Butter, Unsalted vs. Heavy Cream
Nutrition comparison of Butter, Unsalted and Heavy Cream
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
butter, unsalted
versus
heavy cream
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in butter, unsalted and heavy cream:
- Both heavy cream and butter, unsalted are high in Vitamin A, calories and saturated fat.
- Heavy cream has more thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
- Heavy cream has signficantly more Vitamin D than butter, unsalted.
- Heavy cream is an excellent source of calcium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Butter, Unsalted (Butter, without salt) and Heavy Cream (Cream, fluid, heavy whipping) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both heavy cream and butter, unsalted are high in calories. Butter, unsalted has 111% more calories than heavy cream - heavy cream has 340 calories per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 717 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, butter, unsalted is heavier in fat and similar to heavy cream for protein and carbs. Butter, unsalted has a macronutrient ratio of 1:0:100 and for heavy cream, 3:3:93 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Butter, Unsalted | Heavy Cream | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 1% | 3% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 3% |
| Fat | 100% | 93% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both heavy cream and butter, unsalted are low in carbohydrates - heavy cream has 2.8g of total carbs per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.06g of carbohydrates.
The carbs in heavy cream and butter, unsalted are both made of 100% sugar.
sugar
Heavy cream and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of sugar - heavy cream has 2.9g of sugar per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.06g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Heavy cream has 234% more protein than butter, unsalted - heavy cream has 2.8g of protein per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.85g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both heavy cream and butter, unsalted are high in saturated fat. Butter, unsalted has 119% more saturated fat than heavy cream - heavy cream has 23g of saturated fat per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 50.5g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Butter, unsalted has less trans fat than heavy cream - heavy cream has 1.2g of trans fat per 100 grams and butter, unsalted does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Butter, unsalted is high in cholesterol and heavy cream has 47% less cholesterol than butter, unsalted - heavy cream has 113mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 215mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Heavy cream and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - heavy cream has 0.6mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and butter, unsalted does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Both heavy cream and butter, unsalted are high in Vitamin A. Butter, unsalted has 66% more Vitamin A than heavy cream - heavy cream has 411ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 684ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Heavy cream has signficantly more Vitamin D than butter, unsalted - heavy cream has 63iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and butter, unsalted does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Heavy cream and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - heavy cream has 0.92mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 2.3mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Heavy cream and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - heavy cream has 3.2ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 7ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Heavy cream has more thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Both butter, unsalted and heavy cream contain significant amounts of folate and Vitamin B12.
| Butter, Unsalted | Heavy Cream | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.005 MG | 0.02 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.034 MG | 0.188 MG |
| Niacin | 0.042 MG | 0.064 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.11 MG | 0.495 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.003 MG | 0.035 MG |
| Folate | 3 UG | 4 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.17 UG | 0.16 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Heavy cream is an excellent source of calcium and it has 175% more calcium than butter, unsalted - heavy cream has 66mg of calcium per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 24mg of calcium.
iron
Heavy cream and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of iron - heavy cream has 0.1mg of iron per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.02mg of iron.
potassium
Heavy cream has 296% more potassium than butter, unsalted - heavy cream has 95mg of potassium per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 24mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, butter, unsalted has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than heavy cream per 100 grams, however, heavy cream contains more dpa than butter, unsalted per 100 grams.
| Butter, Unsalted | Heavy Cream | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 1.18 G | 0.128 G |
| EPA | ~ | 0.009 G |
| DPA | ~ | 0.02 G |
| Total | 1.18 G | 0.157 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both butter, unsalted and heavy cream contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Butter, Unsalted | Heavy Cream | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.039 G |
| linoleic acid | 1.83 G | 1.294 G |
| Total | 1.83 G | 1.333 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.
Note: The specific food items compared are: Butter, Unsalted (Butter, without salt) and Heavy Cream (Cream, fluid, heavy whipping) .
Butter, Unsalted g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Heavy Cream g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
| MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
| MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does heavy cream or butter, unsalted contain more calories in 100 grams?Both heavy cream and butter, unsalted are high in calories. Butter, unsalted has 110% more calories than heavy cream - heavy cream has 340 calories in 100g and butter, unsalted has 717 calories.
Does heavy cream or butter, unsalted contain more calcium?
Heavy cream is a rich source of calcium and it has 180% more calcium than butter, unsalted - heavy cream has 66mg of calcium in 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 24mg of calcium.