Ghee vs butter: Which one is healthier for your kitchen and your heart?
For high-heat cooking and lactose-free diets, ghee has a clear edge. But for baking and casual use, like on bread or stir fry, butter is sweeter, creamier flavour still shines.
As traditional ingredients make a global comeback – the likes of tallow, ghee and butter – many Kenyans are asking: is ghee healthier than butter?
The answer, according to nutrition experts, is more than a simple yes or no.
Ghee, a form of clarified butter, has been used in Indian and Pakistani cultures for thousands of years, both as food and medicine. In Kenya, back in the days, ghee was affordable, and our grandmothers used it to prepare chapati and other dishes.
Ghee is made by heating butter to remove its water and milk solids, leaving behind a golden fat that is rich, nutty and shelf-stable at room temperature.
"Ghee is essentially butter that's been refined through heating," explains Wincate Wangari, a Nanyuki-based nutritionist.
"It’s pure butterfat, free of lactose and casein, which makes it a better option for people with dairy sensitivities. Its higher smoke point also makes it ideal for high-heat cooking compared to regular butter."
In terms of nutrition, Wangari notes that both ghee and butter are almost pure fat, but ghee is slightly more concentrated.
According to Healthline, one tablespoon of ghee contains about 123 calories and 14 grams of fat, compared to butter's 100 calories and 11 grams of fat.
Ghee is also slightly richer in short-chain saturated fats and fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A and vitamin E.
The cooking properties are another important distinction. With Ghee, it has a smoke point of about 250°C, significantly higher than butter’s 175°C, making it less likely to burn when frying or sautéing.
“When heated, ghee produces less of the harmful compound acrylamide than seed oils or commonly known as vegetable oils. This makes it a safer choice when preparing meals that require high temperatures.”
However, while ghee has some advantages, Wangari says it may not lack potential downsides, because it is purely fat, and ghee is calorie-dense.
So, overconsumption can contribute to weight gain, elevated cholesterol levels, and increased risk for heart disease if not moderated.
Moreover, during the high-heat production of ghee, some cholesterol in the butter can oxidise, a process linked to harmful health effects.
"There’s a misconception that ghee is a magic health food. That’s not true," says Wangari.
"Both ghee and butter are high in saturated fats. Whether you choose one or the other, moderation is key, healthy eating is about balance, not overloading on any one food."
Yes, so when compared to seed oils, Wangari confirms that butter and ghee might be the safer option, but cautions that moderation is key.
Ghee may offer specific advantages for individuals who are lactose intolerant or looking for stable fats for cooking. It also contains small amounts of beneficial fats like conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and omega-3 fatty acids, though the amounts are usually too small to offer major health benefits without an overall healthy diet.
“Homemade ghee is easy to prepare. It involves simmering unsalted butter until the water evaporates, the milk solids brown and sink, and the clarified fat remains, now that is what you want,” she says.
“Properly strain it in your glass container and store. It can last several months at room temperature or up to a year in the fridge.”
In the end, is ghee healthier than butter? It depends on your needs.
For high-heat cooking and lactose-free diets, ghee has a clear edge. But for baking and casual use, like on bread or stir fry, butter is sweeter, creamier flavour still shines.
"Ghee and butter can both fit into a healthy diet, just remember, a little goes a long way."
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