Ghee and sesame oil are both almost pure fat, but on USDA figures about two-thirds of ghee's fatty acids are saturated, while sesame oil's are mostly unsaturated, split roughly evenly between monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. In the kitchen the choice usually comes down to flavour and heat: the recipe's own fat, a dairy note from ghee, or the taste of sesame.
This is a cooking comparison, not a health ranking. If you are choosing a fat because of cholesterol, a heart condition or any other diagnosis, follow your doctor's advice.
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 14.2 g for sesame oil.
- USDA lists 41.7 g of polyunsaturated fat per 100 g of sesame oil against 3.69 g for anhydrous butter oil, about 11 times as much.
- A 2024 review gives ghee's smoke point as about 250°C; a 2022 laboratory study measured refined sesame oil at 242.5°C and noted an earlier report of 184.86°C.
- ICMR-NIN's 2024 guidelines say to limit ghee or butter to 1 to 2 teaspoons a day, and count saturated fat as high above 10 g a day of visible saturated fat.
- FSSAI limits that do not overlap: an iodine value of 103 to 120 for til oil against 25 to 38 for ghee.
What is the difference between ghee and sesame oil?
Ghee is milk fat with almost all its water and milk solids removed, while sesame oil is pressed from sesame seeds. Ghee is mostly saturated and carries cholesterol and vitamin A; sesame oil is mostly unsaturated, has no cholesterol and, in USDA's record, no vitamin A.
FSSAI's standard for milk fat products describes ghee as a fatty product derived exclusively from milk, by processes that remove almost all the water and milk solids-not-fat. Its standard for til oil, also called gingelly or sesame oil, covers oil expressed from clean, sound seeds of Sesamum indicum, black, brown, white or mixed.
How do the fats in ghee and sesame oil compare?
Saturated fat is about 66 per cent of ghee's fatty acids and about 15 per cent of sesame oil's, on USDA figures. Sesame oil's fatty acids are about 42 per cent monounsaturated and 44 per cent polyunsaturated, almost all of it linoleic acid, an omega-6 fat. Ghee's polyunsaturated share is about 4 per cent.
USDA's own ghee record, Butter, Clarified butter (ghee), gives 60 g of saturated fat and 4 g of polyunsaturated fat per 100 g, but those figures are back-calculated from a product label and it lists no monounsaturated fat. So, as in our comparison of ghee and mustard oil, the table uses USDA's fully analysed record for anhydrous butter oil, which FSSAI's standard groups with ghee as a milk fat product.
| Per 100 g | Ghee (anhydrous butter oil) | Sesame oil | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 876 kcal | 884 kcal | USDA FoodData Central |
| Total fat | 99.5 g | 100 g | USDA FoodData Central |
| Saturated fat | 61.9 g | 14.2 g | USDA FoodData Central |
| Monounsaturated fat | 28.7 g | 39.7 g | USDA FoodData Central |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 3.69 g | 41.7 g | USDA FoodData Central |
| of which 18:2 (linoleic acid) | 2.25 g | 41.3 g | USDA FoodData Central |
| of which 18:3 | 1.45 g | 0.3 g | USDA FoodData Central |
| Cholesterol | 256 mg | 0 mg | USDA FoodData Central |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 840 µg | 0 µg | USDA FoodData Central |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 2.8 mg | 1.4 mg | USDA FoodData Central |
The fat classes do not add up to total fat, because part of any fat's weight is glycerol, the backbone holding the fatty acids. Counting fatty acids only, ghee has 94.29 g (61.9 + 28.7 + 3.69) and sesame oil 95.6 g (14.2 + 39.7 + 41.7), so saturated fat is 65.6 and 14.9 per cent of each.
Our article is ghee saturated or unsaturated? breaks ghee's own fatty acids down further.
Which has the higher smoke point, ghee or sesame oil?
The published figures put them close, but they were not measured the same way. A 2024 review gives ghee's smoke point as about 250°C. A 2022 laboratory study measured a refined sesame oil at 242.5°C, and noted an earlier report of 184.86°C. Smoke point depends on free fatty acids and refining, so figures differ between oils and studies.
The ghee figure comes from a review by Kataria and Singh, Health benefits of ghee, in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, which puts ghee's smoke point at "∼250 °C", higher than most other edible oils. The review does not give the measurement behind that figure.
The sesame figure comes from Ramroudi and colleagues, who bought refined sunflower, corn and sesame oils in Yazd, Iran, and measured smoke point by the AOCS method. Sesame oil had the lowest of the three, 242.5°C, against 266.5°C for sunflower oil. The authors write that smoke point depends on free fatty acid content and the refining process, and they note that an earlier study reported a much lower figure for sesame oil.
So treat any single figure with caution, and do not rank the two on it. Because refining matters, a cold-pressed or unrefined sesame oil may not behave like the refined oil in that study. Our article on ghee's smoke point and when it matters explains where the margin counts.
Which is better for tadka, deep-frying and finishing?
Ghee suits a finishing spoon or a tadka where you want a dairy flavour. Sesame oil suits recipes written around its taste. For deep-frying, the larger issue is reuse: ICMR-NIN says repeated heating oxidises polyunsaturated fat, and sesame oil has about 11 times as much as ghee.
A practical way to choose:
- Follow the recipe's own fat. A dish written for til oil counts on the taste of sesame; a dal, khichdi or halwa written for ghee counts on the taste of milk fat.
- Finishing. The Kataria review notes that ghee is used as a topping on rice, khichdi, dal and chapati.
- Tadka. Either fat can be used. We found no test that compares the two in a tadka, so let the flavour you want decide.
- Deep-frying. ICMR-NIN advises that oil once used for frying be filtered, used for curry rather than frying again, and finished within a day or two. Our article on whether ghee can be reused after frying sets out that advice for ghee.
What do the Dietary Guidelines for Indians say about ghee and oils?
ICMR-NIN's 2024 guideline is to use oils and fats in moderation and to choose a variety of oilseeds, nuts, nutri-cereals and legumes to meet the need for fats. It names ghee among the high saturated-fat fats to limit, and says to "Limit ghee or butter to just 1 to 2 teaspoons/day or avoid, if possible".
The guidelines say that not more than 27 to 30 g of visible fat or cooking oil a day is required on a 2,000 kcal diet. They also say saturated fat use is considered high "when more than 10g/day of visible saturated fats (for a 2000 Kcal diet/ day) is consumed in the form of ghee, butter" or through excessive use of palm or coconut oil in snacks or sweets.
On the guidelines' measure of 5 g to a teaspoon, a worked example, not a suggested amount: 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 sesame oil about 1.4 g (10 × 0.142).
On "mixing oils", the 2024 guidelines speak of a variety of oilseeds, nuts and grains, and we found no line in them telling you to blend cooking oils. They are clear on one kind of mixing: used frying oil "should not be mixed with fresh oils and reused".
The guidelines also say that refining does not alter an oil's fatty acid composition but removes some minor components. They name "lignans in sesame oil" among these components, and say of them that they "reduce blood cholesterol". That is the guideline's wording, not a claim we extend. If you have a heart condition or high cholesterol, follow your doctor's advice on which fats to use.
What do FSSAI standards say about til oil and ghee?
FSSAI sets a separate standard for each. Til oil must be clear and free from rancidity, added colour or flavour and mineral oil, and must test negative for argemone oil. Ghee must be at least 99.5 per cent milk fat with no more than 0.5 per cent moisture. Their iodine and saponification limits do not overlap.
- Iodine value: 103 to 120 for til oil, against 25 to 38 for ghee.
- Saponification value: 188 to 193 for til oil, against 205 to 235 for ghee.
- Solvent-extracted til oil: must be refined before it is sold for eating, with no more than 5.0 ppm hexane; expeller-pressed oil must be free of hexane.
- Baudouin test: must be negative for ghee. Vanaspati, by contrast, must contain enough raw or refined til oil to give a reading of at least 2.0 red units in the same test.
For ghee, a batch test report is the clearest way to compare a jar with these limits. Himdhara publishes the laboratory report for each batch before it ships.
The short version
Ghee and sesame oil are both almost pure fat, but about 66 per cent of ghee's fatty acids are saturated against about 15 per cent of sesame oil's, on USDA figures. Sesame oil has about 11 times as much polyunsaturated fat and no cholesterol. Published smoke points are close, about 250°C for ghee and 242.5°C for one refined sesame oil, but they vary with refining and free fatty acid content. ICMR-NIN advises keeping ghee or butter to 1 to 2 teaspoons a day and all visible fat in moderation. Choose each by flavour and dish, 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, sesame, salad or cooking. FoodData Central (SR Legacy).
- ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (2024). Dietary Guidelines for Indians. ICMR-NIN.
- 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.
- Ramroudi F, Yasini Ardakani SA, Dehghani-Tafti A, Khalili Sadrabad E (2022). Investigation of the Physicochemical Properties of Vegetable Oils Blended with Sesame Oil and Their Oxidative Stability during Frying. International Journal of Food Science.