Avoiding These Butter Brands Is a Huge Mistake

24/7 Wall St. Insights

• The top butter brand on this list is Kerrygold, known for its depth, richness, and unique flavor. Even better, Kerrygold butter comes in salted and unsalted forms, as well as other options.
• The average U.S. citizen used to consume 17 pounds of butter a year in the 1930s, but now consumes about 74.8% less (though 6.3 pounds of butter is still pretty significant.
• Butter brands are largely subjective, so try different butter brands until you find what’s best for you.
• Also: Discover the “Next NVIDIA”

A California startup company recently set out on a mission to reframe the way we see – butter? That’s right, Savor is using an innovative thermochemical process to create butter from carbon dioxide. This “butter” is animal-free, ethically-sourced, uses less water than creating dairy-based butter, and releases no greenhouse gasses, making it an attractive option for a multitude of consumers.

That being said, many individuals still prefer the richness, saltiness, and even grassiness of high-quality butter. Butter is used to enrich a variety of dishes, from cooking onions to create the base of an unctuous pasta sauce to improving flavor in baked goods. Its versatility is clear in its widespread use. Today, according to The Food Institute, the average American consumes approximately 6.3 pounds, or about 25 sticks of butter each year. While that is a far cry from the 1930s when the average American consumed over 17 (!) pounds of butter per year, it does reveal that folks in the U.S. have fallen in love with butter again.

But what butter brands deliver, and which ones fall flat? With so many to choose from, it can leave shoppers feeling a bit butter-befuddled. That’s why we set out to find the very best butter brands on the market today. (Once you find your perfect butter, make sure to check out the 8 bread brands you absolutely must try.)

24/7 Wall St. consulted numerous food review websites along with customer reviews on retail sites to compile this list. Butter preference is inherently subjective, so we used an aggregate scoring system to rank each brand using factors such as price, fat content, sweetness vs. savoriness, and consumer review scores. Eight butter brands landed at the top of our score sheet. They are listed from eighth to first place. The prices listed were accurate at the time of publication and may vary by store or location.

Why We’re Buttering You Up

With a variety of butter brands to choose from, you might be wondering what butter brand best suits your lifestyle, health needs, and cooking choices. The best butter brands offer high-quality, ethically sourced butter. At 24/7 Wall St., we know that quality butter can transform your recipes and baking from ordinary to amazing. Understanding why these 8 butter brands are America’s favorite helps you to shop smarter and eat better across the board.

Here are the 8 butter brands it’s a mistake to not use:

8. Kroger

• Parent Company: Kroger
• Expected Price: $4.29
• Size: 16 oz

Kroger Butter Review

Surprised that a generic store brand made the cut? Us too, but Kroger’s butter brand certainly earned this spot.

Like many brands, there are different varieties of Kroger butter, including salted, unsalted, and olive oil with sea salt (among others). Speaking of the store brand’s unsalted butter, one reviewer called it “sweet and creamy with a touch of grassy flavor that tells you it was made from good quality milk. I think this is the best butter to buy for baking.”

And, since it is a generic brand, it is among the cheapest butter brands on this list. Win, win!

7. Vital Farms

• Parent Company: Vital Farms
• Expected Price: $4.99
• Size: 8 oz

Vital Farms Butter Review

Vital Farms’ mission is “to bring ethically produced food to the table.” Animal welfare and sustainable farming practices are part of the company’s M.O., which makes it a great option for people who seek out ethically-sourced products.

The butter from Vital Farms has a savory flavor and a high-fat content (85%). By law, U.S. butter must contain a minimum of 80% butterfat. Vital Farms butter is well above this minimum level. With this high fat content, one reviewer said Vital Farms butter is perfect for “all your favorite buttery recipes like Fettuccine Alfredo.”

6. Land O’Lakes

• Parent Company: Land O’Lakes
• Expected Price: $5.49
• Size: 16 oz

Land O’Lakes Butter Review

Land O’Lakes is the most well-known and best-selling butter brand in America. Its popularity is well-founded.

Reviewers noted that Land O’Lakes is sweeter than many other brands on this list. If you like an extra hint of sweetness, then this might become your favorite brand of butter.

One reviewer noted that Land O’Lakes butter is, “known for its consistent taste and texture and is easy to find in most stores.”

A customer concurred, saying, “I have been using this butter since a child, the taste is amazing, it is smooth and creamy. I can eat it plain.”

Well, we’re not so sure about eating plain butter, but Land O’Lakes is definitely one of the best butter brands you’ll find in your grocer’s dairy section.

5. Horizon Organic

• Parent Company: Platinum Equity
• Expected Price: $8.19
• Size: 16 oz

Horizon Organic Butter Review

Horizon Organic’s butter is pricier than the others. But that’s for good reason, as this butter is completely organic and uses milk from pasture-raised cows. (Pasture-raised cows are defined as cows that graze outside at least 120 days per year.) You might find that this butter is well worth the extra cost.

There is almost no hint of sweetness in this butter. Instead, as one reviewer put it, “Horizon reminded us of yummy extra-virgin olive oil.”

Another customer remarked, “It melts perfectly and tastes better than any organic butter I’ve ever bought.”

If a rich, savory butter is your jam (so to speak), then Horizon Organic might become your go-to brand.

4. Plugrà

• Parent Company: Dairy Farmers of America
• Expected Price: $2.96
• Size: 8 oz

Plugrà Butter Review

Plugrà is a European-style butter. With 82% butterfat, Plugrà doesn’t quite reach the fat level of Vital Farms, but is still higher than most U.S. brands. This higher fat content makes for a super creamy butter that is perfect for baking.

One reviewer said, “[Plugrà] is so creamy and has just the right amount of salt to add depth and dimension to the butter.”

A customer raved, “OMG YUM! [This] is some of the best butter I’ve ever used! Delicious [and] def creamy!”

The price point is also quite low, especially considering the quality of this butter. Any butter lover owes it to themselves to try Plugrà.

3. Vermont Creamery

• Parent Company: Land O’Lakes
• Expected Price: $3.48
• Size: 8 oz

Vermont Creamery Butter Review

Vermont Creamery matches the butterfat content of Plugrà at 82%. The flavor leans more towards savory than sweet.

One customer noted, “This butter has a unique flavor – a little bit sour which modulates the other butter flavors wonderfully. This butter is so good, I give it as gifts.”

A reviewer said, “This is good enough to be centerpiece butter but affordable enough to be everyday butter. You could practically serve this as a starter course at a dinner party—that’s how good it is.”

Vermont Creamery butter is wonderful as a spread or for use in any number of recipes. One customer noted that this butter even improved the quality of their store-bought mac-and-cheese mix.

2. Challenge

• Parent Company: Challenge Dairy
• Expected Price: $5.79
• Size: 16 oz

Challenge Butter Review

The company’s first president, J.P. Murphy, purportedly chose the elk as the company’s logo since male elk “challenge” each other for dominance.

Challenge butter offers a distinct contrast to sweeter butters such as Land O’Lakes. It is much more savory than sweet. And, if you opt for the salted version, you’ll enjoy a very (but not overly) salty flavor.

This butter contains no artificial ingredients. The salted butter contains just two ingredients: pasteurized cream and salt.

One customer said, “I feel this brand is produced with family in mind and would only produce the best quality product for the consumer. This is a butter that [I] serve to my family without any worry about chemicals or additives.”

Another said, “I love this butter. It’s so rich and creamy. It’s the way butter should taste.”

If there was a butter version of Mt. Rushmore, Challenge butter would absolutely be on it.

1. Kerrygold

• Parent Company: Ornua Foods
• Expected Price: $4.27
• Size: 8 oz

Kerrygold Butter Review

While the scores among the top four butters were close, Kerrygold edged out the competition. This butter comes from Ireland and is made from the milk of grass-fed cows. This gives Kerrygold a flavor that is unique from U.S. brands.

As the name suggests, the butter has a beautiful gold color. One reviewer even noted that they considered using this butter as a model for an accent color in their kitchen! And the taste…it’s as good as it gets.

One reviewer said, “This was the only butter we could smell the second we opened the wrapper. An intoxicating odor of fat, salt, cream, and grass wafted toward our nostrils.” That same reviewer noted that Kerrygold hit all the right buttery notes of creaminess, saltiness, sweetness, and sharp savoriness.

The flavor and texture make Kerrygold the ultimate versatile butter. Another reviewer noted, “It is special enough…to slather on a charcuterie board or whip into a fluffy buttercream frosting and basic enough to melt into a sauce or stew.”

Customers completely agree with these reviews. One said, “[Kerrygold is the] absolute best butter there is. You can see and taste the difference. [It is] the only butter I buy…[it offers] the wonderful taste of real butter.”

In the world of butter, Kerrygold is easily the gold standard.

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