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Milk vs. Butter — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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What are the differences between milk and butter?

  • Milk is higher in vitamin B12, vitamin B2, phosphorus, calcium, and vitamin D, yet butter is higher in vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin K.
  • Butter's daily need coverage for saturated Fat is 249% more.
  • The amount of cholesterol in milk is lower.
  • The glycemic index of butter is lower.

We used Milk, lowfat, fluid, 1% milkfat, with added vitamin A and vitamin D and Butter, without salt types in this article.

Infographic

Milk vs Butter infographic
Infographic link

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.
Milk
Milk
7
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 7.9% 38% 13% 1.1% 3.3% 11% 41% 5.7% 0.39% 18%
Butter
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 +420.8%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +525%
Contains more IronIron +50%
Contains more ZincZinc +366.7%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +295.8%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +230%
Contains more CopperCopper +60%
Contains less SodiumSodium -75%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +33.3%

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.
Milk
Milk
8
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% 12% 0.2% 36% 5% 43% 1.7% 22% 8.5% 59% 0.25% 3.8% 9.7%
Butter
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% 150% 46% 0% 1.3% 7.8% 0.79% 6.6% 0.69% 21% 18% 2.3% 10%
Contains more Vitamin DVitamin D +∞%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +300%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +444.1%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +121.4%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +228.2%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +1133.3%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +176.5%
Contains more FolateFolate +66.7%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +1175%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +23100%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +6900%
~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg
~equal in Choline ~18.8mg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Milk
Milk
4
3% 5% 90%
Protein: 3.37 g
Fats: 0.97 g
Carbs: 4.99 g
Water: 89.92 g
Other: 0.75 g
Butter
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 +296.5%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +8216.7%
Contains more WaterWater +401.2%
Contains more OtherOther +1775%
Contains more FatsFats +8261.9%

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Milk
Milk
1
67% 29% 4%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 0.633 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 0.277 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.035 g
Butter
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 -98.7%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated Fat +8358.5%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +8500%

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Milk Butter Opinion
Calories 42kcal 717kcal Butter
Protein 3.37g 0.85g Milk
Fats 0.97g 81.11g Butter
Net carbs 4.99g 0.06g Milk
Carbs 4.99g 0.06g Milk
Cholesterol 5mg 215mg Milk
Vitamin D 48IU 0IU Milk
Magnesium 11mg 2mg Milk
Calcium 125mg 24mg Milk
Potassium 150mg 24mg Milk
Iron 0.03mg 0.02mg Milk
Sugar 5.2g 0.06g Butter
Copper 0.01mg 0.016mg Butter
Zinc 0.42mg 0.09mg Milk
Phosphorus 95mg 24mg Milk
Sodium 44mg 11mg Butter
Vitamin A 196IU 2499IU Butter
Vitamin A 58µg 684µg Butter
Vitamin E 0.01mg 2.32mg Butter
Vitamin D 1.2µg 0µg Milk
Manganese 0.003mg 0.004mg Butter
Selenium 3.3µg 1µg Milk
Vitamin B1 0.02mg 0.005mg Milk
Vitamin B2 0.185mg 0.034mg Milk
Vitamin B3 0.093mg 0.042mg Milk
Vitamin B5 0.361mg 0.11mg Milk
Vitamin B6 0.037mg 0.003mg Milk
Vitamin B12 0.47µg 0.17µg Milk
Vitamin K 0.1µg 7µg Butter
Folate 5µg 3µg Milk
Choline 17.7mg 18.8mg Butter
Saturated Fat 0.633g 50.489g Milk
Monounsaturated Fat 0.277g 23.43g Butter
Polyunsaturated fat 0.035g 3.01g Butter
Tryptophan 0.043mg 0.012mg Milk
Threonine 0.143mg 0.038mg Milk
Isoleucine 0.174mg 0.051mg Milk
Leucine 0.319mg 0.083mg Milk
Lysine 0.282mg 0.067mg Milk
Methionine 0.088mg 0.021mg Milk
Phenylalanine 0.174mg 0.041mg Milk
Valine 0.22mg 0.057mg Milk
Histidine 0.101mg 0.023mg Milk
Omega-3 - ALA 0.004g 0.315g Butter
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 0.027g 2.166g Butter

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Milk 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
15%
Milk
20%
Butter
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
14%
Milk
4%
Butter

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Milk
Milk is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 210mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
Milk
Milk is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 49.856g)
Which food is cheaper?
Milk
Milk is cheaper (difference - $1)
Which food is richer in minerals?
Milk
Milk is relatively richer in minerals
Which food is richer in vitamins?
Milk
Milk is relatively richer in vitamins
Which food is lower in Sugar?
Butter
Butter is lower in Sugar (difference - 5.14g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Butter
Butter contains less Sodium (difference - 33mg)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Butter
Butter is lower in glycemic index (difference - 31)

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. Milk - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170872/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.