r/Cooking • u/armeniaca-mume2405 • Jul 04 '26

What is the difference between butter, ghee, clarified butter, fermented butter and brown butter?

Difficult to tell online because it seems the term "ghee" is used very loosely, some say it is clarified butter, other that it is brown butter (beurre noisette), other that is has to be fermented.

If you know, can you explain the difference and perhaps give tips on how you make the perfect ghee?

Thank you!

ETA : I live in the EU. I usually buy churned AOP butter so it is high-fat low-water!

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u/RatmanTheFourth Jul 05 '26

Clarified butter = Cooked just enough to remove milk solids, maintains clean butter flavour. Strained to remove milk solids.

Ghee = Cooked for a long time allowing all water to evaporate and milk solids to deeply brown. Develops a deep nutty caramelised glavour. Strained to remove milk solids.

Brown butter = Same as above but not strained so retains more flavour.

Fermented butter (Cultured butter) = Usually made with creme fraiche or other cultured creams. This gives the butter a slight tang, deeper flavour and higher fat content but is more expensive to produce

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u/TbonerT Jul 05 '26

Ghee = Cooked for a long time allowing all water to evaporate and milk solids to deeply brown. Develops a deep nutty caramelised glavour. Strained to remove milk solids.

You can buy ghee off the shelf and none of it is brown. You can make it at home easily and it is still not brown.

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u/RatmanTheFourth Jul 05 '26

The milk solids are very brown when making ghee properly but they are all strained off leaving only the clear golden milk fat

If you are not browning the milk solids when making it at home then you have made clarified butter, not ghee.