Clarified Butter vs Ghee
Clarified butter is butter with its water and milk solids removed, leaving almost pure butterfat. Ghee is a type of clarified butter that is cooked a little longer so the milk solids brown before being strained out, giving it a nutty aroma. Both can handle far more heat than regular butter.
What is in butter
Butter is an emulsion of roughly:
- 80–82% fat
- 15–17% water
- 1–2% milk solids (proteins such as casein and whey, plus lactose and minerals)
The milk solids carry much of butter's creamy flavour but are also what scorches. They start to brown around 120 °C / 250 °F and burn soon after, which limits whole butter's useful frying heat to about 150–175 °C / 300–350 °F.
How clarified butter is made
Melt butter gently. The emulsion breaks into three layers: white foam on top (whey proteins), clear golden fat in the middle, and milky water with casein at the bottom. Skim the foam, pour off the clear fat, and leave the watery solids behind. The result is pale, mild, and has a smoke point around 230–250 °C / 450–485 °F.
It also keeps longer, because water and proteins are what bacteria and rancidity reactions need.
How ghee is different
Ghee, used widely in South Asian cooking, keeps the butter on the heat after the water has boiled off. With no water left to hold the temperature near 100 °C / 212 °F, the milk solids sink and turn golden brown through the Maillard reaction. Straining them out leaves fat infused with toasty, caramel-like flavour.
| Clarified butter | Ghee | |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking | Melted and separated | Simmered until solids brown |
| Flavour | Clean, mild butter | Nutty, toasty |
| Colour | Pale yellow | Deep gold |
| Smoke point | About 230–250 °C / 450–485 °F | About 230–250 °C / 450–485 °F |
| Shelf life | Weeks at room temp, months chilled | About 3 months at room temp |
| Classic use | Hollandaise, searing, crêpes | Curries, dal, roti, frying spices |
Both contain only trace lactose and casein, so many people who struggle with dairy tolerate them better, though they are not safe for anyone with a serious milk allergy.
Using them
- Searing and sautéing at high heat without burning.
- Hollandaise and béarnaise, where clarified butter gives a thicker, more stable sauce.
- Blooming spices in ghee for a tadka.
- Baking: do not swap 1:1 for whole butter in cakes and pastry. Whole butter's water creates steam for lift and flakiness. Use about 80–85 g clarified butter plus 15 ml water per 100 g butter if you must.
Brown butter goes one step further than ghee: the browned solids stay in, for maximum flavour but a lower smoke point.
Questions
Is ghee the same as clarified butter?
Nearly. Both are butterfat with water and milk solids removed, but ghee is cooked longer so the milk solids brown before straining. That gives ghee a nutty, toasty flavour and a slightly darker colour.
What is the smoke point of clarified butter and ghee?
Roughly 230–250 °C / 450–485 °F, compared with about 150–175 °C / 300–350 °F for whole butter. The milk solids in regular butter are what burn first.
How much clarified butter do I get from a pound of butter?
Expect about 75–80% yield. 454 g (1 lb) of butter gives roughly 340–360 g, or about 1 1/2 cups, of clarified butter or ghee.
Does ghee need to be refrigerated?
Properly made ghee has almost no water, so it keeps at room temperature in a sealed jar for about 3 months, or longer in the fridge. Always use a clean, dry spoon to avoid introducing moisture.