12 Unsalted Butter Brands, Ranked Worst To Best

In my eyes, butter is one of the core food groups. It's one ingredient that I'll never willingly give up. Working in restaurants for years, I quickly learned it was often the not-so-secret ingredient to incredible dishes that seemed impossible to recreate at home. At its most basic, butter only contains one to two ingredients — milk or cream (or both) — so the quality of those ingredients is what matters. 

Deciding when to use salted vs. unsalted butter can be purely preference, or to help control how much salt is going into a dish. Good quality butter can have a natural saltiness that doesn't always require an extra sodium boost. Baking is a science, so managing ingredients like salt content is a must. Perfectly baked loaves of bread and fluffy pastries wouldn't exist without creamy unsalted butter, but neither would dozens of naturally salt-heavy recipes, like shrimp and scallop scampi or a buttered lobster roll. 

Nearly every creamery offers an unsalted version of its signature butter, so aside from price, how do we choose? We compare so many creamy flavors to butter, that it's hard to avoid using buttery as its defining adjective, but a pure taste is one quality to be on the lookout for. Many factors play into the taste, like the percentage of butterfat, any additives, and the region. I selected brands of butter that I regularly see at grocery stores, leaving store brands behind. After bringing the butter to room temperature, I tasted a dollop of each butter as is, and then sampled each spread on a toasted English muffin.

Breakstone's butter, churned in upstate Walton, NY after initially opening in New York City in 1882, is commonly found in the butter aisle. It's not the cheapest of the bunch at around $4 per 8 ounces, but I've often grabbed the vivid red box when on sale, and it's always served its purpose. When taking my time with each of these butters, I found Breakstone's unsalted butter — made of cream and natural flavors — to be pretty mediocre. It's one of the palest in color, and with a mild flavor to match.

Butter has a natural saltiness, so it can sometimes be tough to even decipher whether it's salted or unsalted (though the former tends to have a firmer texture) — and the tang of Breakstone's could confuse some. That natural saltiness is a welcomed flavor, but not enough to rank Breakstone's above the competition. There aren't any particularly negative qualities that jump out, as it is rather creamy with a little bit of tang, but it just didn't have much else to offer.

Nearly everyone could recognize the Land O'Lakes butter package, so the brand must be doing something right. Its unsalted butter has a distinct buttery flavor, which could have to do with it being the go-to butter for me growing up, but I still enjoy it. Made of sweet cream and natural flavoring, it doesn't have the tang of Breakstone's, which makes it a bit smoother on the palate — and possibly better for general use. The flavor itself is subtle with not much to write home about, but the creaminess makes up for any blandness. 

Land O'Lakes' brand recognition can't be denied, with an array of dairy products on the market like cheese, cream, and eggs. But its butter offerings, which now include a plant-based option, seem to be the top sellers. As of 2023, the company had America's leading butter sales. Established in Minnesota in 1921, this farm-owned co-op has grown to be one of the most popular creameries in the U.S., so Land O'Lakes certainly has consistency down pat. The widely available butter's price point is in line with most of the other mainstream brands, falling between $6 and $8 a pound.

This organic butter is one of the pricier on the list at around $11 per pound, and to be frank, I'm not entirely sure it's worth it. Organic Valley's unsalted butter is impressive for its ultra-creaminess, but the flavor itself is somewhat muted. The rich butter has more of a yellow coloring than the previous two, as well as an exceptionally creamy mouthfeel, but it lacks depth. It does have that characteristic buttery flavor, sure; it just takes a minute to reach your tastebuds. While Organic Valley's offering has a bit more weight than Land O'Lakes' butter, giving it a thicker texture and heavier consistency, that seems like the only place where this unsalted butter truly shines.

This unsalted butter simply contains pasteurized organic sweet cream and lactic acid. Despite being free of pesticides, antibiotics, synthetic hormones, and GMOs, the aftertaste is almost reminiscent of movie theater popcorn butter. Overall, it's a creamy option that should help balance most salty dishes, but Organic Valley might not be splurge-worthy.

The cows at Vital Farms are pasture-raised and 90% grass-fed, and it really does seem to come through in every bite of the brand's unsalted butter. Grassy might not be the adjective you'd expect to associate with butter, but the potent earthiness is deliciously complex while still being silky smooth. But thanks to the creaminess, those earthy notes aren't too dominating. Vital Farms' flavor punch is a nice change from the rather mellow types of butter so far. Made from pasteurized milk and containing 85% butterfat, the taste is delicate at first but has layers of flavors that deepen as the butter softens in your mouth. It was hard to rank this complex butter against the following few, but Vital Farms' funkier flavor might interfere with specific recipes.

Since beginning in 2007 in Austin, Texas, Vital Farms has put animals first, on its packaging and on the farm. The unsalted butter stands out in a black package with Danish-inspired, animal-friendly illustrations. As cute as it is, how the company treats "the girls," as it refers to its cows and chickens, appears to be a lot more meaningful. Vital Farms' eggs and butter are all ethically produced, and the animals are said to be given happy, healthy lives.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, these environmentally conscious efforts result in a higher price tag. This unsalted butter comes in at just under $6 per 8 ounces.

Nellie's Free Range is one brand I hadn't tried before, and I was impressed with more than its animal-focused mission. The cute purple package of its grass-fed unsalted butter features happy cows eating grass, just as they are said to do on the farm, and their diet makes for a delicious stick of butter. Slow-churned and made from pasteurized cream and lactic acid, this is the first butter on the list that has a slight hint of sweetness — which I typically don't prefer, but it balances well with the rich taste. It's incredibly decadent, but still somehow tastes fresh and made with care.

Nellie's, which first launched its butter products in 2020, boasts 84% butterfat on the box, surpassing the majority of other butters on the market. Most creamy butter falls around 82% butterfat, with the USDA's legal requirement being 80%, so Nellie's is a standout. That rich heaviness gives it an ideally soft toast-spreading texture, but it also serves as a great fatty unsalted butter for baking. The higher the fat content in butter, the lower the amount of water, and that can totally alter a meticulous baking recipe. Depending on location, the price for this product may range from around $4 to $7 per 8 ounces.

I was eager to try this Icelandic butter, and it did not disappoint. Opening a block of Smjör is a bit like unwrapping a culinary present, with vibrant green foil tightly wrapped around the chunk of yellow-tinted unsalted butter. Made from the milk of grass-fed Icelandic cows, Smjör's butter is deliciously creamy. The texture is so thick, it almost spreads on the knife like a soft cheese. While the consistency is rich with 82% butterfat, the flavors are somewhat subtle, which tells me it would be ideal for creamy marinades or whisked into savory dishes.

In contrast to the U.S.'s butter requirement, the EU will only give the butter stamp of approval to products with at least 82% butterfat. Smjör's unsalted butter may be at the lower end of EU guidelines, but it's still one of the creamiest butters I've tasted. This imported item is not as easy to come by as the U.S.-made butters on this list, but it's well-worth a trek. I was able to find a .55-pound bar (just under 9 ounces) of Smjör's unsalted butter at Whole Foods for under $4.

Finlandia is another carefully wrapped unsalted butter imported from Europe. This Nordic butter has a distinctive flavor and shares the same creaminess as other European-style butters. Even after only a few minutes on the counter, the rich butter is already easy to spread. If this were a reflection on the best butter to eat from a spoon, Finlandia would be ranked even higher on this list. Indeed, as a standalone, this unsalted butter is one of the best. And at around $5 per 8 ounces, a bar of this butter is worth every penny.

For a more neutral flavor, Smjör is ideal; but for a more complex, earthy butter, Finlandia is where it's at. It's nutty, creamy, and tangy, with each flavor gradually revealing itself. This product would be a delight in any dish where it can be the star, even just spread on toast, as anything underneath this unsalted butter would just be a vessel. Since it is not your typical butter, you'll want to keep in mind that it may add new flavor profiles to a dish — though that can be a positive thing in the kitchen.

In my opinion, Vermont Creamery's unsalted butter is the best cultured butter around. It doesn't just have a creamy consistency, but it actually tastes like it, too. The creamery proudly uses fresh cream, which, when cultured, releases bright tangs of buttermilk. The sharp and nutty undertones add to the butter's smooth, rich texture. Vermont Creamery's price tag is on the higher end, at around $6 per 8 ounces, but I'm always happy to pay more for a product that's one of a kind.

It was hard to rank between Vermont Creamery and its neighboring creamery, Cabot. Perhaps the similarities have to do with the seemingly happy cows of Vermont, but the one big difference is that Vermont Creamery's unsalted butter is cultured, unlike the sweet cream butter made by Cabot. I personally love both types of butter equally, just depending on the baking or dining situation. At the end of the day, Vermont fell behind by just a hair for being slightly less creamy. I would happily enjoy this funky cultured butter on thick crusty bread any day but might reach for a softer taste when whipping up a dish on the stove.

Having been around since 1919, Cabot Creamery offers some of the best butters at an affordable price, unsalted included. The first time I tasted Cabot butter, I was convinced it was some fancy French butter or hand-churned by my dinner host. When I discovered I could grab it at the grocery store down the block, I was ecstatic. It has less butterfat than European-style butter, and even Nellie's, but coming in at 80.6%, Cabot still manages to redefine creaminess. The bold buttery taste makes Land O'Lakes' flavoring seem almost artificial. It has everything one looks for in a high-quality butter, including a natural saltiness. 

Cabot is just a touch smoother than its fellow Vermont forerunner, giving it a lighter, sweeter body. It's well-balanced, with a creamy yet airy texture and mild finish. It might be just under $7 a pound, but it measures up with some of the world's finest butters. After all, as the package says, Cabot Creamery's butter was awarded best in America.

Plugrà's European-style unsalted butter is actually produced by Dairy Farmers of America and based in Kansas City, Missouri, but it is considered among the best. In 2009, it received the American Culinary Federation's coveted Seal of Approval. Plugrà is said to be "inspired by chefs", and it sits gleaming in gold foil. Made from cream and natural flavors, and containing zero artificial ingredients, it meets European standards with 82% butterfat, which gives it a thick texture and a pure buttery flavor. The creamy, slow-churned butter is rich, which makes it perfect for both flaky pastries and sauces. Its powerful flavor and ultra creaminess would make it equally as delicious in a butter-heavy savory recipe like creamy garlic mussels. 

Plugrà has a distinguished air about it, like butter is the brand's little secret. "To taste the difference is to know the difference," as the company claims on its package. This attitude is perhaps rightfully earned, because Plugrà knows how to create a great butter for seemingly every cooking need. I'm basing this ranking on flavor alone but should note that Plugrà's unsalted butter is known in the culinary world as the butter of bakers. An 8-ounce package goes for about $5.

Cabot isn't the only creamery holding awards — Kate's unsalted butter landed in first place at the World Dairy Expo Championship in 2008, and it was well-deserved. This butter holds a soft spot for me, as it's made in my home state of Maine; but any bias aside, Kate's unsalted butter is incredible. It's so unbelievably creamy that it could be mistaken for freshly hand-churned butter. But considering it's said to be made fresh every day on site, this is perhaps no surprise. Good quality butter is all about the ingredients that make it, so you have to take a look at the home the cows have lived in, and these Maine cows appear to have it good. Kate's butter makers take their time, using Grade A cream from farm-raised and hormone-free cows, slow-churning it, and throwing in zero additives.

This butter's superpower, which few butters hold, is the ability to be rich yet airy. The well-rounded result is perfect for any occasion: baking, cooking, or eating with a spoon. Kate's is family-owned, and everything this company creates comes right from the family farm. For being made with so much care, its higher price point almost seems like a bargain at a little over $7 for an 8-ounce package.

Those who believe "butter is butter" clearly haven't given Kerrygold a try. This unsalted Irish butter shares the same butterfat percentage as many others — 82% — but its creaminess far exceeds them all. The velvety smooth texture is easy to spread and evaporates in your mouth, but not without leaving a long-lasting aftertaste behind. Kerrygold gives that buttery flavor a whole new meaning, as it somehow tastes more like butter than any butter I've ever tasted. The rich taste is balanced with a slight tang and a mild, nutty aftertaste.

It's made with milk from Irish grass-fed cows, which apparently is the source behind the butter's trademark golden shade. The grass that blankets the fields of Ireland is rich in carotene, and it seems the Irish cows can't get enough, as they're said to be some of the happiest on Earth. Any yellowish butters now look pale next to Kerrygold's vibrant color, which is tucked into its signature metallic box. 

The price tag matches the other higher-end butters on this list at just under $6 per 8 ounces — but really, Kerrygold could cost hundreds, and it would still be a favorite in my house. We trust Martha Stewart, who always uses unsalted butter in her pastry crusts, and if she isn't reaching for Vermont Creamery, it's Kerrygold.

The unsalted butters on this list were chosen based on brand recognition, accessibility, and affordability. I selected a variety of American and European butters with varying levels of butterfat. To determine the ranking, I first tasted each butter at room temperature directly on my tongue. Next, I tried each butter spread on a toasted English muffin. When tasting these unsalted butters, I considered flavor, texture, consistency, and how they would play into recipes.

All of the butters included are delicious, with mostly minor differences between them. But the highest-ranking unsalted butters are exceptionally creamy, well-rounded, and full of flavor. Those that ranked lower were slightly blander, lacking complexity.