Ghee and rice bran oil are both almost pure fat, but on USDA figures about two-thirds of ghee's fatty acids are saturated, against about a fifth of rice bran oil's, which are split between monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. Rice bran oil also carries far more vitamin E; ghee carries vitamin A, cholesterol and its own flavour.
This is a cooking and composition comparison, not a health ranking. If you have a heart condition, high cholesterol or any other diagnosis, follow your doctor's advice on which fats to use.
At a glance
- USDA FoodData Central lists 61.9 g of saturated fat per 100 g of anhydrous butter oil, its closest analysed match to ghee, against 19.7 g for rice bran oil.
- USDA lists 32.3 mg of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) per 100 g of rice bran oil against 2.8 mg for anhydrous butter oil, about 11.5 times as much.
- FSSAI requires rice bran oil to be refined before it is sold for eating, and to contain at least 1.0 per cent oryzanol.
- A 2024 meta-analysis of 11 trials found lower total and LDL cholesterol with rice bran; the authors note a lack of long-term follow-up data.
- ICMR-NIN's 2024 guidelines say to limit ghee or butter to 1 to 2 teaspoons a day, and do not tell readers to rotate or blend cooking oils.
What is the difference between ghee and rice bran oil?
Ghee is milk fat made by processes that remove almost all its water and non-fat solids. Rice bran oil comes from the bran layer stripped from rice during milling, and in India it must be refined before it is sold for eating. Ghee is mostly saturated and carries cholesterol; rice bran oil is mostly unsaturated and has none.
FSSAI's standard for oils defines rice bran oil as the oil from "the layer around the endosperm of rice". What refining does to an oil is covered in our article on ghee and refined oil; this one sticks to what is particular to rice bran oil.
How do ghee and rice bran oil compare per tablespoon?
A tablespoon of rice bran oil has about a third of the saturated fat of a tablespoon of ghee, ten times the polyunsaturated fat and about twelve times the vitamin E, on USDA figures. Ghee has the cholesterol and vitamin A. Calories are close.
USDA's own ghee record lists no monounsaturated fat, so the table uses its record for anhydrous butter oil. USDA weighs a tablespoon at 12.8 g for butter oil and 13.6 g for rice bran oil; each cell is the per-100 g figure times that weight (for example, 61.924 × 0.128 = 7.93 g).
| Per tablespoon (USDA FoodData Central) | Ghee (anhydrous butter oil, 12.8 g) | Rice bran oil (13.6 g) |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 112 kcal | 120 kcal |
| Total fat | 12.7 g | 13.6 g |
| Saturated fat | 7.93 g | 2.68 g |
| Monounsaturated fat | 3.68 g | 5.34 g |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.47 g | 4.76 g |
| of which linoleic acid (18:2, omega-6) | 0.29 g | 4.54 g |
| of which 18:3 | 0.19 g | 0.22 g |
| Cholesterol | 33 mg | 0 mg |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 108 µg | 0 µg |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.36 mg | 4.39 mg |
| Phytosterols | not listed | 162 mg |
The fat classes fall short of total fat because part of a fat's weight is glycerol. Per 100 g, ghee's fatty acids total 94.35 g (61.924 + 28.732 + 3.694) and rice bran oil's 94.0 g (19.7 + 39.3 + 35.0). Saturated fat is therefore 65.6 per cent of ghee's fatty acids (61.924 ÷ 94.35) and 21.0 per cent of rice bran oil's (19.7 ÷ 94.0). Our article is ghee saturated or unsaturated? breaks ghee's fatty acids down further.
The ratios above come from the table: 2.68 ÷ 7.93 = 0.34, 4.76 ÷ 0.47 ≈ 10 and 4.39 ÷ 0.36 ≈ 12. Per 100 g, vitamin E is 32.3 ÷ 2.8 ≈ 11.5 times higher; the oil's tablespoon is heavier.
What are oryzanol and vitamin E in rice bran oil?
Oryzanol is a minor component of rice bran oil, and FSSAI writes it into the standard: refined rice bran oil must contain at least 1.0 per cent. For vitamin E, USDA lists 32.3 mg of alpha-tocopherol per 100 g of rice bran oil, against 2.8 mg for anhydrous butter oil, the stand-in for ghee here.
At that minimum, a 13.6 g tablespoon carries at least 136 mg of oryzanol (13.6 g × 0.01 = 0.136 g). That is a floor, not a typical figure.
ICMR-NIN's 2024 guidelines say most minor components of fats, such as tocopherols, tocotrienols and sterols, are antioxidants that keep fats from going rancid. They state that "oryzanol and tocotrienols in rice bran oil reduce blood cholesterol". That is the guideline's wording, and we do not extend it. They add that refining modifies these minor components, so a given bottle's vitamin E may differ from USDA's sample, which is not described as refined or unrefined.
What does the research say about rice bran oil and cholesterol?
The pooled trial evidence points to lower total and LDL cholesterol with rice bran oil, but it rests on small trials without long-term follow-up. A 2024 meta-analysis of 11 randomised controlled trials, five of them testing rice bran oil, found lower total and LDL cholesterol and no significant change in HDL cholesterol.
The review, by Park and colleagues in Nutrients, pooled 572 participants. Across all 11 trials, rice bran lowered total cholesterol by 11.80 mg/dL and LDL cholesterol by 15.11 mg/dL. In the rice bran oil subgroup the figures were 19.24 mg/dL for total cholesterol and 14.55 mg/dL for LDL cholesterol. Its inclusion criteria covered healthy people and people with borderline or high cholesterol, against a placebo.
Read it at its true strength:
- What it measured: blood lipids, not heart attacks or strokes.
- What it compared: rice bran with a placebo, not rice bran oil with ghee.
- Its limits: the authors name regional differences, few studies in some subgroups and "the lack of long-term follow-up data".
It is not a reason to change your cooking fat on your own. If you have high cholesterol or a heart condition, that choice belongs with your doctor.
Which has the higher smoke point, ghee or rice bran oil?
The published figures put ghee higher, but they were not measured the same way. A 2024 review gives ghee's smoke point as about 250°C, citing earlier work. A 2011 laboratory study measured a refined rice bran oil at 213°C. One figure each is not enough to rank them firmly.
The ghee figure comes from a review by Kataria and Singh, Health benefits of ghee, which puts it at "∼250 °C". The rice bran oil figure is from Kaur and colleagues, Rice bran oil an alternate bakery shortening, who tested a refined rice bran oil by AOAC methods: 213 ± 4.2°C.
FSSAI's standard sets a flash point of at least 250°C for rice bran oil. That is a separate measurement: Kaur's sample smoked at 213°C but had a flash point of 280 ± 7.4°C. Our guide to ghee's smoke point and when it matters explains where the margin counts.
Which is better for deep-frying, tadka and finishing?
Choose by dish and flavour. Ghee suits a finishing spoon or a tadka where you want the taste of milk fat; rice bran oil suits a recipe that does not call for it. For deep-frying, ICMR-NIN's advice on reheating and reusing oil applies to both.
- Deep-frying. ICMR-NIN says repeated heating oxidises polyunsaturated fat, generating harmful compounds. Rice bran oil has about ten times as much polyunsaturated fat per tablespoon as ghee (4.76 g against 0.47 g). Oil once used for frying should be filtered, used for curry rather than frying again, and finished within a day or two.
- Tadka. We found no test comparing the two in a tadka, so let the flavour you want decide.
- Finishing. The Kataria review notes that ghee is used as a topping on cooked food such as rice, khichdi, dal and chapati.
Should you rotate or mix ghee and rice bran oil?
ICMR-NIN's 2024 guidelines do not tell readers to rotate or blend cooking oils. Guideline 7 says to use oils and fats in moderation and to choose a variety of oilseeds, nuts, nutri-cereals and legumes for fats and essential fatty acids. FSSAI does regulate ready-made blends.
- The daily total: not more than 27 to 30 g of visible fat a day on a 2,000 kcal diet, ghee included, with ghee or butter limited to 1 to 2 teaspoons a day or avoided if possible.
- A worked example, not a suggested amount: on the guidelines' measure of 5 g to a teaspoon, 2 teaspoons (10 g) of ghee carry about 6.2 g of saturated fat on USDA's butter oil figure (10 × 0.619), and 10 g of rice bran oil about 2.0 g (10 × 0.197).
- Blended oils: FSSAI's multi-source edible oil is a mix of two vegetable oils, each at least 20 per cent by weight, with no more than 33 per cent saturated fatty acids. Ghee, not a vegetable oil, cannot be part of one.
- Used oil: ICMR-NIN says used frying oil should not be mixed with fresh oil and reused.
Himdhara publishes the laboratory report for each batch on the lab reports page before it ships.
The short version
Ghee and rice bran oil are both almost pure fat, but about 66 per cent of ghee's fatty acids are saturated against about 21 per cent of rice bran oil's, on USDA figures. Rice bran oil has far more vitamin E, and FSSAI requires it to be refined and to contain at least 1.0 per cent oryzanol. A meta-analysis of small trials links rice bran oil with lower total and LDL cholesterol, but did not compare it with ghee. ICMR-NIN advises keeping ghee to 1 to 2 teaspoons a day and all visible fat in moderation. Choose each by dish and flavour, and leave health decisions to your doctor.
Sources
Further reading behind the figures above. Himdhara's own numbers — yields, batch results — come from our production records and the batch reports on the lab reports page.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (2019). Butter oil, anhydrous. FoodData Central (SR Legacy).
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (2019). Oil, rice bran. FoodData Central (SR Legacy).
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (2023). Chapter 2.2: Fats, Oils and Fat Emulsions. Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011.
- ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (2024). Dietary Guidelines for Indians (Guideline 7). ICMR-NIN.
- Park S, Kim Y, Park MJ, Kim JY (2024). Rice Bran Consumption Improves Lipid Profiles: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients.