10 Ghee Brands, Ranked from Worst to Best

Ghee is to the Indian kitchen what olive oil and canola oil are to the American kitchen. The savory cooking fat, which is derived from milk, is versatile, nutritious, and incredibly tasty. Ghee is regarded so highly, in fact, that it is often used in Ayurvedic medicine and in offerings to the gods. Over the past decade or so, more and more Americans have adopted ghee into their diets, both as an ingredient in Indian recipes and as an everyday staple for roasting vegetables, spreading on toast, and drizzling over popcorn. It has a high smoke point, is essentially lactose-free, and is even shelf-stable (though there are nevertheless merits to refrigerating it).

So what is this wonder ingredient? The short answer is that ghee is like butter, but better. The long answer is that it is clarified butter, meaning that the water content and milk solids usually present in butter have been removed. The really long answer is that, unlike other styles of clarified butter, the milk solids are cooked until they caramelize, giving ghee its rich, nutty taste. It’s hard to beat homemade ghee, especially when it is made with high-quality butter and an experienced hand. However, a few store-bought products do come close and are very convenient. As someone who lives in India for the majority of the year, I am more than familiar with ghee and used my experience to test and rank several common ghee brands on the basis of flavor. I sampled each one by the spoonful and cooked simple dishes with it in order to build out my list. More information on my methodology can be found at the end of this article.

Great Value is Walmart’s private label, offering everything from sugar to mayo at an affordable price. This ghee is made with milk from grass-fed cows. It comes in a plastic container, which may help reduce the price but is not ideal for long-term storage. Keeping ghee in a glass container, preferably one with dark glass, helps prolong its shelf life by mitigating oxidation.

If you are not satisfied with any Great Value product, you can get your money back or ask for a replacement. I am disappointed to report that you might be taking advantage of this offer after tasting Great Value ghee; it was one of the worst products I tried on this list. That fact doesn’t exactly surprise me, given that Walmart specializes in low-cost goods, often at the expense of high-quality taste. 

I sampled a spoonful and formed my own opinions about this ghee before I found that online reviewers tend to feel the same way. For starters, its aroma is dull and does not promise much in the way of flavor. Upon tasting it, I found that it does, indeed, lack the caramel-like flavor that I had hoped for, and while this was not my experience, many people report that it tastes rancid. When cooking with this ghee, it did not impart any complexity or richness to my food. Simply put, it is bland.

Beneficial Blends is a company whose manufacturing facility in Florida turns out oil-based products, including lotions, dietary supplements, and, yes, ghee. The company, which was founded in 2009 by Erin Meagher, sells its products under its own brand name as well as private labels. Not much information is available regarding where and how Beneficial Blends sources the milk for its ghee, so, I’m unsure if it’s made with grass-fed butter or not. That may have something to do with its lackluster taste; indeed, there is a difference between how grass-fed and grain-fed butter tastes. 

This ghee is one of the cheaper and lower-quality products on this list. I was unimpressed after tasting Beneficial Blends’ ghee and found it to be rather bland. It lacks the complex, nutty, and caramel-like flavor that ought to hit the back of the palate. This came as a bit of a surprise, as its pleasant aroma and golden hue were very inviting. If I were to cook with it, I would only do so because it’s inexpensive.

4th & Heart, one of the early players in the ghee game, debuted in 2015 and is now available in more than 12,000 stores across the United States, as well as online. Interestingly, while 4th & Heart ghee is manufactured in California, the brand’s recipes utilize butter made from the milk of grass-fed cows who graze the pastures of Australia and New Zealand. These Holstein and Jersey cows are milked a maximum of two times per day. The brand now offers several varieties of ghee, including flavors like garlic, vanilla bean, and Himalayan pink salt. Plus, it also carries ghee sticks and sprayable ghee. For this review, I tasted the original recipe, which features nothing more than clarified butter.

The mild flavor of 4th & Heart ghee stands apart from every other ghee on this list. It’s perfect for adding to dishes where you don’t want to highlight the flavor of the ghee but still want to reap the benefits of its high smoke point. For instance, it’s a good choice for stir-frying vegetables that will be added to dishes like lasagna or quesadillas. However, this ghee’s mildness is also what caused me to give it such a low ranking. For this review, I was primarily interested in flavor, and this product lacked the distinct punchiness I look for in a high-quality ghee. Without the draw of a strong flavor, it becomes just another cooking oil with a high smoke point. And for that, I can always turn to other alternatives like refined avocado, peanut, and sunflower oil.

Trader Joe’s often carries products that highlight special ingredients and flavors from around the world. For instance, the store’s green tea and yuzu spread is a versatile fan favorite, and Korean foods like gochujang and scallion pancakes can be found across several aisles. It comes as no surprise, then, that Trader Joe’s offers ghee too. It’s sold in a relatively small jar — just 8 fluid ounces — making this product perfect for those who don’t plan on using it very often.

Trader Joe’s ghee is lighter in flavor than most of the other brands on this list, but not necessarily in a bad way. In fact, it has somewhat of a floral taste that reminds me of olive oil. Its sweet flavor, which is not very nutty, is especially well suited for dishes like roasted Brussels sprouts and zucchini fritters. Its intensely buttery aroma will also smell divine when used to top parathas and rotis hot off the tawa. However, because Trader Joe’s ghee lacks the complex flavor profiles offered by many of its competitors — richer, more versatile products in which you can almost taste the grass eaten by the cows — I gave this product a somewhat low ranking.

If you’re going to be making dozens of laddoos or slathering ghee on your parathas every day, Kirkland Signature ghee is where it’s at. This ghee comes in a 27-ounce jar, which is much larger than many of the other products on this list. Kirkland Signature is Costco’s in-house product line, which typically offers top-notch consumer goods at an affordable price. This particular ghee is offered in lieu of the popular name-brand alternatives that the superstore used to carry, like Tin Star Foods. Tin Star’s ghee was made with grass-fed butter, while the Kirkland Signature product that is currently offered makes no such claims. However, this ghee is certified organic, which means that the cows concerned must be permitted time outdoors during all seasons, plus obtain at least 30% of their dry matter intake from pastures for no fewer than 120 days each year.

When it comes to taste, Kirkland Signature ghee is middle of the road. It offers a fine balance of sweet and savory but does not stand out in any particular regard. It errs on the blander side and also has a more subdued aroma. In light of its affordability, I would occasionally opt for this ghee when cooking just for myself. However, I would select a different brand when cooking to impress.

To address the elephant in the room, Servio is one of the least recognizable brand names on this list. However, it is readily available at Walmart and is also sold as a white-label service, meaning that other companies can resell the ghee under a different name. Servio prides itself on producing ghee and dulce de leche with a remarkable amount of transparency. The company’s website is filled with images of the machinery used to produce its ghee, as well as a YouTube video that demonstrates the process in further detail. The premium milk used in Servio’s ghee is produced by grass-fed cows who graze on pastures owned by the company. 

While Servio also offers variants like smoked ghee and Himalayan pink salt ghee, I reviewed the plain version for this assessment. Right off the bat, I was impressed with its rich aroma. It delivered on taste and had one of the nuttiest flavor profiles on this list. Part of what makes this product unique is that it is made in Argentina, and so experienced ghee tasters might be able to identify its distinct terroir. My main critique is that I found myself yearning for a bit more sweetness to balance out its savory elements. Nevertheless, I could see this ghee pairing well with Indian mithai, such as gujiya, as well as savory dishes like pasta.

365, Whole Foods’ in-house product line, typically offers satisfying products at a relatively budget-friendly price. This ghee is just one of over 3,500 products under the 365 umbrella, and I’ll admit that I was a bit surprised it ranked so highly in my taste test despite not being an artisanal product. The packaging didn’t get me excited, either. No descriptors are given to tell consumers how the milk is sourced (for instance, whether the cows were grass-fed), nor does it appear to be an organic product. I do appreciate that it comes in a glass jar, though.

Despite the ambiguity surrounding 365 ghee, it is among the top contenders on this list. It tasted very similar to homemade ghee. In fact, my Indian husband noted that it reminded him of the ghee his grandmother used to make in her village. For lack of a better word, it tastes “raw,” which can most likely be interpreted as a nod to the ghee’s terroir. 365 ghee has a substantially nutty flavor, but I still found that it falls a bit too far toward the sweeter end of the spectrum, which is why it didn’t quite crack into the top ranks of my favorite ghee brands on this list. Even so, it’s a ghee you can comfortably use on an everyday basis, for everything from the most basic dals to the fanciest Diwali party karanjis. 

Ancient Organics is definitely one of the pricier ghees on this list, but that makes sense; ghee is the company’s sole product, and as such, the brand truly does justice to the traditional methods of ghee making. All of Ancient Organics’ ghee is simmered over an open flame and only crafted during a full or waxing moon, as per Vedic custom. In further observance of tradition, the Mahamrtunjaya mantra provides the background score. 

The supply chain is likewise highly intentional. The milk of grass-fed, California-based cows is churned into sweet cream butter at Straus Family Creamery, an award-winning, certified organic dairy operation. This butter is then transformed into ghee in small batches. The company touts that its ghee has a distinct terroir. 

After being impressed by its superb, somewhat sharp aroma, Ancient Organics ghee proceeded to blow me away with its lovely nutty flavor. I found this product to be one of the nuttiest jars of ghee I sampled (along with Servio’s product), though it is thankfully balanced by additional notes of sweetness. Because this product is so expensive, I would use it sparingly and in recipes that truly highlight ghee’s flavors. For instance, I suggest drizzling it over white basmati rice or cooking dosas, uttapams, and appams in a pan lined generously with it. While its intensity did not bother me per se, I would not use this ghee in a dish where it might overpower more delicate flavors that I would like to preserve.

Carrington Farms has been in business for over 25 years, offering consumers organic, non-GMO foods that are meant to satisfy the palate while simultaneously nourishing the body. Today, its products include flours, seeds, cooking sprays, superfood powders, and more. Carrington Farms sells a few varieties of ghee, including one flavored with pink Himalayan salt, one paired with coconut oil, and a cooking spray that also includes sunflower oil and sunflower lecithin. The former two come in 12-ounce tubs, while the latter comes in a can. With the exception of the cooking spray, each of these products is made with grass-fed, organic milk.

The brand’s plain ghee’s flavor is outstanding. It fills the mouth with a full-bodied aroma, and it has one of the most pleasant aftertastes of any ghee on this list. It is gentle, not sharp, and I felt very soothed while eating it. While Carrington Farms ghee is very sweet, it still offers a nutty flavor that makes it well suited for recipes like ghee scrambled eggs, Mysore pak, and gajar ka halwa.

Organic Valley is a brand that specializes in dairy products, like milk, butter, and cheese, as well as other staple ingredients like eggs and meats. The brand’s ghee is made from the milk of pasture-raised cows, and it has received both organic and non-GMO certifications. According to the brand’s website, these cows are treated quite well. For instance, the herds, which are intentionally kept small, spend 50% more time grazing pasture than mandated by USDA organic guidelines.

Organic Valley ghee is one of the most expensive products on this list, but the extra bucks are worth it if you are prioritizing a high-quality cooking fat that can lend both flavor and nutrients to a dish. My first impression was that this product is clearly made with high-quality butter. When sampling this ghee in its solid form, my mouth was flooded with a delightfully sweet flavor. Its aroma was pleasantly pervasive, and the rich mouthfeel left a lasting impression on me. I would pin this as a versatile ghee, capable of elevating sweet and savory dishes alike.

When selecting the brands for this review, I chose products that were readily available online and/or in stores. Once I had each and every product in front of me, I sampled them side by side, using a spoon to taste the ghee in its purest, unadulterated form. The majority of this review is based on that initial taste test. Additionally, I spent the next two weeks to cook several batches of kitchari, a simple Indian dish consisting of rice and lentils, so that I could see how the ghee would interact with other flavors.

I judged each product on the basis of flavor, while also taking notes on aroma. Having tasted some seriously wonderful ghee while living in India, I was looking out for similar tasting notes — mainly sweet and nutty. Cost was not a factor in this review, nor was texture, since ghee can easily melt and solidify with temperature fluctuations. I did not look at any reviews prior to forming and penning my own opinions about each product.