Primarily popular in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines, ghee is a unique nutty butter used for cooking. This is an amazing cooking fat helpful for your healthy digestive system, shiny skin, and strong immunity. In addition, it boasts various vitamins and minerals with excellent anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties.
However, ghee is an expensive product and isn’t readily available.
What you can do? Well, you can make it yourself at home, using unsalted butter and this Instant Pot Ghee recipe.
Or you can substitute it with alternatives such as olive oil, avocado oil, sesame oil, and coconut oil.
Below we have explored each substitute in detail.
7 Best Substitutes for Ghee
Whether you follow a plant-based diet or are lactose intolerant, consuming ghee may not be your preference. So, instead of shifting to an unhealthy option, here are some excellent substitutes for ghee.
1. Olive Oil
Raise your hands if you already have a bottle of olive oil in your pantry. Olive oil is easily the perfect replacement for ghee.
Olive oil is aromatic and has a unique nutty flavor. Besides, it is one of the healthiest oils available, perfect for people on a strict diet.
That said, the former is thinner in consistency than the latter. This means that olive oil may not work as well as ghee in all the recipes. You can use it over your salad dressing or cooking; however, it may fail to produce great results while baking.
When replacing ghee with olive oil, ensure to get the quantity right. If you usually use one cup of ghee, replace it with ¾ cup of olive oil.
2. Avocado Oil
Avocado oil is another ghee alternative that we can bet on. This one has many amazing health benefits, such as it improves skin, keeps symptoms of arthritis at bay, elevates your heart’s health, and maintains satisfactory cholesterol levels.
Additionally, avocado oil enhances the absorption process of nutrients and increases the levels of antioxidants in your body.
Avocado oil doesn’t have a taste as strong as ghee. So, if you want to cook something very flavorsome, we recommend you add a spoon or two of butter for some richness.
Also, it isn’t the best substitute to replace ghee while baking. It may create dense results, not ideal for your consumption.
For best results, replace one cup of ghee with one cup of avocado oil.
3. Coconut Oil
If you want to elevate the taste of your dish, you can replace ghee with coconut oil. This rich oil enhances the flavor of your food, giving it a nutty and smoky taste. However, you must pick the correct variety of oil as per your taste preferences.
For those who prefer a strong coconut flavor in your food, go for unrefined oil. On the other hand, refined coconut oil has a subtle flavor, perfect for people who may not like coconut much.
Since ghee and coconut oil have the same molecular ratio, you can easily replace one cup of ghee with one cup of coconut oil. It is also suitable for baking and is a highly recommended product for the best desserts.
4. Vegetable Oil
Next up, we have another commonly used substitute, vegetable oil. It is not as healthy as ghee but is pretty effective.
Vegetable oil has always been considered “heart-healthy.” This is because it contains healthy fats instead of saturated fats to reduce the risks associated with heart problems.
The consistency of vegetable oil is thinner than ghee. So, make sure that you use it wisely. We won’t suggest this substitute for baking, though.
When replacing ghee with vegetable oil, replace one cup of former with one cup of the latter.
5. Sesame Oil
Do you crave healthy hair or reduced inflammation? Are your blood sugar levels consistently high? If yes, be mindful and replace ghee with sesame oil.
This substitute has lots of antioxidants with some amazing anti-inflammatory properties. Sesame oil is also rich in omega-6 fatty acids, making it an ideal option for people looking for a healthy diet.
Sesame oil comes in wide varieties. For instance, there is toasted, light, and cold-pressed oil available.
It is best to do it with toasted sesame oil when replacing ghee. This is because it has a nutty and intense flavor that would make all your food taste delicious.
For good results, replace one cup of ghee with ¾ the cup of sesame oil. You can increase the quantity according to your recipe. But, ensure not to add excessive amounts and get oily food.
6. Soybean Oil
Raw soybean may taste like green beans, but the treated and manufactured variant has a mild and bland taste. This means you can easily substitute ghee with this option.
It isn’t very rich in flavor, so make sure you add the correct spices to uplift your food’s taste.
If you usually use one cup of ghee in your recipe, you can replace it with ¾th soybean oil. While doing so, make sure that you eliminate any other liquid in your food to avoid an oily and heavy cooking disaster.
7. Sunflower Oil
Sunflower oil has an excellent smoke point and tastes perfectly nutty. All these factors make it an ideal substitute for ghee.
You can use sunflower oil for stir-fries, deep frying, and even sautéing. This option is very rich in antioxidants and has excellent inflammatory properties.
What’s more, sunflower oil protects your skin against toxins, improves skin tone and texture, hydrates it, and removes any unnecessary clogged pores.
When using sunflower oil, ensure to use it in a measured quantity if you suffer from heart issues. This product contains a high amount of omega-6 fatty acids. The increased amount of these fats can harm your health over time.
When using sunflower oil as a substitute, replace one cup of ghee with ¾th cup of this oil.
Final Takeaway
Do you find ghee expensive? If you can’t make ghee at home, you can easily look for its affordable substitutes in the market.
Lucky for you, we have listed our top favorites in this article. They all are great when replacing ghee but make sure that you choose a substitute that meets the requirements of your recipe.
So, pick the one you prefer and make it an essential part of your recipes.
7 Best Substitutes for Ghee
- Olive Oil
- Avocado Oil
- Coconut Oil
- Vegetable Oil
- Sesame Oil
- Soybean Oil
- Sunflower Oil
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