Butter, Unsalted vs. Buttermilk
Nutrition comparison of Butter, Unsalted and Buttermilk
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
butter, unsalted
versus
buttermilk
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in butter, unsalted and buttermilk:
- Butter, unsalted has 80.3 times less sugar than buttermilk.
- Butter, unsalted is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
- Buttermilk has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12.
- Buttermilk has signficantly more Vitamin D than butter, unsalted.
- Buttermilk is an excellent source of calcium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Butter, Unsalted (Butter, without salt) and Buttermilk (Milk, buttermilk, fluid, whole) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Butter, unsalted is high in calories and buttermilk has 91% less calories than butter, unsalted - buttermilk has 62 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 buttermilk per calorie. Butter, unsalted has a macronutrient ratio of 1:0:100 and for buttermilk, 21:32:48 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Butter, Unsalted | Buttermilk | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 1% | 21% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 32% |
| Fat | 100% | 48% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both buttermilk and butter, unsalted are low in carbohydrates - buttermilk has 4.9g of total carbs per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.06g of carbohydrates.
The carbs in buttermilk and butter, unsalted are both made of 100% sugar.
sugar
Butter, unsalted has 80.3 times less sugar than buttermilk - buttermilk has 4.9g of sugar per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.06g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Buttermilk has 278% more protein than butter, unsalted - buttermilk 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 buttermilk has 96% less saturated fat than butter, unsalted - buttermilk 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 buttermilk has 95% less cholesterol than butter, unsalted - buttermilk has 11mg 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 buttermilk - buttermilk has 47ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 684ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Buttermilk has signficantly more Vitamin D than butter, unsalted - buttermilk has 52iu 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 buttermilk - buttermilk has 0.07mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 2.3mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Buttermilk and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - buttermilk has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 7ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Buttermilk has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12. Both butter, unsalted and buttermilk contain significant amounts of folate.
| Butter, Unsalted | Buttermilk | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.005 MG | 0.047 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.034 MG | 0.172 MG |
| Niacin | 0.042 MG | 0.09 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.11 MG | 0.38 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.003 MG | 0.036 MG |
| Folate | 3 UG | 5 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.17 UG | 0.46 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Buttermilk is an excellent source of calcium and it has 379% more calcium than butter, unsalted - buttermilk has 115mg of calcium per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 24mg of calcium.
iron
Buttermilk and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of iron - buttermilk has 0.03mg of iron per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.02mg of iron.
potassium
Buttermilk has 463% more potassium than butter, unsalted - buttermilk has 135mg 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 buttermilk per 100 grams.
| Butter, Unsalted | Buttermilk | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 1.18 G | 0.076 G |
| Total | 1.18 G | 0.076 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, butter, unsalted has more linoleic acid than buttermilk per 100 grams.
| Butter, Unsalted | Buttermilk | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.138 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 1.83 G | 0.122 G |
| Total | 1.968 G | 0.122 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 Buttermilk (Milk, buttermilk, fluid, whole) .
Butter, Unsalted g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Buttermilk 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 buttermilk or butter, unsalted contain more calories in 100 grams?Butter, unsalted is high in calories and buttermilk has 90% less calories than butter, unsalted - buttermilk has 62 calories in 100g and butter, unsalted has 717 calories.
Does buttermilk or butter, unsalted have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both buttermilk and butter, unsalted are low in carbohydrates - buttermilk has 4.9g of carbs for 100g and butter, unsalted has 0.06g of carbohydrates. the carbs in buttermilk and butter, unsalted are both made of 100% sugar.
Does buttermilk or butter, unsalted contain more calcium?
Buttermilk is a rich source of calcium and it has 380% more calcium than butter, unsalted - buttermilk has 115mg of calcium in 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 24mg of calcium.