Butter, Unsalted vs. Cream Cheese
Nutrition comparison of Butter, Unsalted and Cream Cheese
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
butter, unsalted
versus
cream cheese
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in butter, unsalted and cream cheese:
- Both cream cheese and butter, unsalted are high in Vitamin A, calories and saturated fat.
- Cream cheese has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
- Cream cheese is an excellent source of calcium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Butter, Unsalted (Butter, without salt) and Cream Cheese (Cheese, cream) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both cream cheese and butter, unsalted are high in calories. Butter, unsalted has 105% more calories than cream cheese - cream cheese has 350 calories per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 717 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, butter, unsalted is lighter in protein, lighter in carbs and heavier in fat compared to cream cheese per calorie. Butter, unsalted has a macronutrient ratio of 0:0:100 and for cream cheese, 7:6:87 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Butter, Unsalted | Cream Cheese | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | ~ | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 6% |
| Fat | 100% | 87% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Cream cheese and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of carbs - cream cheese has 5.5g of total carbs per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.06g of carbohydrates.
sugar
Cream cheese and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of sugar - cream cheese has 3.8g of sugar per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.06g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Cream cheese has 624% more protein than butter, unsalted - cream cheese has 6.2g of protein per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.85g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both cream cheese and butter, unsalted are high in saturated fat. Butter, unsalted has 150% more saturated fat than cream cheese - cream cheese has 20.2g of saturated fat per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 50.5g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Butter, unsalted has less trans fat than cream cheese - cream cheese 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 cream cheese has 53% less cholesterol than butter, unsalted - cream cheese has 101mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 215mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Both cream cheese and butter, unsalted are high in Vitamin A. Butter, unsalted has 122% more Vitamin A than cream cheese - cream cheese has 308ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 684ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Butter, unsalted has 170% more Vitamin E than cream cheese - cream cheese has 0.86mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 2.3mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Cream cheese and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - cream cheese has 2.1ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 7ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Cream cheese has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Both butter, unsalted and cream cheese contain significant amounts of folate and Vitamin B12.
| Butter, Unsalted | Cream Cheese | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.005 MG | 0.023 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.034 MG | 0.23 MG |
| Niacin | 0.042 MG | 0.091 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.11 MG | 0.517 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.003 MG | 0.056 MG |
| Folate | 3 UG | 9 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.17 UG | 0.22 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Cream cheese is an excellent source of calcium and it has 304% more calcium than butter, unsalted - cream cheese has 97mg of calcium per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 24mg of calcium.
iron
Cream cheese and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of iron - cream cheese has 0.11mg of iron per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.02mg of iron.
potassium
Cream cheese has 450% more potassium than butter, unsalted - cream cheese has 132mg of potassium per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 24mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
carotenoids
Carotenoids are micronutrients commonly found in plants and some animal products. An example is beta-carotene, the notable carotenoid which is a popular source of Vitamin A.[4][5]
For specific types of carotenoids,
| Butter, Unsalted | Cream Cheese | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 158 UG | 59 UG |
| alpha-carotene | ~ | 1 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | ~ | 7 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, butter, unsalted has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than cream cheese per 100 grams, however, cream cheese contains more dpa than butter, unsalted per 100 grams.
| Butter, Unsalted | Cream Cheese | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 1.18 G | 0.131 G |
| EPA | ~ | 0.01 G |
| DPA | ~ | 0.02 G |
| Total | 1.18 G | 0.161 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both butter, unsalted and cream cheese contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Butter, Unsalted | Cream Cheese | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.036 G |
| linoleic acid | 1.83 G | 1.212 G |
| Total | 1.83 G | 1.248 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 Cream Cheese (Cheese, cream) .
Butter, Unsalted g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cream Cheese 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 cream cheese or butter, unsalted contain more calories in 100 grams?Both cream cheese and butter, unsalted are high in calories. Butter, unsalted has 110% more calories than cream cheese - cream cheese has 350 calories in 100g and butter, unsalted has 717 calories.
Does cream cheese or butter, unsalted contain more calcium?
Cream cheese is a rich source of calcium and it has 300% more calcium than butter, unsalted - cream cheese has 97mg of calcium in 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 24mg of calcium.