100 grams of ghee is about 7.3 tablespoons. One tablespoon of ghee weighs about 13.6 g, and one teaspoon is about 4.5 g. It is butter with the milk solids taken out, which gives it a nutty flavour and a high smoke point, and it keeps in the cupboard where butter would spoil.
All figures on this page are approximate, and they come from USDA, measured poured. Clarified butter with the milk solids removed; nutty and heat-stable. Indian cooking, frying and baking. When a recipe has to work the first time, verify with a kitchen scale.
How the measurement works
The figure on this page comes from USDA, measured poured. One US cup is 16 tablespoons, so every figure here is the cup weight of 218 g divided by 16, rounded to one decimal place. Clarified butter with the milk solids removed; nutty and heat-stable. Indian cooking, frying and baking.
All results on this page are approximate. Ingredient weights vary with brand, humidity, temperature and how firmly you pack the spoon, so when a recipe has to work the first time, weigh the ingredient on a kitchen scale and use the numbers here as a guide.
Conversion table
| Amount | Grams of ghee |
|---|---|
| 1 teaspoon | 4.5 g |
| 1 tablespoon | 13.6 g |
| 2 tablespoons | 27.2 g |
| 3 tablespoons | 40.9 g |
| 4 tablespoons | 54.5 g |
| 5 tablespoons | 68.1 g |
| 6 tablespoons | 81.8 g |
| 8 tablespoons | 109 g |
| 10 tablespoons | 136.2 g |
| 12 tablespoons | 163.5 g |
| 1 cup (16 tablespoons) | 218 g |
| 100 g | 7.3 tablespoons |
One tablespoon is one sixteenth of a cup, so every figure above is simply the cup weight divided by 16, rounded to one decimal place. The last row is the headline figure for this page: 100 g of ghee is about 7.3 tablespoons. All figures are approximate; verify with a kitchen scale when it matters.
Three real kitchen examples
A dal tadka for a weeknight dinner
A dal tadka starts with 4 tablespoons of ghee, about 54.5 g, heated in a small pan to fry cumin seeds, garlic and dried chilli. The ghee's nutty flavour is the point of the tadka, and its high smoke point means the spices fry without burning. Pour the sizzling ghee over the cooked lentils just before serving, and listen for the hiss, which tells you the pan was hot enough.
A batch of ghee roast potatoes
Roast potatoes cooked in ghee use 6 tablespoons, about 81.8 g, melted and tossed through the parboiled potatoes with salt. The ghee gives the potatoes crisp, golden edges and a nutty flavour that oil cannot match, and it tolerates the hot oven without smoking. Toss the potatoes until every piece glistens, and turn them once halfway through roasting.
A shortbread made with ghee
Shortbread made with ghee instead of butter uses 8 tablespoons, about 109 g, creamed with sugar until pale. The ghee gives the shortbread a nutty, almost caramel flavour and a crumb that stays crisp for days, because ghee has no water in it. Eight spoonfuls is the right amount for a small batch, and the dough should be chilled before baking so the fingers hold their shape.
Getting it right in your kitchen
Ghee matters because it is butter refined for heat and keeping. It is clarified butter with the milk solids removed, which gives it a nutty flavour, a high smoke point and a long shelf life at room temperature. At 218 g per cup, a tablespoon weighs about 13.6 g, so 100 g is about 7.3 tablespoons. In Indian cooking it is the default fat, used for frying spices, making tadkas and enriching dals, because it tolerates high heat without burning the way butter does. In baking it behaves like butter without the water, so a cake made with ghee is slightly denser and nuttier. Because it has no milk solids, it also suits some people who cannot tolerate dairy, though it is still a milk product and not suitable for a milk allergy.
If you do not have a scale, the tablespoon count on this page is your best friend: 7.3 level tablespoons is about 100 g of ghee, and one tablespoon is about 13.6 g. For small amounts, use teaspoons instead, at about 4.5 g each, because a teaspoon is easier to level accurately than a tablespoon. For large amounts, use a cup: one cup of ghee weighs 218 g, so 100 g is about 0.46 of a cup. Count carefully, level every spoon, and remember that the figures are approximate, so when the recipe has to work the first time, a kitchen scale is still the safer choice.
Storage. Cool cupboard up to 3 months; refrigerate for longer.
- Use ghee for frying spices and high-heat cooking; it smokes far later than butter.
- Buy pure ghee, not a vegetable oil blend; check the label.
- Keep it in a cool cupboard up to 3 months, or refrigerate for longer.
Frequently asked questions
How many tablespoons is 100 grams of ghee?
100 grams of ghee is about 7.3 tablespoons, poured, using the USDA value of 218 g per cup. One tablespoon weighs about 13.6 g. The figure is approximate, so verify with a kitchen scale when the recipe matters.
How many grams is 1 tablespoon of ghee?
One tablespoon of ghee weighs about 13.6 g, and one teaspoon is about 4.5 g. A cup of ghee weighs 218 g, the same as vegetable oil and coconut oil measured melted.
What is the difference between ghee and clarified butter?
Very little: both are butter with the milk solids removed. Ghee is cooked a little longer, so the milk solids brown first and give it a nutty flavour, while clarified butter is strained before the solids colour. In cooking they swap freely, and both weigh about 218 g per cup.
Can I use ghee instead of butter in baking?
Yes, by weight: 100 g of ghee replaces 100 g of butter in most recipes. The cake will be slightly denser and nuttier, because ghee has no water, and the flavour suits shortbread and spice cakes better than vanilla sponge. For pastry, where butter's water helps create steam, use half ghee and half butter.
How should I store ghee?
Keep it in a cool cupboard for up to 3 months, or refrigerate it for longer. Ghee keeps far better than butter because the milk solids are gone, but a wet spoon in the jar can make it spoil, so always use a dry spoon.
Common mistakes to avoid
The most common mistake is using ghee where butter's water matters: ghee has no water, so a pastry made with ghee alone can be drier than one made with butter. The second mistake is heating ghee until it smokes, which burns the nutty flavour and turns it bitter; it has a high smoke point, but it is not unlimited. The third mistake is buying ghee that is mostly vegetable oil, which is common in cheap brands: check the label and buy pure ghee. Finally, do not store ghee in a warm cupboard with a wet spoon in the jar, because water in the jar can make it spoil.