Ghee is rich, indulgent, and surprisingly easy to cook with. Simply put, ghee is the Indian take on clarified butter, which has all the milk solids and water removed for a subtle and clean taste. The big difference between ghee and clarified butter is that the milk solids are left to cook longer in ghee. This gives it a brown butter nuttiness you’ll adore. It also has a higher smoke point than regular butter, making it the perfect cooking oil. These recipes with ghee include anything from savory curry to nutty and chewy cookies and even cakes. Let’s get to it!
How To Make Ghee and More!
1. Homemade Ghee
Making ghee at home couldn’t be easier. All it requires is a few sticks of butter, a pan, cheesecloth, and patience. To make ghee, gently boil a few bars of butter, and then turn down the heat. Much like caramel, the key to ghee is to leave it alone! Once the milk solids have separated, you’ll let them caramelize before straining everything to leave clear, pure liquid gold. It’s crazy easy!
2. Roasted Vegetables With Ghee
Roasted veggies with butter is a no-brainer. But swapping out basic butter for nutty and delicious ghee is a great way to add a massive amount of flavors when you are short on time. This recipe is so simple and is perfect for a weeknight. Better still, you can make this with all kinds of veggies. I like a combo of broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes!
3. Oatmeal Raisin Ghee Cookies
Ghee isn’t just for savory dishes, you know?! It’s also great in desserts! These oatmeal-raisin and ghee cookies have a delectable boost of nutty goodness as well as a perfect melt-in-your-mouth texture. They’re chewy, a little spicy, and impossible to resist. Of course, this recipe will work with regular butter. But if you’ve ever tried brown butter cookies, you’ll know that these are way better.
4. Pan-Fried Salmon With Garlicky Ghee Sauce
Is there anything better than fish cooked in butter? This delicious recipe pairs tender salmon with a garlicky ghee sauce that will convert fish-skeptics. Cooking salmon on the stove infuses the rich ghee right into the fish without fear of overcooking. Once it’s flaky, baste the garlicky ghee sauce over the fish and continue cooking in the oven. Garish with lemon juice to bring out all those fantastic flavors, and serve with veggies or pasta.
5. Chicken Ghee Roast
Are you tired of boring grilled chicken? Then this recipe is for you. Mangalorean-style, ghee roasted chicken is saucy, decadent, and comes together in a snap. Plus, you can opt to marinate the chicken the day before, so all you need to do is throw it into a pan when you’re ready to eat. It’ll bubble away in the heavenly curry and just needs a simple bed of rice to soak up all those unique flavors. Delish!
6. Ghee Mashed Potatoes
Butter and mashed potatoes are a classic pairing, but why wouldn’t you want to amp up those flavors? Adding ghee to traditional mashed potato makes this simple side dish nutty, savory, and full of flavor. Plus, it’s just as easy as making regular mash, so there’s no extra effort required.
7. Beef Tenderloin Tips Salad With Lemon Garlic Ghee
This beef tenderloin salad is the perfect dish to serve on a hot summer night. The steak tips cook in a flash on the grill and are tender, rich in flavor, and just what you need to beef up a simple salad. Be sure to let the meat marinate before skewering and cooking over the grill. Then, drizzle with a tasty lemon-garlic ghee sauce once they’re slightly charred. Yum!
8. Shrimp Ghee Roast
This Indian-inspired shrimp dish is infused with some incredible spices. They lift regular meaty shrimp from good to amazing! There’s also a layer of citrus that keeps things light, but it’ll definitely warm your insides. Adding ghee brings that unique nutty and toasted flavor which pairs oh-so-well with Indian flavors and lemon. Serve over rice, or pair with roasted veggies for a carb-free dinner option.
9. Chocolate Chip Ghee Cookies
I adore nuts in cookies. That hint of flavor and the crunchy texture is just to die for. But nuts can be expensive. So, why not mimic that flavor with ghee? Not only is it cheap and easy, but it’s also ideal for anyone with allergies. One bite of these rich, nutty, and irresistibly chewy cookies, and you’ll never look back.
10. Ghee Cake
This super simple ghee cake is an excellent option for a light afternoon indulgence. Again, you can use regular butter in place of ghee. But the finished product won’t be nearly as tasty. This cake is ideal for when you want something sweet but not overly heavy. In fact, it’s one of my favorite summer cakes. Just top it with a dollop of whipped cream and whatever fresh fruit you have on hand.
11. Lobster Tails With Clarified Butter
I don’t think it’s possible to eat lobster without butter. And if you’ve ever ordered it in a restaurant, chances are it came with clarified butter. As we’ve already mentioned, clarified butter and ghee are totally interchangeable. Ghee just has more flavor to make those lobster tails sing. What I love about this dish is that it only takes around 20 minutes to come together. And the finished product is like something from a fancy restaurant. Pair with roasted vegetables, pasta, or a crisp green salad.
12. Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet potato casserole isn’t exactly light on calories. However, this sweet potato casserole swaps those unhealthy ingredients (sorry, marshmallows) for something better. You’ll use ghee instead of regular butter to cut back on the fat, and there are plenty of buttery pecans instead of sugary marshmallows. The result is lighter, insanely nutty, and the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving.
13. Melt-in-Mouth Butter Cookies
Egyptian Ghorayebah is Egypt’s take on the classic butter cookie. It has a lot in common with the light and crumbly cookies we know and love. The difference, of course, is the nutty and toasted flavors. To dial up the nuttiness, top each cookie with an almond sliver and dust with powdered sugar. As the name suggests, these butter cookies do melt in your mouth.
14. Semolina Ghee Balls
This traditional Indian dessert is a terrific way to finish curry night. These balls are slightly sweet and jam-packed with rich nutty flavors. And while they’re a little tedious to make, it’s more than worth it in the end. The addition of cashews roasted in ghee makes these beyond delicious. Cashews on their own are buttery, so frying them until golden brown in ghee creates a flavor explosion you won’t soon forget.
15. Paleo Blueberry Muffins
These blueberry muffins are grain-free, gluten-free, and free of refined sugar. So basically, they’re a paleo dream. Instead of all-purpose, this recipe calls for almond flour for a more delicate crumb and nutty flavor. It earns a natural sweetness from honey and blueberries too. Just try to resist a second one!
16. Ghee Caramelized Banana Oatmeal
If your morning oatmeal game has become tired, it’s time to spice things up! This oatmeal is sticky, sweet, nutty, and insanely satisfying. This ghee caramelized banana oatmeal packs all the nutrition you need to start your day off right, along with a big hit of flavors. The bananas in this recipe are perfectly golden and caramelized in ghee and brown sugar. The best part? It only takes a few minutes on the stove, and you likely have all the ingredients on hand.
17. Butter Chicken
This classic Indian dinner dish is similar to chicken tikka masala. It infuses rich Indian seasoning, and it’s relatively simple to make. You’ll need to marinate the chicken overnight to ensure the most flavor possible. Then, cook it on the stove in a wonderfully flavorful butter sauce. While there’s plenty of ghee in the sauce, you can also add a dollop on top right before the chicken finishes cooking. Serve over rice and enjoy.
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