Butter is a fridge (or butter-dish) staple – but do you really know what you are looking for? These days we're blessed with options galore, from cows milk butter to goats milk butter and even alternatives such as ghee. Baking is a national pastime in the UK - many of us would like to be able to confidently choose quality butter for buttercream, frosting and cookie making.
So we've compiled a how-to, on picking the best type of butter for your cooking and toast-spreading needs. If it's organic or top-quality ingredients or regionally-made or lactose-free butter that you're after, you are in luck! Plant-based diets are catered for too in our related article on vegan butter choices. We've rated our ten favourite British, Irish and French butter brands on Amazon, Tesco and more including Lurpak and Président – giving you plenty of food for thought!
For a more in-depth look at the comprehensive top 10 selection, make sure to read on to learn more about the different types of butter available and understand how our ranking was determined.
This article's chosen EC site price listings are reflective of its publishing date.
Image | 1 ![]() Président | 2 ![]() Waitrose | 3 ![]() Yeo Valley | 4 ![]() Sainsbury's | 5 ![]() St Helen's Farm | 6 ![]() KTC | 7 ![]() Kerrygold | 8 ![]() Lurpak | 9 ![]() Waitrose | 10 ![]() Tesco |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Unsalted Butter | Rich and Creamy Salted Butter From an Organic, High-Welfare Farm | Salted Butter | Farmhouse Butter | Goats Butter | Pure Butter Ghee | Softer Butter | Spreadable Slightly Salted | French Butter With Sea Salt Crystals | Organic Unsalted Butter |
Features | French Normandy Butter Churned With the Finest Milk and Cream for a Scrumptiously Creamy Flavour | Divine Organic Butter Made in the West Country | Organic, Salted and Full of Flavour for All Your Baking and Cooking Needs | Best for Those Aiming to Live a More Zero-Waste Lifestyle | Light and Creamy Goats Butter Made From Fresh Goats Cream and a Pinch of Salt | Long-Lasting, Affordable Ghee, Perfect for Cooking, Baking and Frying | 100% Pure Irish Spreadable Butter With a Smooth, Rich Taste and Texture | A Tasty and Convenient Spreadable Supermarket Staple Made From All-Natural Ingredients | The Luxurious Choice Infused With Sea Salt Crystals for Dinner Parties and Decadent Snacks | A No-Frills Organic, Unsalted and Affordable British Butter |
Price | £2.00 | £2.00 | £2.10 | £1.80 | £2.40 | £9.99 | £2.15 | £2.20 | £2.00 | £1.85 |
Type | Unsalted butter | Salted butter | Salted butter | Salted butter | Goats butter | Ghee | Softer/salted butter | Salted butter | Salted butter | Unsalted butter |
Best For | Flavour | Welfare and organic credentials | Organic credentials | Zero-waste compostable wrapper | Cows Milk alternative | Non-fridge storage | Ease of use, with just 2 ingredients | Ease of use | Dinner parties | Welfare and organic credentials on a budget |
Ingredients | Butter (milk) | Organic butter (milk), salt | Organic unsalted butter (milk), salt | Whey butter (milk), salt | Butter (goats milk), salt, colour (beta-carotene) | Clarified butter (milk) | Cream, salt | Butter (milk), rapeseed oil, water, lactic culture (milk), salt | Butter (milk), salt, sea salt crystals | British milk |
Organic | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
High Welfare Standards | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
Weight | 250 g | 250 g | 250 g | 250 g | 250 g | 1 kg | 250 g | 250 g (others available) | 250 g | 250 g |
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Unsalted butter is the best all-rounder. When used in cooking, baking or part of a sauce, it creates a creaminess and gives you total control over your recipe, letting the natural flavours shine through. Not only does it also work well on sandwiches and on toast, but it's healthier for those on a low-salt diet. Unsalted butter is best stored in the fridge to ensure it stays fresh.
Goats milk has a significantly lower lactose content than cows milk, making goats milk butter more easily digestible. Goats milk contains A2 beta casein, a type of protein that aids digestion and promotes health as well as generally enhancing the absorption of iron and calcium into the body.
Aside from its health benefits, goats milk also has a lower melting point, so it can be easily blended into recipes and spreads well on toast. It's also creamy, delicious and totally natural; goats milk butter isn't mass-produced like regular butter, so it retains its quality and flavour.
If you'd like to try a butter which is completely free from animal products, see our vegan butter suggestions.
Used in Indian and Pakistani cultures for thousands of years, ghee has now become popular in other types of cuisine due to its high smoke point and specific health benefits. Ghee is totally free of lactose and casein, so it's a better choice for those with allergies or sensitivities to dairy.
However, it's more concentrated in saturated fat than butter, as its water and milk solids have been removed, so is not suitable for those on a low-fat diet. On the other hand, those following keto or high-fat plans absolutely swear by it! Ghee is more stable for cooking at higher temperatures, whereas butter is better for baking and cooking at lower temperatures due to its creamier taste.
Our selected coconut oils may be of interest to those of you avoiding dairy.
For busier people, those with kids or anyone who just doesn't like fuss, softer or 'spreadable' butter is an ideal option. Not only is it easier to slice through, but it comes in a tub rather than in a wrapper making it convenient to use and store.
However, it's important to check the list of ingredients to make sure no unwanted fillers have been added in order to create a softer consistency, resulting in more of a margarine-like spread than a butter. Products made with pressed rapeseed oil or a higher percentage of milk will be not only the tastiest, but the healthiest too.
These supermarket hummus options are fuss-free spreads too.
Essentially, butter only needs to be made from cream or milk and possibly salt. If you're looking for the highest quality option, look for butter made from organic cream or milk, from farms that practice higher welfare standards.
Choosing a butter made from just a few well-chosen ingredients with higher welfare standards or organic status makes a world of difference when compared to your average cheaper butter spread. Once you have tasted quality, you won't want to go back!
This ranking has been compiled by the writing team at mybest UK via careful evaluation of the points made in the buying guide and thorough research of each product and comparing multiple verified customer reviews across the EC sites used.
£2.00
Type | Unsalted butter |
---|---|
Best For | Flavour |
Ingredients | Butter (milk) |
Organic | No |
High Welfare Standards | No |
Weight | 250 g |
£2.00
Type | Salted butter |
---|---|
Best For | Welfare and organic credentials |
Ingredients | Organic butter (milk), salt |
Organic | Yes |
High Welfare Standards | Yes |
Weight | 250 g |
£2.10
Type | Salted butter |
---|---|
Best For | Organic credentials |
Ingredients | Organic unsalted butter (milk), salt |
Organic | Yes |
High Welfare Standards | No |
Weight | 250 g |
£1.80
Type | Salted butter |
---|---|
Best For | Zero-waste compostable wrapper |
Ingredients | Whey butter (milk), salt |
Organic | No |
High Welfare Standards | No |
Weight | 250 g |
£2.40
Type | Goats butter |
---|---|
Best For | Cows Milk alternative |
Ingredients | Butter (goats milk), salt, colour (beta-carotene) |
Organic | No |
High Welfare Standards | No |
Weight | 250 g |
£9.99
Type | Ghee |
---|---|
Best For | Non-fridge storage |
Ingredients | Clarified butter (milk) |
Organic | No |
High Welfare Standards | No |
Weight | 1 kg |
£2.15
Type | Softer/salted butter |
---|---|
Best For | Ease of use, with just 2 ingredients |
Ingredients | Cream, salt |
Organic | No |
High Welfare Standards | Yes |
Weight | 250 g |
£2.20
Type | Salted butter |
---|---|
Best For | Ease of use |
Ingredients | Butter (milk), rapeseed oil, water, lactic culture (milk), salt |
Organic | No |
High Welfare Standards | No |
Weight | 250 g (others available) |
£2.00
Type | Salted butter |
---|---|
Best For | Dinner parties |
Ingredients | Butter (milk), salt, sea salt crystals |
Organic | No |
High Welfare Standards | No |
Weight | 250 g |
£1.85
Type | Unsalted butter |
---|---|
Best For | Welfare and organic credentials on a budget |
Ingredients | British milk |
Organic | Yes |
High Welfare Standards | Yes |
Weight | 250 g |
Baking can be such a relaxing pastime, as long as you have all the right tools at your disposal! And food blogger Mel has got you covered with her top pick of products for baking sourdough bread or any bread for that matter, from proofing baskets to serrated knives. So all that's left to say is, on your marks, get set... BAKE!
Artisan Bread Cookbook, Best Bread Recipes, Sourdough Book
£21.51
Written and researched by Melanie McPhail
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