Vegans aren’t allowed to eat ghee because it is clarified butter made from cow’s milk. Vegans often ask if it is safe to eat ghee on the vegan diet or not.
Although ghee is made from milk, it goes through a complete transformation when cooked CORRECTLY and loses all link to its dairy origins. However, ghee is still not suitable for vegans.
What is ghee?
Ghee is clarified butter, a staple in Indian cooking, with a rich flavor and high smoke point. This dairy-based fat is shelf-stable and cooks beautifully at high temperatures, retaining its flavor and aroma while adding an appealing golden color to dishes. In addition to its culinary uses, ghee also has healing and wellness benefits.
Like other clarified butters, ghee is made by heating butter to separate the milk solids from the liquid. In ghee, the butter is cooked a step further, toasting the milk solids until they start to brown. This gives ghee its unique, nutty flavor and aroma.
When making ghee, it’s important to use high-quality unsalted butter to ensure the best results. Unsalted butter has a higher percentage of butterfat than salted butter, which is more likely to contain water and other additives that can affect the final product. If you don’t have the time to make ghee yourself, it’s usually available in grocery stores, specialty or health food stores, and online.
In addition to its delicious flavor and high smoke point, ghee is an excellent source of vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are essential for maintaining a healthy immune system, brain function, heart health, and skin health.
Ghee also contains butyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid that helps nourish the cells lining the digestive tract and support a healthy gut microbiome. In addition, ghee has been known to relieve constipation and promote regularity.
While ghee is technically a dairy product, the clarifying process removes most of the lactose and casein found in butter, making it easier to digest for people with lactose intolerance or sensitivity. However, it’s important to note that ghee does contain small amounts of the protein casein and should be avoided by those with allergies or sensitivities to cow’s milk products.
Another reason ghee is popular among Paleo and Ayurvedic followers is that it provides a good amount of saturated fat, which is essential for heart health. Additionally, ghee can be used to enhance the flavors of other ingredients, including herbs and spices, when cooking, making it a great choice for sauteing or stir-frying. It’s also a perfect ingredient for roasted vegetables or for adding a rich flavor to homemade bread and cookies. Finally, ghee has a very long shelf life and doesn’t need to be refrigerated, which makes it convenient for on-the-go meals and lunches.
Does ghee contain milk solids?
Ghee is a type of clarified butter made by simmering butter until the milk solids separate from the liquid fat. The milk solids are then skimmed off and the remaining ghee is used for cooking. Because ghee is made from butter, which comes from cows, it is not considered vegan. Vegans are people who follow a diet that excludes all foods containing animal products, including dairy.
The answer to whether ghee is vegan depends on the person’s tolerance for dairy. Some people with dairy intolerance are able to eat ghee because it is made from butter that has been cooked until all the milk solids have separated from the fat. Other people are unable to tolerate even this boiled down version of butter and are better off avoiding it altogether.
People who are allergic to dairy may also be able to eat ghee, but only if it is made correctly. Ghee made from cow’s milk that has been heated until all the milk solids have separated is vegan, as long as it was made properly.
In addition, ghee has a higher smoking point than butter, which means that it can be used for high-heat cooking such as sauteing or stir frying. This makes it a safer choice for people with dairy allergies than butter, which has lower smoke points and can burn easily.
Ghee has many health benefits, including being a good source of butyrates and omega-3 fatty acids. It can also help with digestive issues and improve your mood. It can also be used as a substitute for butter in cooking, as it has a richer flavor than other oils and can add a nice caramelization to dishes.
The bottom line is that if you’re allergic to dairy, it’s best to avoid ghee. However, if you can tolerate dairy and don’t have any serious food allergies, it’s perfectly fine to eat ghee.
Those who are allergic to dairy should try to find a non-dairy butter substitute to use in recipes that call for ghee, like canola oil or coconut oil. These alternatives will not have the same nutty flavor that ghee has, but they will work well in most recipes. If you’re dining out and are offered a dish that contains ghee, ask your server to switch it out for a different cooking oil. They should be happy to do so.
