FAQ

Ghee is prepared by melting and simmering butter until all the water evaporates and the milk solids settle at the bottom. The remaining butter oil is very stable, giving it a high smoke point, which makes it an excellent choice to use for frying and sautéing. It can be stored without refrigeration for up to a year.

Ghee Texture videos:
Why My Ghee is Liquid or Grainy

Traditional Ghee Texture - What's Normal?

Is my ghee texture normal? How do I change the texture?

Ghee contains many fatty acids with different melting points, which allows it to exist at many different textures, even at the same temperature. Grainy/Gritty, Solid, Creamy, and Liquid are all normal textures of traditionally made ghee.

When we make small batches, we pour the ghee into the jars when it is still liquid, close the lids, and then leave the jars to cool on a flat surface. Due to the variety of fatty acids in ghee, ghee that cools more rapidly, becomes more solid texture. Ghee that is cooled more slowly retains a softer or even completely liquid texture. What this means in practice is that the ghee at the edges of a batch are more solid, and the ghee jars in the center are more liquid. This only affects texture, but there is no effect whatsoever on the taste, quality and shelf-life of the ghee.

Ghee is primarily used either as a cooking fat or as a spread on warm foods. In both of these cases, this grainy, runny or separated texture disappears in a matter of seconds. For example, someone who has never seen crystallization of honey in the winter may consider it as a product defect. Upon further investigation we will find that it is perfectly normal.

It is a simple matter to alter the texture of your traditional ghee to something more your preference. We provide a tutorial on how to do this, since many of our customers prefer one texture over another.

Ghee is made from milk and hence it is a dairy-product. However, people who have dairy intolerance can generally consume ghee since ghee has only traces of casein (a type of milk protein) and lactose (milk sugar) which some people find difficult to digest. Unless a person is very sensitive, consuming ghee is safe for those with dairy issues, unlike butter.

For our customers with true dairy allergies, we go one step further - we batch test our Cultured Ghee (and products using cultured ghee). We are happy to report that our Cultured Ghee is batch-tested gluten-free, lactose batch-tested to contain no more than 0.25%, and casein and whey batch-tested to be 2.5 ppm or less.

The amount of ghee you consume daily must be based on personal preference. We believe our ghee to be completely safe and health promoting. However, if you are concerned about adding fats to your daily menu, please consult a qualified health care practitioner or nutritionist to help you decide the appropriate amount for your individual needs. In general, eating a well-balanced diet including a wide variety of foods, both local and seasonal is a time-honored, health-building practice. Our ghee is very flavorful; adding a small amount to your food goes a long way in making your meals more delicious and deeply satisfying.

Unopened jar: One year, with or without refrigeration.

Opened jar: 3 months without refrigeration and one year in the fridge.

Always use a clean, dry spoon to scoop out ghee. Do not expose ghee to moisture.

Ghee does not stay completely fresh much longer than one year without the use of preservatives. We don’t use any preservatives in our ghee.

UNOPENED JARS: Store in a preferably dark and cool place. There is no need to refrigerate them. Use them by the “Best By Date” (about 9-12 months from the date of purchase) on the jar.

OPENED JARS: Store in your kitchen cabinet (away from light and moisture) for up to 3 months. After that you can refrigerate it for up to a year. Ghee will become hard in the refrigerator. However, it will become soft again once you take it out of the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature for some time.

If you buy a large jar of ghee and cannot finish it in 3 months, transfer some ghee from the large jar into an empty small glass jar. The small jar and the spoon used to transfer ghee should be clean and dry. The small jar should also be free of any odors. Keep this small jar of ghee in your kitchen cabinet for your daily use. Place the large jar (lid tightly closed) into the refrigerator and use it to refill the small jar when needed.

Ghee (just like butter) can be stored in the freezer if needed to extend the shelf life even further.

Your ghee is absolutely safe to use. Like any other oil (e.g. coconut oil or olive oil) or fat (e.g. lard), ghee is not required to be kept cool. It doesn’t get damaged by the heat during shipping in the summer months. Please use it with confidence the way people in India have used it for thousands of years with no electricity, refrigeration and very warm temperatures.

Use a clean and dry spoon. Close the lid as soon as possible. Do not let any moisture get into your ghee jar. It can promote bacteria and spoil the ghee. No need to refrigerate.

Not necessarily. Check the Best By date on the bottom of the jar. If it's still inside of the Best By date, try heating a small amount of ghee and see if the smell changes. The smell of ghee may be stronger during the summer months when the cows are grazing on greener grasses. The flavor of the grass consumed by the cow affects the color and taste of the ghee. If you are still dissatisfied, you may contact us.

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First you will need to melt the ghee. You may do so by removing it from the jar, melting in a small pan and then pouring back in the jar. Alternatively, you can fill a pot with hot water and submerge tightly closed ghee jar in it to melt the ghee. Keep the water level below the lid. The idea is to melt the ghee completely until it is liquid.

To make a solid or creamy ghee—after the ghee is melted, immediately place the jar in the refrigerator to rapidly cool, and leave overnight. (Do not freeze.) Take the jar out of the refrigerator the next day and leave it on the counter-top. Depending on the ambient temperature of the room, the ghee may be more solid or more creamy at room temperature.

To make a grainy ghee—instead of refrigeration, cool your ghee more slowly by placing the melted ghee on the countertop and covering with a kitchen towel to cool overnight. The result should be a ghee with a more grainy texture, which you can then close with a lid and leave at room temperature.

Milk for our ghee products comes from small family farms in the Northeast USA, California and New Zealand. Our preference is to source it closer to New Jersey as much as possible. When high-quality local supply is insufficient, we then source it from the other locations.

Grass-fed cows produce milk that is high in naturally occurring Vitamins A, D & K, as well as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an antioxidant and essential fatty acid. In addition, grass-fed ghee contains a balanced ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats. (This ratio is around 3:1 for grass-fed animals compared to over 20:1 for grain-fed animals!) 

Our ghee products are made with grass-fed cow’s milk, sourced from family farms which do not segregate by breed to get different milk. The milk may be either A1 or A2, but this doesn’t matter when it comes to ghee. We do not test for A2. However, we do have a Cultured Ghee product which undergoes testing for casein. Read more about A1/A2 on our blog.

The color of ghee can vary depending on various factors, including the type of milk used, the breed of cow, and the season. For example, our ghee tends to be more deep yellow in the spring when the cows are grazing on the rapidly growing spring pastures.

In general, the color of ghee can range from pale yellow to deep orange, and it is not necessarily an indicator of its nutritional value. The color of ghee is primarily influenced by the presence of beta-carotene, which is a natural pigment found in milk from grass-fed cows. When cows graze on fresh green grass, their milk can contain higher levels of beta-carotene, which gives ghee a more yellow to orange color.

Ghee with a darker color is not necessarily less nutritious due to being cooked longer or subjected to more heat. The cooking process of ghee involves simmering butter to remove the water content and milk solids, leaving behind the pure fat. The duration and temperature of the cooking process can vary depending on the manufacturer's process, but it is not necessarily related to the color of ghee.

Some manufacturers intentionally overcook ghee to make "brown butter ghee," but this is not traditional, and we do not recommend this process.

At Pure Indian Foods, we take great care in producing our ghee using traditional methods and sourcing high-quality ingredients to ensure the best quality and nutrition. Our ghee is made from grass-fed cow's milk and is USDA certified organic, and our farmers do not segregate their cows based on breed. The color of our ghee can vary from batch to batch, but it does not affect its nutritional value or quality. Regarding color, simply avoid brown ghee from other companies, and you should be fine.