Foodstruct Nutrition Search | Diet Analysis | Food Comparison | Glycemic Index Chart | Insulin Index Chart | Blog | Subscribe | Sign Up

Whey vs. Butter — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

Compare

How are whey and butter different?

  • Whey is higher in vitamin B2 and vitamin B5; however, butter is richer in vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin K.
  • Daily need coverage for saturated fat for butter is 251% higher.
  • Whey contains 7 times more potassium than butter. While whey contains 161mg of potassium, butter contains only 24mg.
  • Whey has less cholesterol.
  • Butter has a lower glycemic index (0) than whey (43).

Whey, sweet, fluid and Butter, without salt are the varieties used in this article.

Infographic

Whey 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.
Whey
7
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 5.7% 14% 14% 2.3% 1.3% 3.5% 20% 7% 0.13% 10%
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 +300%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +95.8%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +570.8%
Contains more IronIron +200%
Contains more ZincZinc +44.4%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +91.7%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +90%
Contains more CopperCopper +300%
Contains less SodiumSodium -79.6%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +300%

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.
Whey
7
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 0.33% 1% 0% 0% 9% 36% 1.4% 23% 7.2% 35% 0% 0.75% 8.7%
Butter
5
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 +620%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +364.7%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +76.2%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +248.2%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +933.3%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +64.7%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +22700%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +∞%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +∞%
Contains more FolateFolate +200%
Contains more CholineCholine +17.5%
~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
Whey
3
5% 93%
Protein: 0.85 g
Fats: 0.36 g
Carbs: 5.14 g
Water: 93.12 g
Other: 0.53 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 CarbsCarbs +8466.7%
Contains more WaterWater +419.1%
Contains more OtherOther +1225%
Contains more FatsFats +22430.6%
~equal in Protein ~0.85g

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
Whey
1
67% 29% 3%
Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.23 g
Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.1 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.011 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 -99.5%
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +23330%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +27263.6%

Comparison summary table

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

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Whey Butter DV% diff.
Saturated fat 0.23g 50.489g 228%
Fats 0.36g 81.11g 124%
Vitamin A 3µg 684µg 76%
Cholesterol 2mg 215mg 71%
Monounsaturated fat 0.1g 23.43g 58%
Calories 27kcal 717kcal 35%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.011g 3.01g 20%
Vitamin E 0mg 2.32mg 15%
Vitamin B2 0.158mg 0.034mg 10%
Vitamin K 0µg 7µg 6%
Vitamin B5 0.383mg 0.11mg 5%
Vitamin B12 0.28µg 0.17µg 5%
Potassium 161mg 24mg 4%
Vitamin B1 0.036mg 0.005mg 3%
Phosphorus 46mg 24mg 3%
Carbs 5.14g 0.06g 2%
Sodium 54mg 11mg 2%
Calcium 47mg 24mg 2%
Selenium 1.9µg 1µg 2%
Vitamin B6 0.031mg 0.003mg 2%
Choline 16mg 18.8mg 1%
Magnesium 8mg 2mg 1%
Copper 0.004mg 0.016mg 1%
Iron 0.06mg 0.02mg 1%
Folate 1µg 3µg 1%
Protein 0.85g 0.85g 0%
Vitamin C 0.1mg 0mg 0%
Net carbs 5.14g 0.06g N/A
Sugar 5.14g 0.06g N/A
Zinc 0.13mg 0.09mg 0%
Manganese 0.001mg 0.004mg 0%
Vitamin B3 0.074mg 0.042mg 0%
Tryptophan 0.013mg 0.012mg 0%
Threonine 0.054mg 0.038mg 0%
Isoleucine 0.047mg 0.051mg 0%
Leucine 0.078mg 0.083mg 0%
Lysine 0.068mg 0.067mg 0%
Methionine 0.016mg 0.021mg 0%
Phenylalanine 0.027mg 0.041mg 0%
Valine 0.046mg 0.057mg 0%
Histidine 0.016mg 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
Whey Butter
Low Calories diet ok
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet ok

People also compare

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%
Whey
26%
Butter
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
8%
Whey
4%
Butter

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Whey
Whey is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 213mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated fat?
Whey
Whey is lower in Saturated fat (difference - 50.259g)
Which food is richer in minerals?
Whey
Whey is relatively richer in minerals
Which food is lower in Sugar?
Butter
Butter is lower in Sugar (difference - 5.08g)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Butter
Butter contains less Sodium (difference - 43mg)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Butter
Butter is lower in glycemic index (difference - 43)
Which food is cheaper?
Butter
Butter is cheaper (difference - $2)
Which food is richer in vitamins?
?
It cannot be stated which food is richer in vitamins. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information. See the charts below for detailed information.

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. Whey - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171282/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.