Avoid All Butter Brands Except These 8 Top Ranked Choices

JAMA International Medicine recently published a study that says substituting butter with plant-based oils (like olive oil) by just one tablespoon per day can lead to a 17% reduction in both total mortality and cancer mortality. The large-scale study ran over 3 decades and included over 220,000 participants. The research also revealed that people with the highest consumption of butter had a 15% higher death risk. Conversely, those who consumed the highest amount of plant-oil had a 16% lower risk of death.

Despite ongoing evidence of the unhealthy effects of butter, Americans can’t seem to quit the stuff. Butter is one of the world’s most popular and widely used foods. This dairy product is created by separating cream through a churning process. Butter is used in a wide selection of delicious foods, adding a rich, creamy texture and decadent taste. Chefs and bakers throughout the world rely on butter to make their favorite dishes. Since butter is high in calories and fat and can make even a plain piece of toast taste delicious, it’s no wonder this creamy staple is beloved by many. 

While butter plays an essential role in cuisines of all types, it is deeply connected with American dishes. Butter is served on breakfast biscuits, soaked into your grilled cheese at lunch, and flavors the mashed potatoes on your dinner plate. It is synonymous with snacks like popcorn and creates the rich frosting on birthday cakes. Alas, many American kitchens would fail to function without butter. But is all butter created equal?

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

This post was updated on June 17, 2025 to include JAMA’s study on the effects of butter and plant-based oils.

8. Kroger

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

Kroger Butter Review

We were surprised that a generic store brand made the list, but Kroger’s butter brand certainly earned this spot.

Like many brands, there are different varieties of Kroger butter, including salted, unsalted, olive oil with sea salt, and so forth. Speaking of the store brand’s unsalted butter, one reviewer said it is, “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.

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 in their review, “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

Yes, this butter is pricier than the others because it 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.) However, 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.”

One 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 it 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 the gold standard.

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