times article.
This is where you're most likely to find traditional ghee. If your smaller grocery store doesn't have an international aisle, check the shelves near the spices. Ghee is often shelved with other cooking oils, so that's another good place to look.
In ancient India, ghee was the preferred cooking oil. In the last several decades, ghee has been implicated in the increased prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in Asian Indians due to its content of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol and, in heated ghee, cholesterol oxidation products.
Ghee can be used in place of recipes that call for solid fats, such as butter or coconut oil. However, ghee does have a slightly nutty taste, which may alter the flavor of your dish — but not necessarily in a bad way. In fact, some describe the taste of ghee as “more buttery” than butter.
What two things are removed from clarified butter?
Simply put, the process of clarifying butter removes the milk solids and water, leaving pure butterfat. Clarified butter behaves like cooking oil, but retains some of the butter flavors. Yum!
It seems to be one of the go-to ingredients he reaches for to boost flavor and add moisture to a long list of dishes. For instance, when making chicken Parmesan, Ramsay tosses butter into his frying oil to give the dish rich nuttiness and to help create the perfect crust.
Ghee, rich in vitamins A, D, E & K and healthy fats, is lauded for enhancing skin glow, eye health, and stamina. However, those with sensitive digestion, weight loss goals, liver diseases, or high cholesterol should be cautious.
Heat the butter ghee in the same frying pan over medium heat. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and sauté it for 1-2 minutes on each side. Finely chop the garlic, the chili pepper, add them into the frying pan with the rest of the ingredients, and sauté them for 1 minute.
Ghee oil also contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) [10], a type of fatty acid that has anti-inflammatory properties [11]. Chronic inflammation is a known cause of conditions such as arthritis [12].
When choosing a cooking oil, it's best to choose an oil high in poly and/or mono-unsaturated fats, which are heart-healthy fats derived foods such as olives, seeds, nuts and vegetables. Olive oil, which is high in monounsaturated fats, is a particularly beneficial choice for heart health.
Nutritional Value: Which One is Healthier? Both oils provide essential nutrients, but they differ in composition: Ghee contains saturated fats, which support gut health and fat metabolism. Avocado oil is high in monounsaturated fats, known for their heart-healthy benefits.
The shelf life of pure ghee is indefinite if stored correctly. For best results put it well-sealed, in a cool dark spot. Liken it to a cellared fine wine. You can store it for a long time, however, the flavour will change and develop over time.
