Products · Cooking oils & fats · Organic Valley

Organic Valley Organic Ghee (Clarified Butter)

A shelf-stable ghee from a USDA-certified organic dairy cooperative, made by simmering organic butter. An independent lab found 105 ppb of phthalates, in the lowest tier tested. It is not cultured and not labelled grass-fed.

Best for Cooks who want a plain organic ghee at a moderate price from a large, long-established cooperative, for sautéing, roasting and frying.

Our rating: Good (3.5 of 5)
Price range: Mid-range
Verified marks: USDA Organic (Oregon Tilth; scope lists ghee)
Size: 13 oz or 7.5 oz jar
Made in: Organic dairy farms in Organic Valley’s U.S. cooperative

approx. $20 for 13 oz

See it on Organic Valley’s site → (opens in a new tab)

We are not affiliated with Organic Valley. This link goes to the maker’s own page, with no tracking code. How we're funded.

Also sold at Vitacost ($20 for 13 oz; approx. $13 for 7.5 oz), Amazon ($18.49 for 13 oz), Walmart.com ($22 for 13 oz (listed at $21.70)) .

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How we evaluated it

How it scores Our rating, metric by metric Good, 3.5 of 5

Ingredients & processing 35% of the rating 4 of 5

Organic butter simmered to remove water, with no solvent. Lactic acid in the butter is the one addition.
Independent testing 25% of the rating 3 of 5

An independent lab found 105 ppb of phthalates, the lowest tier. The organic certificate is paid, and no metals or pesticide results are published.
Packaging 15% of the rating 4 of 5

A glass jar, per reviewers; the maker does not say. Lid material is not stated.
Trust 10% of the rating 3 of 5

Nothing against the ghee, but the brand had a 2022 Class I recall of its UHT milks, a 2022 to 2024 lawsuit over its “humane” labels, and a PFAS marker in a butter wrapper in 2023.
Value 15% of the rating 3 of 5

About $1.42 an ounce at Amazon and $1.55 at Vitacost, in the middle of the fats here.

The rating, 3.5 of 5, is the weighted average of these scores. See how we rank cooking oils & fats and our standard.

Where to buy Stores and the prices we saw 3 stores

Vitacost (opens in a new tab) approx. $20 for 13 oz; approx. $13 for 7.5 oz. Vitacost says it buys from brands or authorized distributors and shows a best-by date (03/24/2027 on the 13 oz). Organic Valley’s page has a store finder, not a shop.
Amazon (opens in a new tab) approx. $18.49 for 13 oz. Sold and shipped by Whole Foods Market through Amazon. Organic Valley is the manufacturer on the listing.
Walmart.com (opens in a new tab) approx. $22 for 13 oz (listed at $21.70). Marketplace seller iHerb, not Walmart or the brand. The listing gives the jar as glass.

Prices as we saw them on October 23, 2026. They change often. These links carry no tracking code and earn us nothing.

What’s in it Every ingredient, in label order 2 ingredients

Organic butterfat (milk)
Organic butter (pasteurized organic sweet cream (milk), lactic acid)

Who tested it What each test found, and who paid for it 2 tests

Independent Mamavation (EPA-certified lab, not named; the site earns affiliate income) May 2025

Tested one sample for 15 phthalates. Total phthalates were 105 ppb, in the lowest-contamination tier. Ten ghees are listed: two were non-detect and the highest was 2,702 ppb. One sample per brand. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Paid certification USDA organic certification (Oregon Tilth) October 2026

CROPP Cooperative (Organic Valley) is certified for handling since 2002, with ghee in its scope. That certifies how the butter is sourced and made, not a lab test of each jar. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Who paid, and why it matters

Independent The tester took no money from the maker for it: a consumer group, a journalist, a university or a regulator.
Paid certification An outside lab or certifier tested or listed it, and the maker paid for that.
Maker’s own test A lab report or certificate of analysis the maker commissioned and published.

A certification is a floor, not a verdict: it checks what its program checks and nothing else. We weigh tests by someone with no stake in the result most.

What people ask Worries raised online and elsewhere, and what we found 5 questions

Does ghee carry phthalates from dairy equipment?: Some do. Mamavation’s 2025 ghee test (opens in a new tab) found every sample had traces, from non-detect to 2,702 ppb. Organic Valley’s was 105 ppb, near the bottom. It is one sample, and organic rules do not ban phthalates.
Is “pasture-raised” the same as grass-fed?: No. The page says pasture-raised and we found no grass-fed certifier. Organic rules require grazing in the grazing season, so it is better than conventional, but it is not the 100% grass-fed, cultured ghee our guide prefers.
Is it really lactose- and casein-free?: Organic Valley says filtering removes both and calls it suitable for most lactose-intolerant people, but gives no test result. If you have a milk allergy, ask a clinician before you try it.
Does the brand use PFAS packaging?: In 2023 Mamavation found 16 ppm of organic fluorine (opens in a new tab), a PFAS marker, in the wrapper of Organic Valley salted butter. The ghee comes in a jar, and we found no PFAS test of the jar or its lid.
Has Organic Valley been sued, or had recalls?: Yes, but not over the ghee. Takahashi-Mendoza v. Organic Valley (opens in a new tab) (N.D. Cal., 2022) said its “humane” labels mislead because calves are taken from their mothers (ClassAction.org summary (opens in a new tab)). The court let part of it proceed in May 2023 and the parties stipulated to dismissal in September 2024, with no terms on the docket. In September 2022 a co-manufacturer, Lyons Magnus, recalled Organic Valley UHT milks for possible Cronobacter sakazakii and Clostridium botulinum (openFDA (opens in a new tab), Class I).

Why we chose it What put it on our list 4 points

The ingredient list is short and all dairy: organic butterfat, and organic butter made from pasteurized organic sweet cream and lactic acid. Organic Valley says the butter is simmered until the water separates, then filtered; its page does not mention solvents.
Mamavation’s lab found 105 ppb of total phthalates in a sample in May 2025, in the lowest tier of the ten ghees it listed. Two other ghees were non-detect and the highest was 2,702 ppb.
The USDA Organic Integrity Database lists CROPP Cooperative, which does business as Organic Valley, as certified by Oregon Tilth since 04/29/2002, with “Clarified butter (Ghee)” in its handling scope.
A teaspoon (5 g) has 45 calories, 5 g of fat and 3 g of saturated fat, with no trans fat. At about $1.55 an ounce for the 13 oz jar it costs less than the cultured, grass-fed ghee we looked at.

Trade-offs What to weigh before you buy 4 points

Ghee is about 60% saturated fat. Our ghee guide suggests keeping it to 1 to 2 tablespoons a day and says olive oil is better studied for heart health.
The page says “pasture-raised”, not “100% grass-fed”, and we found no grass-fed certifier listing. Our ghee guide suggests grass-fed milk and cultured butter. This is neither labelled grass-fed nor cultured.
Organic Valley’s page does not say what the jar or lid is made of. Reviewers on Vitacost and iHerb describe a glass jar. The cooperative’s farms are not named.
It contains milk fat. Organic Valley says it is lactose- and casein-free after filtering, and we found no test. Check with a clinician if you have a milk allergy.

What to know Details worth knowing first

Ghee is butter with the water and milk solids removed. Our ghee guide puts it ahead of refined vegetable oils for high-heat cooking and suggests grass-fed, cultured versions where you can find them.

Organic Valley’s ghee is the more ordinary option: organic, pasture-raised butter simmered down by a large cooperative. Two things back it up. The USDA lists the cooperative as certified organic with ghee in its scope, which tells you how it is made and sourced. And an independent lab found 105 ppb of phthalates in one sample, near the bottom of the ghees it tested. Neither is a test for metals or pesticides in each jar.

If you want grass-fed, cultured ghee, the alternative below is the closer match, at a higher price. Ghee is mostly saturated fat, so use it in tablespoons, not cups.

What we checked Each claim, and how sure we are of it 5 checks

How Organic Valley Organic Ghee (Clarified Butter) measures up against our cooking oils & fats criteria
What we checked	What we found
Purity you can check Verified	CROPP Cooperative (Organic Valley) is certified organic in the USDA Organic Integrity Database, with ghee in its handling scope. An independent lab found 105 ppb total phthalates. Neither is a test of metals or pesticides in each jar.
Fat profile stated Maker’s claim	Label: 45 calories, 5 g fat, 3 g saturated fat and 0 g trans fat per teaspoon.
Made without solvents Maker’s claim	Butter simmered until the water separates, then filtered to remove solids, per Organic Valley’s page. It does not mention solvents.
Packaging that blocks light, with a date Not verified	A jar; reviewers say glass, and the maker does not state it. The label says to store it in a dark place. Vitacost shows a best-by date.
A traceable source Maker’s claim	Organic Valley’s cooperative farms. No farm or state is named.

What the labels mean

Verified We opened an independent record that confirms it: a certifier’s listing, a regulator’s list or a lab report. It is linked under Sources.
Maker’s claim The maker says so on its own page or label. We read it but found no independent record.
Not verified We looked and could not confirm it, or the maker does not say. Treat it as unknown.

Sources Where our facts come from 9 sources

Organic Valley Organic Ghee, Clarified Butter product page. Maker’s page. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
USDA Organic Integrity Database: CROPP Cooperative (Organic Valley). Certifier or regulator listing. Certified handling operation, Oregon Tilth, effective 04/29/2002. The scope lists “Clarified butter (Ghee)”. Read on 2026-10-22. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Mamavation: Ghee tested for toxic phthalates (May 2025). Test report. Ten ghees, one sample each, a panel of 15 phthalates. The site earns affiliate income from links on the page. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Mamavation: Organic Valley salted butter wrapper, PFAS marker (February 2023). Test report. A different product. Organic fluorine of 16 ppm in the wrapper; detection level 10 ppm. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Vitacost listing with label, price and reviews. Independent source. $20.09 for 13 oz and $12.53 for 7.5 oz on 2026-10-23. Reviewers describe a glass jar. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Takahashi-Mendoza v. Cooperative Regions of Organic Producer Pools, N.D. Cal. 4:22-cv-05086 (CourtListener docket). Independent source. Filed 2022; motion to dismiss granted in part and denied in part 19 May 2023; stipulation of dismissal 27 Sep 2024, order 30 Sep 2024. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
ClassAction.org: Organic Valley milk cows separated from calves prematurely, class action alleges (2022). Independent source. A summary of the complaint about “humane” label claims on Organic Valley dairy products. It does not mention ghee. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
openFDA food enforcement reports mentioning Organic Valley. Certifier or regulator listing. Searched 23 Oct 2026: three Class I reports from 7 Sep 2022 (Lyons Magnus, UHT milks) and a 2020 Class II report on egg bites. None is for the ghee. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
California Attorney General: Prop 65 60-day notice search. Certifier or regulator listing. Searched by alleged violator on 23 Oct 2026 for “Organic Valley” and “CROPP”: no notice for the ghee. The only match, from 1997, names CROPP among cheesemakers (DEHP in cheese). Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Alternatives Other options to compare 2 options

Pure Indian Foods Organic Cultured Ghee Made from grass-fed cultured butter, which our ghee guide prefers. The grass-fed claim is the maker’s, and no independent test of it turned up. About $15 for 7.5 oz.
Marianne’s Harvest Organic Beef Tallow A non-dairy animal fat for high heat. USDA organic, about $17 for 11 oz.

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