As a popular ingredient in Indian cuisine, ghee is a form of butter used for cooking, baking, stir-frying, and grilling. But if you don’t enjoy the taste of it or if you’ve just used the last of your jar, you might need a good ghee substitute.
If that’s the case, you’ve got plenty of options. From butter to coconut oil, there is no shortage of food that can be used in place of ghee. Keep reading to find out the best ghee substitute options from Tastessence.
What is ghee?
Even if you’ve used ghee before, you might not be familiar with what it is. Ghee is a type of butter produced by melting down traditional butter and separating the milk solids from the liquid fats. The milk solids are discarded, which removes a good deal of lactose.
In addition to its prevalence in Asian food, therapists and masseuses rely on ghee for its healing qualities.
Ghee substitute options
The good news is that finding an alternative to ghee isn’t tricky. In fact, you probably already have at least one of the following ghee substitute options at home. Let’s take a quick look at some of the most popular ones.
Butter
As you might expect, butter is the most apparent ghee substitute. Since ghee is made from butter, both ingredients serve similar purposes in the kitchen. However, butter does contain more dairy than ghee, which you should be mindful of if you’re sensitive to lactose.
Also, butter and ghee both have high fat contents and are calorically dense foods. If you’re trying to mind your health, you should look to one of the other ghee substitute ideas on this list and consume ghee or butter in moderation.
Extra virgin olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil, another pantry staple, also works quite well as a ghee substitute. Like ghee, olive oil is perfect for sautéing onions, garlic, and vegetables for use in stir-fries and curries.
Olive oil adds a delicious flavor to these items, which is a bit different from ghee. As long as you’re okay with the taste, feel free to swap in high-quality olive oil in your recipes that call for ghee.
Coconut oil
While coconut oil isn’t exactly a must-have item in every pantry, it’s quickly gaining popularity among vegans and people looking to eliminate dairy from their diet. Coconut oil has a higher saturated fat content than olive oil, but some researchers have suggested that it might actually have more health benefits than we realize.
Coconut oil comes in solid form and must be melted down to use for pan-frying and baking. However, it tends to be pricier than the other options we’ve included. It might not be your go-to ghee substitute if you’re on a tight budget.
Outside of these three substitutes, you can use other oils such as sunflower oil or canola oil in place of ghee. In fact, your options are quite diverse when it comes to finding a suitable ghee substitute.
For more cooking tips and ideas, check out the Tastessence blog.
