Butter, Unsalted vs. Whole Milk
Nutrition comparison of Butter, Unsalted and Whole Milk
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
butter, unsalted
versus
whole milk
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in butter, unsalted and whole milk:
- Butter, unsalted has 83.1 times less sugar than whole milk.
- Butter, unsalted is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
- Whole milk has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12.
- Whole milk has signficantly more Vitamin D than butter, unsalted.
- Whole milk is an excellent source of calcium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Butter, Unsalted (Butter, without salt) and Whole Milk (Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Butter, unsalted is high in calories and whole milk has 91% less calories than butter, unsalted - whole milk has 61 calories per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 717 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, butter, unsalted is lighter in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to whole milk per calorie. Butter, unsalted has a macronutrient ratio of 1:0:100 and for whole milk, 21:32:48 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Butter, Unsalted | Whole Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 1% | 21% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 32% |
| Fat | 100% | 48% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both whole milk and butter, unsalted are low in carbohydrates - whole milk has 4.8g of total carbs per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.06g of carbohydrates.
The carbs in whole milk and butter, unsalted are both made of 100% sugar.
sugar
Butter, unsalted has 83.1 times less sugar than whole milk - whole milk has 5.1g of sugar per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.06g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Whole milk has 271% more protein than butter, unsalted - whole milk has 3.2g of protein per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.85g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Butter, unsalted is high in saturated fat and whole milk has 96% less saturated fat than butter, unsalted - whole milk has 1.9g of saturated fat per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 50.5g of saturated fat.
cholesterol
Butter, unsalted is high in cholesterol and whole milk has 95% less cholesterol than butter, unsalted - whole milk has 10mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 215mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Butter, unsalted is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 13 times more Vitamin A than whole milk - whole milk has 46ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 684ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Whole milk has signficantly more Vitamin D than butter, unsalted - whole milk has 51iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and butter, unsalted does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Butter, unsalted has 32 times more Vitamin E than whole milk - whole milk has 0.07mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 2.3mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Whole milk and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - whole milk has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 7ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Whole milk has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12. Both butter, unsalted and whole milk contain significant amounts of folate.
| Butter, Unsalted | Whole Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.005 MG | 0.046 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.034 MG | 0.169 MG |
| Niacin | 0.042 MG | 0.089 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.11 MG | 0.373 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.003 MG | 0.036 MG |
| Folate | 3 UG | 5 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.17 UG | 0.45 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Whole milk is an excellent source of calcium and it has 371% more calcium than butter, unsalted - whole milk has 113mg of calcium per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 24mg of calcium.
iron
Whole milk and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of iron - whole milk has 0.03mg of iron per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.02mg of iron.
potassium
Whole milk has 450% more potassium than butter, unsalted - whole milk has 132mg 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 whole milk per 100 grams.
| Butter, Unsalted | Whole Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 1.18 G | 0.075 G |
| Total | 1.18 G | 0.075 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, butter, unsalted has more linoleic acid than whole milk per 100 grams.
| Butter, Unsalted | Whole Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.138 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 1.83 G | 0.12 G |
| Total | 1.968 G | 0.12 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 Whole Milk (Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D) .
Butter, Unsalted g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Whole Milk g
()
|
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 % |
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5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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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 % |
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5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
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5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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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 whole milk or butter, unsalted contain more calories in 100 grams?Butter, unsalted is high in calories and whole milk has 90% less calories than butter, unsalted - whole milk has 61 calories in 100g and butter, unsalted has 717 calories.
Does whole milk or butter, unsalted have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both whole milk and butter, unsalted are low in carbohydrates - whole milk has 4.8g of carbs for 100g and butter, unsalted has 0.06g of carbohydrates. the carbs in whole milk and butter, unsalted are both made of 100% sugar.
Does whole milk or butter, unsalted contain more calcium?
Whole milk is a rich source of calcium and it has 370% more calcium than butter, unsalted - whole milk has 113mg of calcium in 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 24mg of calcium.