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Buttermilk vs. Butter — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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Summary of differences between buttermilk and butter

  • Buttermilk has more phosphorus, vitamin B2, and calcium; however, butter is higher in vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin K.
  • Butter covers your daily need for saturated fat, 250% more than buttermilk.
  • Buttermilk has 17 times more sodium than butter. While buttermilk has 190mg of sodium, butter has only 11mg.

These are the specific foods used in this comparison Milk, buttermilk, fluid, cultured, lowfat and Butter, without salt.

Infographic

Buttermilk vs Butter infographic
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Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 7.9% 35% 13% 1.9% 3.7% 11% 38% 25% 0.26% 11%
Butter
3
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 1.4% 7.2% 2.1% 0.75% 5.3% 2.5% 10% 1.4% 0.52% 5.5%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +450%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +383.3%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +529.2%
Contains more IronIron +150%
Contains more ZincZinc +366.7%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +270.8%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +100%
Contains more CopperCopper +45.5%
Contains less SodiumSodium -94.2%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +100%

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 3.3% 4.7% 1% 0% 8.5% 36% 1.1% 17% 7.8% 28% 0.25% 3.8% 9.7%
Butter
3
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 0% 228% 46% 0% 1.3% 7.8% 0.79% 6.6% 0.69% 21% 18% 2.3% 10%
Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +580%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +352.9%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +38.1%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +150%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +1033.3%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +29.4%
Contains more FolateFolate +66.7%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +4785.7%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +4540%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +6900%
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
~equal in Choline ~18.8mg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
3% 5% 90%
Protein: 3.31 g
Fats: 0.88 g
Carbs: 4.79 g
Water: 90.13 g
Other: 0.89 g
Butter
1
81% 18%
Protein: 0.85 g
Fats: 81.11 g
Carbs: 0.06 g
Water: 17.94 g
Other: 0.04 g
Contains more ProteinProtein +289.4%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +7883.3%
Contains more WaterWater +402.4%
Contains more OtherOther +2125%
Contains more FatsFats +9117%

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
66% 30% 4%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.548 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.254 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.033 g
Butter
2
66% 30% 4%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 50.489 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 23.43 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 3.01 g
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -98.9%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +9124.4%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +9021.2%

Comparison summary table

Pay attention to the rightmost column. It displays the amounts side by side, giving a clearer understanding of the difference.
Buttermilk Butter
Lower in Cholesterol ok
Lower in Saturated fat ok
Rich in minerals ok
Rich in vitamins ok
Lower in Sugar ok
Lower in Sodium ok
Lower in Glycemic Index ok
Lower in price ok

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Buttermilk Butter DV% diff.
Saturated fat 0.548g 50.489g 227%
Fats 0.88g 81.11g 123%
Vitamin A 14µg 684µg 74%
Cholesterol 4mg 215mg 70%
Monounsaturated fat 0.254g 23.43g 58%
Calories 40kcal 717kcal 34%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.033g 3.01g 20%
Vitamin E 0.05mg 2.32mg 15%
Phosphorus 89mg 24mg 9%
Vitamin B2 0.154mg 0.034mg 9%
Calcium 116mg 24mg 9%
Sodium 190mg 11mg 8%
Vitamin K 0.1µg 7µg 6%
Protein 3.31g 0.85g 5%
Potassium 151mg 24mg 4%
Zinc 0.42mg 0.09mg 3%
Vitamin B5 0.275mg 0.11mg 3%
Vitamin B12 0.22µg 0.17µg 2%
Magnesium 11mg 2mg 2%
Carbs 4.79g 0.06g 2%
Selenium 2µg 1µg 2%
Vitamin B1 0.034mg 0.005mg 2%
Vitamin B6 0.034mg 0.003mg 2%
Copper 0.011mg 0.016mg 1%
Folate 5µg 3µg 1%
Vitamin C 1mg 0mg 1%
Net carbs 4.79g 0.06g N/A
Vitamin D 1IU 0IU 0%
Iron 0.05mg 0.02mg 0%
Sugar 4.79g 0.06g N/A
Manganese 0.002mg 0.004mg 0%
Vitamin B3 0.058mg 0.042mg 0%
Choline 17.7mg 18.8mg 0%
Tryptophan 0.042mg 0.012mg 0%
Threonine 0.141mg 0.038mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.171mg 0.051mg 0%
Leucine 0.313mg 0.083mg 0%
Lysine 0.277mg 0.067mg 0%
Methionine 0.087mg 0.021mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.171mg 0.041mg 0%
Valine 0.217mg 0.057mg 0%
Histidine 0.1mg 0.023mg 0%
Omega-3 - ALA 0.315g N/A
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 2.166g N/A

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Buttermilk Butter
Low Calories diet ok
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet ok

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Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score

The summary scores indicate the extent to which this food can fulfill your daily vitamin and mineral requirements if you consume 3 servings, consisting of 100 grams of each (an approximation of 3 serving sizes).
Vitamins Daily Need Coverage Score
9%
Buttermilk
26%
Butter
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
15%
Buttermilk
4%
Butter

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Buttermilk
Buttermilk is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 211mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
Buttermilk
Buttermilk is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 49.941g)
Which food is richer in minerals?
Buttermilk
Buttermilk is relatively richer in minerals
Which food is richer in vitamins?
Buttermilk
Buttermilk is relatively richer in vitamins
Which food is lower in Sugar?
Butter
Butter is lower in Sugar (difference - 4.73g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Butter
Butter contains less Sodium (difference - 179mg)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Butter
Butter is lower in glycemic index (difference - 0)
Which food is cheaper?
Butter
Butter is cheaper (difference - $0.4)

References

All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.

  1. Buttermilk - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170874/nutrients
  2. Butter - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173430/nutrients

All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.

Data provided by FoodStruct.com should be considered and used as information only. Please consult your physician before beginning any diet.