As ghee originated in ancient India thousands of years ago, you might encounter ghee today in Indian cooking, often paired with bread like naan or roti. Today, kitchens worldwide use ghee as a substitute for butter, perfect for cooking and baking due to its rich, buttery flavor and high smoking point. But what exactly is ghee, and should you swap it out for butter in your recipes? To learn more about the benefits of ghee, I spoke with Max Dichter, CEO of 4th & Heart, a California-based company specializing in innovative, high-quality ghee products.
Dichter has been with 4th & Heart since 2018. He has since raised capital, built a highly experienced leadership team, scaled its self-manufacturing capabilities, and drove 4th & Heart to its #1 leadership position in the ghee market. Since he joined the company seven years ago, it’s safe to say Dichter has learned a thing (or two) about ghee. We discussed all things “ghee,” and he shared some helpful insight into the excellent benefits of ghee. Here’s what he wants people to know about using ghee in cooking.
What is ghee? How is it different than butter?
“Ghee and butter both come from milk, but they differ in key ways, ” says Dichter. Ghee is 100% butterfat and is a form of clarified butter made by simmering butter to remove water and milk solids, making it lactose-free. It has a higher smoke point than butter, making it ideal for high-heat cooking. Unlike butter, ghee is shelf-stable and doesn’t require refrigeration, offering convenience and a longer-lasting, rich, nutty flavor.”
Making ghee and clarified butter starts the same, but slight variations in processes leave ghee with a deeper, nuttier, and more golden color than clarified butter. 4th & Heart’s Ghee products start with the finest butter sourced from grass-fed, pasture-raised New Zealand and Australian cows. The brand’s cooking process distills it into the purest form of butter, 100% butterfat.
Benefits of ghee
Should you swap regular butter in your kitchen for ghee? Here are a few of the many benefits of ghee, from health advantages to better cooking.
High smoke point
“Swapping butter for ghee [in your kitchen] is a simple upgrade. Ghee has a higher smoke point (485°F), making it ideal for high-heat cooking,” he says. Regular butter has a smoke point of around 350°F, which means cooking over this temperature could lead to a burnt-recipe disaster. For this reason, Dichter recommends swapping butter for ghee for cooking or baking, which requires higher temperatures.
Lactose and casein-free
Ghee is also lactose- and casein-free, perfect for dairy-sensitive diets. While I am not personally lactose-intolerant, I do suspect I’m dairy-sensitive. I find ghee to be gentler on my stomach than consuming butter.
Health benefits of ghee
Cooking with ghee enhances dishes’ rich, nutty flavor while offering fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and CLA. Additionally, it has a long shelf life and works in cooking, baking, and even coffee. Plus, it’s a more versatile, nutrient-dense alternative to butter.”
Ghee also contains butyric acid, a fatty acid that can help support a healthy gut lining and support a balanced microbiome. Ghee contains higher levels of butyric acid than traditional butter, which can act as a primary energy source for your body’s colon cells. Additionally, Ghee contains a higher composition of saturated fats than butter. The body uses These medium-chain fatty acids to metabolize energy quickly. Saturated fats help your body to absorb key vitamins like A, D, E, and K to support cellular health.
Ways to use ghee in cooking
Your options are endless once you’ve decided to try using ghee in cooking. Brands such as 4th & Heart Ghee make things easy, too, with flavored jarred options that pair great with your favorite meals. My favorite is the Himalayan Pink Salt and Garlic flavored ghees, perfect for savory options like corn on the cob.
Ditcher shared a few of his favorite recipes that use ghee with us, such as tomato soup & grilled cheese and roasted rosemary carrots with honey glaze. Once you’ve gotten the hang of using ghee in cooking, you’ll find yourself experimenting with new ways to use it to enhance everything in your kitchen. I love that ghee can be used in a 1:1 substitution ratio for butter, helping you avoid the extra step of measurement conversions). You can substitute ghee for regular butter in any cooking or baking recipe, making switching to ghee much easier. For baking, 4th & Heart Ghee’s Vanilla Bean ghee flavor pairs well with sweet options like cake and cookie recipes.
According to Ditcher, ghee’s high smoke point “Makes it perfect for sautéing, roasting, and frying meats or veggies. It’s a rich, flavorful substitute for butter in baking, from cookies to pie crusts. Drizzle over popcorn, spread on toast, fry up an egg, or blend into coffee for a creamy kickstart to the day,” he shares.
