Ghee, the oldest keto fat
2 November 2026
Why the old kitchen and the keto kitchen share one jar.
Ghee is butter that has been simmered until its water has boiled away and its milk solids have been strained out. What is left is almost pure milk fat, golden and nutty, which keeps for months without a fridge.
One jar, two kitchens
The Hindu kitchen has cooked with ghee since the time of the Vedas. It is offered into the sacred fire, it feeds the lamps at prayer, and the Bhagavad Gita counts rich, nourishing food among the foods of the pure. The keto kitchen values ghee for a plainer reason: it has almost no carbohydrate.
What is in it
Ghee is close to 100 percent fat, and most of that fat is saturated. Because the milk solids are removed, it has very little lactose and casein, so many people who cannot digest milk sugar manage ghee better than butter. Very little is not none: anyone with a true milk allergy should still avoid it.
Cooking with it
Ghee stands up to heat. Its smoke point is usually given as 230 to 250 degrees Celsius, against about 175 for butter, so it does not burn as easily when frying.
How much is sensible
There is little research on ghee itself, and health bodies advise limiting saturated fat for the sake of the heart. Ghee is best treated as a cooking fat with a lot of flavour, used in modest amounts, and not as a health food to be eaten by the spoonful.
This article is general information, not medical advice.
Sources
Healthline. Ghee: Is It Healthier Than Regular Butter? https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ghee
GoodRx Health. Is ghee healthier than butter? https://www.goodrx.com/well-being/diet-nutrition/is-ghee-healthier-than-butter
Ghee. Wikipedia. https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghee
Bhagavad Gita, chapter 17, verse 8. https://shlokam.org/gita/chapter-17.htm