Ghee jars come in more sizes than they used to, and the choice is not as obvious as "bigger is cheaper". A jar that sits half-used for a year is not a bargain, and a small jar that runs out every ten days costs more than it needs to. The right size comes down to one question: how much ghee does your kitchen really get through?
Start by measuring a week
Most people have no idea how much ghee they use, and guesses tend to be low. The easiest way to find out is to note the level in your jar on a Sunday and check it the next Sunday. If that sounds like too much bother, use these rough reference points:
- A tablespoon of ghee is about 15 ml.
- A litre is therefore around 65 tablespoons.
- A household that uses 1 tablespoon a day finishes a litre in about two months.
- A household that uses 3 tablespoons a day, which is easy with a dal tadka, a few rotis and something sweet, finishes a litre in about three weeks.
Then consider freshness
Ghee is stable, and most jars carry a best before date around 12 months from packing. But the aroma of good ghee is at its best in the first few months after the jar is opened. Every time you open the lid, a little air gets in, and over many weeks the fragrance softens. It is still perfectly good to cook with; it just smells less like it did on day one.
So as a rule of thumb, buy a size you will finish within two to three months of opening. For larger packs, the trick is to decant a smaller amount for daily use and keep the rest sealed.
What the sizes cost per ml
Here is how our own ghees compare at the time of writing. Prices change, but the pattern usually holds.
A2 Gir Cow Ghee
- 250 ml jar: ₹499, about ₹2.00 per ml
- 500 ml jar: ₹897, about ₹1.79 per ml
- 1 litre jar: ₹1,698, about ₹1.70 per ml
- 2.5 litre dolchi: ₹4,999, about ₹2.00 per ml
- 5 litre dolchi: ₹8,999, about ₹1.80 per ml
Desi Cow A2 Ghee
- 500 ml jar: ₹699, about ₹1.40 per ml
- 1 litre jar: ₹1,299, about ₹1.30 per ml
- 2.5 litre dolchi: ₹3,999, about ₹1.60 per ml
- 5 litre dolchi: ₹7,499, about ₹1.50 per ml
Two things stand out. In both ranges, the 1 litre jar is the best value per ml. And the dolchis cost more per ml than the 1 litre jar, so you buy a dolchi for convenience, for a single large stock and for the steel container, not to save money.
Our suggestions
250 ml or 500 ml suits you if:
- You are trying a ghee for the first time.
- You live alone or as a couple and use ghee a few times a week.
- You keep ghee mainly for the table, not for cooking.
- You are buying a gift.
1 litre suits you if:
- You are a family of three to five cooking Indian food most days.
- You use ghee daily for rotis, dal and rice.
This is the size most of our regular customers settle on.
2.5 litre dolchi suits you if:
- You finish a litre in three or four weeks and are tired of reordering.
- You have a cool, dark cupboard to store it in.
5 litre dolchi suits you if:
- You are a large or joint family.
- You make sweets regularly, or you are stocking up before a festival or a wedding.
- You are comfortable decanting a smaller amount for daily use.
A common arrangement
Many of our customers buy two ghees. A smaller jar of A2 Gir Cow Ghee sits on the dining table for rice and rotis, where you taste it most. A larger jar or dolchi of Desi Cow A2 Ghee sits by the stove for cooking. It is an easy way to keep costs sensible without giving up on flavour where it shows.
If you are still not sure, start with a 500 ml jar, watch how long it lasts, and size up from there. Ghee ships free at every size, so trying a smaller jar first does not cost you extra on delivery.