The best butter to buy at the grocery store, according to experts

HuffPost ^ | Apr 25, 2026 | The best butter to buy at the grocery store, according to experts

[where's_the_Outrage?]

Butter is having a moment. No longer just a bit player in baking or a back-of-fridge standby, it’s taking center stage — whipped into sculptural boards, swirled into pastas, slathered generously on crusty bread. And yet, most of us still toss the same familiar yellow box into our grocery carts week after week. What actually makes a butter “better,” and which store-bought slabs are worth the splurge?

To find out, we talked to chefs, cheesemongers and cookbook authors obsessed with butter — not just for the flavor, but for the science and soul behind it. We asked about butter for cooking, baking, and simply slathering on a piece of toast. What we discovered: Great butter isn’t about branding. It’s about butterfat, culture (literally) and how it performs on your toast and in your pan.

First, let’s break down the basics: Most American butter is made from sweet cream, which means it’s churned from pasteurized fresh cream and tastes clean and mild. Cultured butter, on the other hand, is made by fermenting cream with lactic acid bacteria before churning. The result? A richer texture and a slightly tangy, more complex flavor — like the difference between milk and crème fraîche.

“Cultured butter has a much more pronounced buttery flavor than sweet cream butter,” said John Montez, a certified cheese professional through the American Cheese Society and training manager at Murray’s Cheese. “It has a slight tang … and when butter is the star of the show [like spread on a crusty baguette], for me it has to be cultured.”.......

Butterfat is the creamy good stuff that gives butter its richness and spreadability........

“Kerrygold can’t be beat for grass-fed Irish butter,” Montez said. “Vermont Creamery also makes an excellent salted cultured butter, and I always go for local if I can,” .

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TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Food
KEYWORDS: bestbutter; beurredisigny; butter; isignystemere

[where's_the_Outrage?]

I've been experimenting with name brands instead of store brands like BJ's Wellsley Farms Salted Butter. I've tried Kerrygold, Vermont, Kroger Private Selection, I use for lobster.

Wellsley Farms butter products are primarily made from pasteurized cream and salt, offering simple, natural ingredients. Standard Wellsley Farms salted butter contains pasteurized cream and salt, while their organic butter uses pasteurized organic sweet cream and salt.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

“Kerrygold can’t be beat for grass-fed Irish butter,” Montez said.

Yup, that's my go-to.

[MMusson]

I used to buy Land O Lakes back when they had the Indian on the front. But now they got rid of the Indian.

But they kept her Land.

[Libloather]

The best? I go for the cheapy Walmart unsalted stuff. Purdy good.

[for-q-clinton]

Am I the only one that doesn’t like grass fed meat (and by proxy butter)?

It has a weird taste to me...almost gamey.

[Vermont Lt]

I always liked Cabot. But recently started picking up Kerry at Costco.

The Kerry stuff is great on popcorn. It’s kind of overkill…but I’ve become a popcorn “snob” lately. LOL

[MayflowerMadam]

That’s what we buy, too.

[AnglePark]

Same here. We’ve been Kerrygold fans for years now. It’s the only butter we’ll buy.

[V_TWIN]

First of all.....can we even believe huffpo on THIS?

[Huaynero]

same here, unsalted Wally Whirl or Aldi suits us fine.

[Gay State Conservative]

I'm no gourmet....that's for sure. I go with the store brand butter over Kerry Gold,which is twice the price.

[C210N]

Impeessed with Miller’s Bio farm raw butter. Shipped from NJ to MA by fedex, packed with cold packs and dry ice. Incorporates well into keto lifestyle

[ifinnegan]

No.
It’s advertising.

[albie]

Huffington Post?!

[Mr. Mojo]

<< Am I the only one that doesn’t like grass fed meat (and by proxy butter)? It has a weird taste to me...almost gamey. >>

Same here on beef, and I’ve given it a few chances. But for some reason that gaminess doesn’t hold true for butter. At least for me.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Same here. My wife likes Kerry Gold, but I honestly don’t taste that much difference. Land O Lakes was my go-to for years, but when they hurt the pretty native maiden, I switched to Challenge. I also like the Oregon Tillamook dairy products. I find even the basic Lucerne store brand at Safeway or the “Great Value” brand at Walmart is good. And you can sometimes find great deals on the store brands.

[newfreep]

I eat 93% Organic grass fed beef almost daily via 8oz grilled burgers - incredible taste and far better than the 90% ground stuff at Kroger.

[1FreeAmerican]

I prefer Land-O-Lakes with Olive Oil and Sea Salt.

They call it a “spread” and maybe that's because of the olive oil. It cooks very nicely.

Main favorite - buttermilk english muffins toasted crispy, then let them cool off and spread on the butter.

We also do a good quality scallop from the local butcher. Washed in cold water, pat them dry, and let them come to room temp. Then coat both sides with crystallized lime with garlic, cover with parsley. Pan cook (outside) with with just a small amount of the LOL - maybe 1-1/2 tablespoon. I end up with a buttery broth due to the moisture in the scallops and fast simmer on one side till lightly browned and flip them over for a few minutes more for a firmly done finish. So tasty!

[Theo]

We buy our Kerrygold from Costco. Saves us some money.

But I’ve been having good luck with Amish rolled butter. It might be the same as Walmart butter ... but I personally feel like it’s better quality! :-)

[rarestia]

Kerry Gold has taken a lot of heat recently for testing very high in linoleic acid due to their finishing processes. We switched to local butter from a cattle farm. The difference is remarkable.