Butter, Unsalted vs. Sour Cream
Nutrition comparison of Butter, Unsalted and Sour 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
sour cream
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in butter, unsalted and sour cream:
- Both sour cream and butter, unsalted are high in Vitamin A, calories and saturated fat.
- Sour cream has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
- Sour cream is an excellent source of calcium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Butter, Unsalted (Butter, without salt) and Sour Cream (Cream, sour, cultured) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both sour cream and butter, unsalted are high in calories. Butter, unsalted has 262% more calories than sour cream - sour cream has 198 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 sour cream per calorie. Butter, unsalted has a macronutrient ratio of 0:0:100 and for sour cream, 5:10:85 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Butter, Unsalted | Sour Cream | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | ~ | 5% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 10% |
| Fat | 100% | 85% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both sour cream and butter, unsalted are low in carbohydrates - sour cream has 4.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.06g of carbohydrates.
sugar
Sour cream and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of sugar - sour cream has 3.4g of sugar per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.06g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Sour cream and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of protein - sour cream has 2.4g of protein per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.85g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both sour cream and butter, unsalted are high in saturated fat. Butter, unsalted has 398% more saturated fat than sour cream - sour cream has 10.1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 50.5g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both sour cream and butter, unsalted are low in trans fat - sour cream has 0.8g of trans fat per 100 grams and butter, unsalted does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Butter, unsalted is high in cholesterol and sour cream has 73% less cholesterol than butter, unsalted - sour cream has 59mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 215mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Sour cream has more Vitamin C than butter, unsalted - sour cream has 0.9mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and butter, unsalted does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Both sour cream and butter, unsalted are high in Vitamin A. Butter, unsalted has 452% more Vitamin A than sour cream - sour cream has 124ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 684ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Butter, unsalted has 511% more Vitamin E than sour cream - sour cream has 0.38mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 2.3mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Sour cream and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sour cream has 1.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 7ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Sour cream has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Both butter, unsalted and sour cream contain significant amounts of folate and Vitamin B12.
| Butter, Unsalted | Sour Cream | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.005 MG | 0.02 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.034 MG | 0.168 MG |
| Niacin | 0.042 MG | 0.093 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.11 MG | 0.472 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.003 MG | 0.041 MG |
| Folate | 3 UG | 6 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.17 UG | 0.21 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Sour cream is an excellent source of calcium and it has 321% more calcium than butter, unsalted - sour cream has 101mg of calcium per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 24mg of calcium.
iron
Sour cream and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of iron - sour cream has 0.07mg of iron per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.02mg of iron.
potassium
Sour cream has 421% more potassium than butter, unsalted - sour cream has 125mg 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 | Sour Cream | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 158 UG | 25 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | ~ | 4 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, butter, unsalted has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than sour cream per 100 grams, however, sour cream contains more dpa than butter, unsalted per 100 grams.
| Butter, Unsalted | Sour Cream | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 1.18 G | 0.074 G |
| DHA | ~ | 0.001 G |
| EPA | ~ | 0.006 G |
| DPA | ~ | 0.011 G |
| Total | 1.18 G | 0.092 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, butter, unsalted has more linoleic acid than sour cream per 100 grams.
| Butter, Unsalted | Sour Cream | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.018 G |
| linoleic acid | 1.83 G | 0.648 G |
| Total | 1.83 G | 0.666 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 Sour Cream (Cream, sour, cultured) .
Butter, Unsalted g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Sour 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 sour cream or butter, unsalted contain more calories in 100 grams?Both sour cream and butter, unsalted are high in calories. Butter, unsalted has 260% more calories than sour cream - sour cream has 198 calories in 100g and butter, unsalted has 717 calories.
Does sour cream or butter, unsalted contain more calcium?
Sour cream is a rich source of calcium and it has 320% more calcium than butter, unsalted - sour cream has 101mg of calcium in 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 24mg of calcium.