Ghee is butter with the milk solids cooked off. The process is clever, the nutty flavour is real, and it is still dairy from start to finish.
Made fromButter (dairy)
Also calledClarified butter, ghrita
VerdictNot vegan
Where it hides
Indian and South Asian cooking
Curries, dals and rice
Some sweets and baking
Restaurant naan and finishing fats
What it is
Ghee is butter that has been gently cooked so the water boils off and the milk solids brown and are strained out, leaving a golden fat with a high smoke point and a nutty taste.
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is a type of clarified butter, originating in the Indian Subcontinent
Because ghee starts as butter, it is dairy through and through, milk solids removed or not. Plant-based ghee, built from oils like coconut and sesame, has become easy to find and holds up to the same high-heat cooking.
LactoseLactose is milk sugar. Even though it is a carbohydrate rather than a protein, it comes from milk, so it is not vegan.
Casein and caseinateCasein is milk protein, and it turns up in surprising places, including some non-dairy creamers and a few plant-styled cheeses.
Palm oilPalm oil is a plant oil, so by the letter of the definition it is vegan. The asterisk is what growing it can cost: cleared rainforest and lost habitat for orangutans, tigers and rhinos, which leads many vegans to avoid it or seek a certified-sustainable version.
Frequently asked
Is ghee dairy-free?
No. Ghee is made from butter, so it contains milk fat and is a dairy product. People with a lactose intolerance sometimes tolerate it because the milk solids are largely removed, but it is not vegan.
Is there a vegan ghee?
Yes. Several brands sell plant-based ghee made from vegetable oils, and it works as a direct swap for high-heat cooking.
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