# What Are the Best Ghee Substitute Options?

URL: https://tastessence.com/substitutes/ghee-substitute
Category: Substitutes
Published: 2020-12-15T09:44:42
Updated: 2020-12-15T09:44:42
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](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321707#how-is-ghee-made) 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](https://tastessence.com/substitutes/substitute-olive-oil-for-butter), 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](https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/diet/coconut-oil-health-benefits-nutrition-facts-uses-more/) 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](https://tastessence.com/substitutes/canola-oil-substitute) 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.**](https://tastessence.com/)