Explainer
What Is Cultured Ghee? Why It's the Traditional Kind
Cultured ghee is ghee made from butter that comes from cultured curd (dahi), not from fresh cream. Culturing the milk first, then churning and slow-cooking it, is the traditional bilona method. It gives ghee a richer, more complex aroma and is often found easier to digest than cream-based ghee.
Quick take
- Cultured ghee comes from butter churned from cultured curd (dahi), not fresh cream.
- It's the traditional bilona method — more aromatic and often easier to digest.
- The best cultured ghee is also A2, from named milk, and lab-tested.
You'll see "cultured ghee" on premium labels — and it points to something real about how the ghee is made.
Cultured vs cream-based
There are two broad ways to make ghee. The cream (or malai) method boils butter made from fresh cream — fast and common at factory scale. The cultured method first ferments the whole milk into curd (dahi), hand-churns that curd into butter, and then slow-cooks it into ghee. That culturing step is the difference — and it's the heart of the bilona method.
Why culturing matters
- Aroma & flavour: fermentation develops a richer, more complex, "dadi-ki-rasoi" aroma.
- Digestibility: many people find cultured, bilona ghee easier to digest.
- Tradition: it's the way ghee has been made for centuries — also called Vedic ghee.
Cultured ghee, A2 and purity
Cultured is about method. For the best ghee, combine it with an A2 milk source (buffalo or desi cow) and lab-tested purity. That's genuine cultured, A2, bilona ghee — see what is buffalo ghee and pure ghee.
Want to make it yourself? See how to make ghee at home (the bilona method starts with curd).
Frequently asked questions
What is cultured ghee?
Cultured ghee is ghee made from butter churned from cultured curd (dahi) rather than fresh cream. Culturing the milk first, then churning and slow-cooking it, is the traditional bilona method, and it gives ghee a richer aroma.
Is cultured ghee better than regular ghee?
Cultured (bilona) ghee is more aromatic and often found easier to digest than cream-based factory ghee, because the milk is fermented into curd first. Purity and an A2 milk source matter just as much.
Is cultured ghee the same as bilona ghee?
Essentially yes. Bilona ghee is made by culturing milk into curd, hand-churning it to butter, and slow-cooking it into ghee, which is exactly what makes ghee 'cultured'.
Cultured, A2, bilona-made
A2 Farmer Buffalo Bilona Ghee — cultured from curd, hand-churned, lab-verified.
Shop Pure Ghee →