Ghee is clarified butter — butter that's been simmered until the water cooks off and the milk solids are strained away, leaving pure golden butterfat with a deep, nutty aroma. That simple change is why ghee handles high heat better than butter, keeps for months, and tastes like nothing else when you spoon it over hot dal. Below is how to choose it, cook with it, and store it, plus the brands we keep on the shelf here at Anoras on Fairfax.

What exactly is ghee, and how is it different from butter?

Butter is roughly 80% fat, with the rest water and milk solids. When you melt butter slowly and let it cook, the water evaporates and those milk solids sink and turn golden-brown. Strain them out and what's left is ghee: close to pure butterfat with a toasty, caramelized flavor from that browning step.

Two practical things follow from that. First, ghee has a much higher smoke point than butter — commonly cited around 480–490°F, versus roughly 350°F for regular butter — so it won't scorch when you're tempering spices or searing. Second, because the milk solids are removed, ghee is very low in lactose and casein, which is why many people who find butter hard to digest do fine with it. It's still dairy, so it isn't for those avoiding animal products entirely, but it sits differently than butter for a lot of folks.

Takeaway: if a recipe wants a rich, buttery fat that can take real heat, ghee is the one to reach for.

What does ghee taste like, and what do you cook with it?

Good ghee smells nutty and a little sweet, almost like popcorn or toasted hazelnut, and it carries flavor beautifully. That's why so much Indian cooking starts or ends with it. A spoonful stirred into toor dal at the end, hot cumin and hing bloomed in ghee for a tempering (tadka), a thin layer brushed over roti or brushed onto rice for biryani — these are the everyday moves. Sweets lean on it too: halwa, ladoo, and soan papdi all get their richness from ghee.

It's not only for Indian food. Because it doesn't burn easily, ghee is excellent for frying eggs, roasting vegetables, searing meat, or finishing popcorn. Think of it as a high-heat cooking fat with built-in flavor.

Takeaway: use ghee anywhere you'd use butter or oil and want more flavor and less risk of burning — start with a teaspoon and adjust.

How much ghee should you actually use?

A little goes a long way. For a pot of dal serving four, a tablespoon of ghee in the tadka is plenty. For roti, a light brush — under a teaspoon per piece — is traditional. Ghee is calorie-dense like any fat, so you're cooking for flavor, not volume. The nutty aroma means you notice it even in small amounts.

Takeaway: measure in teaspoons and tablespoons, not glugs — ghee rewards restraint.

Cow ghee, buffalo ghee, grass-fed, or vanaspati — which should you buy?

The label language trips a lot of people up, so here's the plain version.

Cow ghee is the most common and what most recipes mean by "ghee" — golden, aromatic, all-purpose. The Amul Cow Ghee yellow tin is the one nearly every Indian household recognizes, and Patanjali Cow Ghee is another widely used cow ghee. GRB Pure Cow Ghee brings a South Indian style that's popular for its granular texture.

Buffalo ghee is whiter and a touch milder; some families prefer it, though cow ghee is the default for most cooking. Desi ghee just means traditionally made pure ghee — Nanak Desi Ghee is a reliable everyday tub, and Koshys Pure Cow Ghee and The Ghee Co. Cow Ghee are solid mid-size jars.

Grass-fed and organic ghee is made from the butter of grass-fed cows and tends to have a deeper color and flavor; if that matters to you, look at Laxmi Grass-Fed Butter Ghee, Jiva Organic Pure Ghee, or 24 Mantra Organic Grass-Fed Ghee.

One important distinction: vanaspati, sometimes labeled "vegetable ghee," is not ghee at all. It's a hydrogenated plant oil — Dalda Vegetable Ghee is the classic example. It's cheaper, vegan, and useful for certain fried snacks and sweets where recipes specifically call for it, but it doesn't have ghee's flavor or its dairy origin. If a recipe says ghee, reach for real ghee; if it says vanaspati or Dalda, that's a deliberate choice.

Takeaway: for most cooking, any pure cow ghee works — pick grass-fed or organic if you want a richer flavor, and don't mistake vanaspati for the real thing.

How do you store ghee, and does it go bad?

Ghee is remarkably shelf-stable because the water and milk solids that spoil butter are gone. An opened jar keeps happily in the pantry for months — no refrigeration needed — as long as you use a clean, dry spoon every time. Water or food crumbs are the enemy; they're what introduces spoilage. Keep the lid on, keep it out of direct sun, and it'll be fine. If it firms up in a cold kitchen or turns liquid in summer heat, that's normal — ghee moves between soft and solid with temperature and nothing's wrong.

Takeaway: store ghee in a cool, dark cupboard, always use a dry spoon, and a jar will last you a long time.

Where can you buy real ghee in Los Angeles?

You'll find all of these on our shelves at Anoras Cash N Carry, 567 S Fairfax Ave in Los Angeles — a quick stop from Mid-Wilshire, Miracle Mile, Koreatown, and the Beverly/Fairfax district. We stock ghee deep and across sizes, from a small jar to try a brand up to family tins, so you're not stuck choosing between two options like at a general supermarket. Browse the full Oil & Ghee collection to compare brands and sizes, and while you're stocking the pantry, our Lentils & Grains and Flour & Atta aisles round out everything you need for dal, roti, and rice.

Can't make it to Fairfax? We deliver across LA, so a tin of ghee and the rest of your groceries can come to you.

Takeaway: come by 567 S Fairfax for the widest ghee selection, or order online for delivery across Los Angeles.

Frequently asked questions about ghee

Is ghee healthier than butter? Ghee and butter are both mostly saturated fat, so neither is a health food, but ghee is nearly free of lactose and casein and has a higher smoke point, which makes it easier to digest for some people and better for high-heat cooking. Use it in reasonable amounts.

Is ghee lactose-free? Ghee is very low in lactose because the milk solids are strained out, and many lactose-sensitive people tolerate it well. It's still a dairy product, so it isn't suitable for a strict dairy-free or vegan diet.

Can I use ghee instead of butter or oil? Yes. Ghee substitutes one-to-one for butter or oil in most cooking and adds a nutty richness. It especially shines for frying, sautéing, and roasting because it won't burn as quickly as butter.

Does ghee need to be refrigerated? No. Stored in a cool, dark cupboard and handled with a clean dry spoon, ghee keeps for months at room temperature.

What's the difference between ghee and Dalda (vanaspati)? Ghee is pure clarified butter from milk. Dalda, or vanaspati, is hydrogenated vegetable oil made to resemble ghee — it's plant-based and cheaper but has neither the flavor nor the dairy origin of real ghee.

This article is for general information and isn't medical or dietary advice; if you have specific health concerns, check with a professional.