As with many things in life, there is nothing better than the real thing. This includes butter. We have compiled a list of real butter brands because we know how hard it is to determine what is real and what is imitation butter when you go shopping. Additionally, we hope that this list helps you discover some new real butter brands that you might be able to try. Our real butter brands list includes products that have simple ingredients of cream/milk and potentially salt. Real butter only requires these basic ingredients. Nothing more.
Note that our list does not include light butter. While “light butter” is technically labelled as being butter, it has a lot of other ingredients beyond just cream/milk and salt. To us, this just isn’t real butter.
Additionally, there are butter spreads that are a mix between butter and oils (olive, canola) that we did not include. While some of these spreads have the base ingredients of real butter, the addition of oils and sometimes other ingredients disqualifies them from being considered in our real butter brands list.
Lastly, margarine and similar spreads are not considered real butter and have been eliminated from consideration. In short, margarine is made of mostly hydrogenated vegetable oils. We’ll save the butter vs. margarine debate for another day.
Real Butter Brands
*All types of real butter are sticks unless noted. Whipped butter is in a container.| Real Butter Brands & Products | Types Available |
|---|---|
| Amul | Salted |
| Anchor | Salted, Unsalted |
| Animal Farm | |
| Berkley Farms | Salted, Unsalted |
| Breakstone's | Salted, Unsalted |
| Cabot | Salted, Unsalted, Whipped Salted |
| Celles Sur Belle | |
| Challenge Dairy | Salted, Unsalted, European Salted, European Unsalted, Whipped Salted, Whipped Unsalted |
| Clover Stornetta Farms | Salted, Unsalted |
| Crystal Farms | Salted Sweet Cream, Unsalted Sweet Cream |
| Danish Creamery | Salted |
| Darigold | Salted, Unsalted |
| Finlandia | Salted, Unsalted |
| Fond O Foods Allgau German Butter | Unsalted |
| Hiland | Salted, Unsalted |
| Horizon Organic | Salted, Unsalted |
| Humbolt Organic | Salted, Unsalted |
| Kalona Super Natural | Salted, Unsalted |
| Kate's Homemade Butter | Salted, Unsalted. Sticks & Tubs Available |
| Keller's | Salted, Unsalted, Salted Whipped |
| Kerrygold | Salted, Unsalted, Naturally Softer Irish Unsalted Butter Tub, Reduced Fat Irish Salted Butter Tub. |
| Land O Lakes | Salted, Unsalted, European Salted, European Unsalted, Salted Whipped, Unsalted Whipped |
| Meyenberg Goat Milk | Salted European |
| Prairie Farms | Salted, Unsalted |
| President | Unsalted, Salted, Sea Salt |
| Straus Family Creamery Organic | European Salted, European Unsalted |
| Tillamook | Salted, Unsalted |
| Lurpak | Salted, Unsalted |
| Organic Valley | Cultured Butter, Salted, European Unsalted, Pasture |
| PastureLand | Sea Salt, Unsalted |
| Plugra | Salted Tub, European Salted, European Unsalted |
| Smjor Icelandic Butter | Salted, Unsalted |
| Umpqua Dairy | Sweet Cream Salted, Unsalted Sweet Cream, |
| Vermont Creamery | Salted European, Unsalted European |
| Wild Harvest (Organic) | Salted, Unsalted |
If it is “sweet cream” butter it has been essentially neutered, and barely has any butter flavor left due to OVER PASTEURIZATION, which eliminates the naturally occurring bacteria that aids in culturing, as in yogurt. Which is why it actually tastes good, unlike major brands Unfortunately this diminishes the shelf life of butter and is probably why most grocery stores do not stock it in any quantity. I believe however, that they let it be known then I, for one, would buy it regularly buy it with undying gratitude. I am so sick and tired of germaphobes ruining everything natural, which is one reason our immune systems are being eliminated by over paranoid wimps.
You have a very good point,Scott…not all germs are bad. And yes,some people certainly are paranoid about them.
If adding oils disqualifies something from being real butter,then my spreadable land o lakes,is not real butter…it contains cream,salt…and canola oil. Land o lakes,is on your list of real butter. Well,I guess we both lose(apparently you&I were both wrong about thinking it was real butter)&I will be hunting for something without the added canola oil. In my defense,I only bought that brand,because A)it seemed to be mostly natural,healthy ingredients,compared to the other available brands(full of junk) at the store I shop at& B)It is easier to use than stick butter. I guess I will just have to buckle down&start melting sticks,so long as it’s more real than the current land o lakes brand,I’ve been using. I don’t think they should be allowed to call it butter on the label,if it’s not really/pure butter,but that’s the world we live in,these days…overprocessed,unnatural&full of crap.
I believe the brand ‘Land O Lakes’ also sell real butter (without canola oil) so I suspect they’re referring to another product within that range. The same goes for Anchor and Lurpak (and probably many other on this list) so it may not be a case of changing brands altogether but looking for an alterative product… Sarah
Thanks, Sarah! Yes, Land O Lakes does sell salted and unsalted real butter without oils. As you indicated, butter manufacturers tend to sell a variety butter products. If you are looking for real butter, it often just a matter of looking at the ingredients and finding which one is made with only simple ingredients of cream and maybe salt for a particular brand.
Canola oil makes the butter spreadable, I.e. softer, you twi.. Want real butter: then buy pure butter and take it out of the refrigerator before using. It will be softer therefore spreadable! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out.
Agree. Just leave real butter out at room temp and it will soften. You don’t even need to buy the butter with oils to make it spreadable.
Sorry. The correction of twi. Is twit. The computer changes certain words. This unintended correction does not diminish the logical reply!
Where to buy butter in a tub in Canada? Prefer organic
I wish the origin of the butter was listed. I’m from the proud dairy state of Wisconsin and I no brands from there. Like Foremost, Crystal Farms, even Aldi’s butter is from Wisconsin (made by Foremost as are many other local brands.) You can find where your butter was made by looking for the plant number on the wrapper such as 55-360 which is Foremost. Also the number lets you see who actually makes some of the store brands.