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Olive oil vs. Butter — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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How are olive oil and butter different?

  • Olive oil is richer in vitamin E, vitamin K, and iron, while butter is higher in vitamin A and vitamin B12.
  • Butter covers your daily need for saturated fat, 183% more than olive oil.
  • Olive oil contains 28 times more iron than butter. Olive oil contains 0.56mg of iron, while butter contains 0.02mg.
  • Olive oil is lower in saturated fat.

Oil, olive, salad or cooking and Butter, without salt types were used in this article.

Infographic

Olive oil 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 0% 0.3% 0.09% 21% 0% 0% 0% 0.26% 0% 0%
Butter
8
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 IronIron +2700%
Contains less SodiumSodium -81.8%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +∞%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +2300%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +2300%
Contains more CopperCopper +∞%
Contains more ZincZinc +∞%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +∞%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +∞%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +∞%

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 0% 0% 287% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 151% 0% 0.16%
Butter
9
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 EVitamin E +518.5%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +760%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +∞%
Contains more FolateFolate +∞%
Contains more CholineCholine +6166.7%
~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
100%
Protein: 0 g
Fats: 100 g
Carbs: 0 g
Water: 0 g
Other: 0 g
Butter
4
81% 18%
Protein: 0.85 g
Fats: 81.11 g
Carbs: 0.06 g
Water: 17.94 g
Other: 0.04 g
Contains more FatsFats +23.3%
Contains more ProteinProtein +∞%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +∞%
Contains more WaterWater +∞%
Contains more OtherOther +∞%

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
14% 75% 11%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 13.808 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 72.961 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 10.523 g
Butter
0
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 -72.7%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +211.4%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +249.6%

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Olive oil Butter DV% diff.
Saturated fat 13.808g 50.489g 167%
Monounsaturated fat 72.961g 23.43g 124%
Vitamin E 14.35mg 2.32mg 80%
Vitamin A 0µg 684µg 76%
Cholesterol 0mg 215mg 72%
Polyunsaturated fat 10.523g 3.01g 50%
Vitamin K 60.2µg 7µg 44%
Fats 100g 81.11g 29%
Calories 884kcal 717kcal 8%
Iron 0.56mg 0.02mg 7%
Vitamin B12 0µg 0.17µg 7%
Vitamin B2 0mg 0.034mg 3%
Choline 0.3mg 18.8mg 3%
Phosphorus 0mg 24mg 3%
Calcium 1mg 24mg 2%
Selenium 0µg 1µg 2%
Protein 0g 0.85g 2%
Vitamin B5 0mg 0.11mg 2%
Copper 0mg 0.016mg 2%
Potassium 1mg 24mg 1%
Folate 0µg 3µg 1%
Zinc 0mg 0.09mg 1%
Carbs 0g 0.06g 0%
Net carbs 0g 0.06g N/A
Magnesium 0mg 2mg 0%
Sugar 0g 0.06g N/A
Sodium 2mg 11mg 0%
Manganese 0mg 0.004mg 0%
Vitamin B1 0mg 0.005mg 0%
Vitamin B3 0mg 0.042mg 0%
Vitamin B6 0mg 0.003mg 0%
Tryptophan 0mg 0.012mg 0%
Threonine 0mg 0.038mg 0%
Isoleucine 0mg 0.051mg 0%
Leucine 0mg 0.083mg 0%
Lysine 0mg 0.067mg 0%
Methionine 0mg 0.021mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0mg 0.041mg 0%
Valine 0mg 0.057mg 0%
Histidine 0mg 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
Olive oil Butter
Low Calories diet ok
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet Equal

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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
34%
Olive oil
26%
Butter
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
2%
Olive oil
4%
Butter

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Olive oil
Olive oil is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 215mg)
Which food is lower in Sugar?
Olive oil
Olive oil is lower in Sugar (difference - 0.06g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Olive oil
Olive oil contains less Sodium (difference - 9mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
Olive oil
Olive oil is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 36.681g)
Which food is cheaper?
Olive oil
Olive oil is cheaper (difference - $0.2)
Which food is richer in minerals?
Butter
Butter is relatively richer in minerals
Which food is richer in vitamins?
Butter
Butter is relatively richer in vitamins
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
?
The foods have equal glycemic indexes (0)

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. Olive oil - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171413/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.