The main difference between beurre noisette and ghee is that ghee is clarified butter, while beurre noisette is not. This means that beurre noisette still has water, while ghee has no water and milk residues. You can also tell them apart by looking at their appearances: ghee is yellowish, while beurre noisette, also known as caramelized butter, is brown.
While both butter products have a high smoke point, ghee is a safer alternative for consumers with lactose intolerance. However, beurre noisette provides a more potent, nuttier flavor.
You're on the right page if you have difficulties differentiating these two butter products. This article will discuss the key differences between beurre noisette and ghee, their uses in cooking, their origins, and other information regarding this topic.
Table of Contents
What’s the difference between beurre noisette and ghee?
Beurre noisette, or brown butter, is a French butter that is made by slowly simmering unsalted butter until it reduces and browns. Its nutty flavor lends itself well to sauces, baked goods, and sautéing.
Ghee is an Indian butter that is made by heating unsalted butter until the water evaporates and milk solids are removed (skimmed off the top). The remaining butterfat is then cooked further until lightly caramelized.
Key Comparison Points
- Both types of butter have high smoke points.
- Beurre noisette is a darker color than ghee as it is taken further in the cooking process.
- Ghee is a clarified butter containing pure butterfat while beurre noisette isn’t clarified first.
- Ghee is a good option for people on a lactose-free diet while beurre noisette is not.
- Both butter varieties have more flavor than regular butter, but you’ll find that beurre noisette has a stronger, nuttier flavor.
Uses in Cooking
Beurre Noisette
French baking: It adds a more complex flavor and helps to evenly brown baked goods that call for butter. Especially useful for making financiers, Madeleines, puff pastry, and pastries. It is a key element in baking authentic croissants.
Sautéing and frying: its high smoke point is useful if you need to cook food on a high heat without burning it. Excellent for breading meat that results in a delicious crispy exterior.
Sauces: a simple combination of four parts beurre noisette to one part lemon juice makes a luxurious sauce for pasta, meat, omelets, and vegetables.
Seafood and fish: the nutty taste pairs deliciously with fish like sole, red snapper, cod, sea bass, and salmon. It also works well with lobster, crayfish, and crab.
Sweet recipes: can be used to make mouth-watering ice cream, brownies, puddings, muffins, chocolate chip cookies, cakes, and many desserts.
Ghee
Most recipes using butter: Use ghee in almost any recipe that calls for cooking oil or butter. Suitable for people on a lactose-free diet.
Sautéing and frying: Like beurre noisette, its high smoke point allows for high-temperature cooking.
Indian cooking: popular in Indian cuisine, with a nutty profile that is well-suited to curries, naan bread, biryani rice, and halwa.
Dressings: toss with cooked vegetables, spread over fresh corn cobs, or drizzle over popcorn.
Baked food: This results in crispy baked goods, but you'll need to use a little less butter in baking recipes to allow for the increased fat content.
What are their origins?
Beurre noisette was invented by the French. Its name can be translated into English to mean "hazelnut butter." Nuts are never used in this sauce; the name refers to the butter's nutty flavor and brown color.
Ghee, also known as "sacred fat" or "liquid gold," was invented in ancient India between 1500 and 500 BCE. It was used for food and also for Ayurvedic medicine. [source]
Commonly Asked Questions
Beurre noisette simmers butter until it turns a golden brown shade and tastes like hazelnuts. Beurre noir, or black butter, reduces the butter for a longer time, resulting in a dark brown butter that is earthy and bitter.
Beurre noisette is a type of butter that is slowly reduced until caramelized and toasty. Beurre blanc is a butter sauce made by reducing shallots, vinegar, and white wine then whisking in butter to create an emulsified sauce.
Nutrition
We’ve included a comparison of each ingredient’s nutritional value. These numbers will vary depending on the butter you buy, but they give you a general idea of what to expect.
| Per 100g | Beurre Noisette | Ghee |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 734 kCal | 900 kCal |
| Fat | 81g | 100g |
| Saturated fat | 49g | 60g |
| Carbohydrates | 0.6g | 0g |
| Sugar | 0.6g | 0g |
| Protein | 0.6g | 0g |
| Sodium | 0mg | 0mg |
[Source]
Infographic Comparison
What does each butter look like?
Anyone can melt butter in their kitchen at home. It's a fun experiment to see how fat changes appearance the longer it's heated.
If you simply melt butter in a pan, then you have drawn butter. It should be a vibrant yellow.
Simmering butter for 10 to 20 minutes will be enough time to clarify butter, resulting in ghee. It will be golden yellow with a nutty aroma.
Beurre noisette takes butter further than ghee in the caramelization process. It is a darker shade with a more complex nutty taste.
Continuing to heat beurre noisette for a little longer will result in beurre noir. This mahogany brown butter is bitter and on the verge of being burned.
Summing Up
Melted butter takes on new characteristics as it continues to cook. Indian and French chefs have known this for centuries and used this knowledge to add amazing flavor and fragrance to their cooking.
Beurre noisette and ghee are made similarly, but you’ll find noisette has more flavor and is darker brown. In most cases, you can use these ingredients interchangeably in recipes. You’ll get a slightly different flavor, but it’ll still taste fine.
Keep in mind that the process of making ghee removes the lactose, while beurre noisette doesn’t. If you’re cooking lactose-free food then avoid using it to replace ghee.
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