Butter, Unsalted vs. Margarine
Nutrition comparison of Butter, Unsalted and Margarine
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
butter, unsalted
versus
margarine
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in butter, unsalted and margarine:
- Both margarine and butter, unsalted are high in Vitamin A, calories and saturated fat.
- Margarine has more thiamin and Vitamin B6, however, butter, unsalted contains more pantothenic acid and folate.
- Margarine has signficantly more Vitamin K than butter, unsalted.
- Margarine is a great source of Vitamin E.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Butter, Unsalted (Butter, without salt) and Margarine (Margarine, regular, 80% fat, composite, stick, with salt) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both margarine and butter, unsalted are high in calories. is very similar to margarine for calories - margarine has 717 calories per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 717 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, butter, unsalted is similar to margarine for protein, carbs and fat. Butter, unsalted has a macronutrient ratio of 0:0:100 and for margarine, 0:0:100 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Butter, Unsalted | Margarine | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | ~ | ~ |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | ~ |
| Fat | 100% | 100% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both margarine and butter, unsalted are low in carbohydrates - margarine has 0.7g of total carbs per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.06g of carbohydrates.
sugar
Butter, unsalted and margarine contain similar amounts of sugar - butter, unsalted has 0.06g of sugar per 100 grams and margarine does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Margarine and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of protein - margarine has 0.16g of protein per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.85g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both margarine and butter, unsalted are high in saturated fat. Butter, unsalted has 232% more saturated fat than margarine - margarine has 15.2g of saturated fat per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 50.5g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Margarine is high in trans fat and butter, unsalted has less trans fat than margarine - margarine has 14.9g of trans fat per 100 grams and butter, unsalted does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Butter, unsalted is high in cholesterol and margarine has less cholesterol than butter, unsalted - butter, unsalted has 215mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and margarine does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Margarine and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - margarine has 0.2mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and butter, unsalted does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Both margarine and butter, unsalted are high in Vitamin A. Margarine has 20% more Vitamin A than butter, unsalted - margarine has 819ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 684ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Margarine is a great source of Vitamin E and it has 288% more Vitamin E than butter, unsalted - margarine has 9mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 2.3mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Margarine has signficantly more Vitamin K than butter, unsalted - margarine has 93ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 7ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Margarine has more thiamin and Vitamin B6, however, butter, unsalted contains more pantothenic acid and folate. Both butter, unsalted and margarine contain significant amounts of riboflavin and Vitamin B12.
| Butter, Unsalted | Margarine | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.005 MG | 0.01 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.034 MG | 0.037 MG |
| Niacin | 0.042 MG | 0.023 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.11 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.003 MG | 0.009 MG |
| Folate | 3 UG | 1 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.17 UG | 0.1 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Butter, unsalted has 700% more calcium than margarine - margarine has 3mg of calcium per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 24mg of calcium.
iron
Margarine and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of iron - margarine has 0.06mg of iron per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.02mg of iron.
potassium
Margarine and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of potassium - margarine has 18mg 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, both butter, unsalted and margarine contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Butter, Unsalted | Margarine | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 1.18 G | 2.04 G |
| DPA | ~ | 0.006 G |
| Total | 1.18 G | 2.046 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, margarine has more linoleic acid than butter, unsalted per 100 grams.
| Butter, Unsalted | Margarine | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.001 G |
| linoleic acid | 1.83 G | 22.252 G |
| Total | 1.83 G | 22.253 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 Margarine (Margarine, regular, 80% fat, composite, stick, with salt) .
Butter, Unsalted g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Margarine 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 margarine or butter, unsalted contain more calories in 100 grams?Both margarine and butter, unsalted are high in calories. is quite similar to margarine for calories - margarine has 717 calories in 100g and butter, unsalted has 717 calories.