Ghee vs Cultured Ghee

Many people ask us “what is the difference between ghee and cultured ghee“?

The answer is actually very simple. Ghee is made from milk, and cultured ghee is made from yogurt.

“But wait,” you ask, “Does that mean cultured ghee is fermented?” Is it rich in probiotics?

Well, no. It’s not a source of live and active cultures. It’s kind of like a sourdough bread, where the dough is fermented and then baked into bread. Even though a sourdough bread is not a probiotic or source of live bacteria, the fermentation process makes the bread easier to digest.

The Fermentation Process

Milk contains lactose, a natural sugar which gives it that delicate sweet taste. In order for the body to breakdown lactose into its basic components of simple sugars called glucose and galactose, an enzyme called lactase must be present.

Many people lack this valuable enzyme in their digestive system, resulting in a common digestive problem known as lactose intolerance. In order to metabolize lactose, lactase must always be present.

During the culturing/fermentation process of milk or cream, lactose is converted into lactic acid. This makes for a much more digestible product for many people.

In the normal process of making ghee, the lactose is removed when the milk solids are separated from the fat. This means that normal non-cultured ghee does not usually cause a problem with lactose intolerance. However, cultured ghee is even better than regular ghee for those with lactose issues, as lactose is converted into lactic acid during fermentation process.

Think of it like this:

With regular Ghee, Milk is separated into Cream which gets churned into Butter which gets simmered and filtered to make Ghee.

With Cultured Ghee, Milk is separated into Cream which is then fermented into Yogurt which gets churned into Butter which gets simmered and filtered to make Ghee.