Butter: Nutrition Facts and Benefits

Whether you’re melting it into mouthwatering mashed potatoes or mixing it into your favorite birthday cake batter, butter is a fixture in many refrigerators and dining tables around the world. From salted and unsalted, to whipped and clarified, butter can bring that extra burst of flavor to our favorite foods.

Butter Nutrition Facts

Butter is known for its rich flavor and creamy texture, but it also offers a variety of nutrients. Below are some detailed nutrition facts about butter:

Nutrition Facts for Butter (Per Tablespoon, 14 grams):

• Calories: 102
• Total Fat: 12 grams
• Saturated Fat: 7 grams
• Monounsaturated Fat: 3 grams
• Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5 grams
• Cholesterol: 31 milligrams
• Sodium: 2 milligrams (unsalted) to 90 milligrams (salted)
• Vitamin A: 11% of the Daily Value (DV)
• Vitamin E:  2% of the DV
• Vitamin K: 1% of the DV
• Calcium: 3 milligrams
• Protein:  0.12 grams
• Carbohydrates:  0 grams

Is Butter a Dairy Product? 

Yes, butter is a dairy product. It is made from milk or cream and contains milk fat.

Butter is a concentrated source of milk fat with some water and non-fat milk solids. It is made from milk, cream or both of these ingredients. In earlier times, making or churning butter was a common practice on farms. When the first U.S. creamery was built in Iowa in 1871, making butter became a commercial production.

Traditional butter (80% milk fat) is made from pasteurized cream and can be either salted (which is often referred to as “sweet cream butter”) or unsalted. Another common variety of butter is whipped butter, which is regular butter into which air or nitrogen has been whipped to increase its volume, making it easier to spread.

Other types of butter include clarified butter and ghee. Clarified butter is clear, melted butter separated from its milk solids and water. Because clarified butter can be heated to a higher temperature without burning, it’s great for or frying. Ghee, meanwhile, a staple in Indian diets, is basically clarified butter that’s cooked a little longer, resulting in a nuttier flavor.

On top of butter’s amazing versatility as a spread or ingredient, you can make your own butter at home and then freeze it.

How Much Dairy is in Butter?

Butter is made up of about 80% milk fat, with the remaining 20% consisting of water and milk solids. The amount of actual dairy content in butter is relatively low compared to other dairy products, like yogurt or cheese, but it is still a dairy food. 

Interesting Facts About Butter

• Butter can be made at home and then frozen for later use.
• Clarified butter can be heated to a higher temperature without burning, making it perfect for frying. 
• Ghee has a longer shelf life than regulat butter and does not require refrigeration.

Varieties of Butter

There are several tyoes of butter available, each with unique properties and uses:

1. Traditional Butter: Made from pasteurized cream and can be either salted (often referred to as "sweet cream butter") or unsalted
2. Whipped Butter: Regular butter into which air or nitrogen has been whipped to increase its volume, making it easier to spread
3. Clarified Butter: Clear, melted butter separated from its milk solids and water; Ideal for high-temperature cooking and frying
4. Ghee: A staple in Indian diets, ghee is clarified butter that's cooked longer, resulting in a nuttier flavor.