Can yogurt be butter? Is I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter really fooling anyone?
Don’t go anywhere, because we’re spreading the truth about the best … and worst butter brands.
Imperial is definitely one of the cheaper brands out there,
and it's pretty easy to find at most grocery stores. Because of that,
many people rely on Imperial, but what you might not know is that Imperial isn't butter.
On the contrary, it's actually a vegetable oil spread,
filled with off-putting and science-y sounding additives.
And while that alone doesn't necessarily mean that Imperial is bad,
reviews of the butter seem to indicate just that. Read through enough of them,
and you'll see a pattern: it's cheap and gets the job done, but it's not the best.
As the name of this product would imply, it's not actually butter. While I Can't Believe It's
Not Butter has fewer ingredients than Imperial, that doesn't mean it's perfect. The ingredients
include multiple vegetable oils, salt, and natural flavors: If you're wondering what
all that tastes like, it basically tastes like imitation butter, unsurprisingly.
And the reviews of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter seem to echo the sentiment that
consumers don't actually confuse it with the real stuff. One person summed it up this way:
"After trying this, I CAN believe it's not butter. It tastes like canola oil — not butter."
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter is definitely one of the worst butter brands out there,
and it's best to steer clear.
"And I bought this other stuff, like a sort of home brand, you know."
"Yeees…"
"And you know I can't believe it's not I can't believe it's not butter."
Another cheap and widely available option for margarine is Parkay.
Not only is Parkay not even close to real butter,
but the ingredients list is super long and a bit concerning if you're health-conscious.
Among other ingredients, Parkay contains liquid soybean oil and hydrogenated cottonseed oil.
There's even more, but the gist of it is that Parkay is made up of a lot of
not-so-great ingredients, and that makes the taste less than stellar.
But don't just take our word for it. Reviews of Parkay butter products
prove that the brand is seriously bad, with one disappointed customer writing,
"This butter is terrible tasting and it is so runny that [it] is almost like water when poured.
It isn't spreadable either because it absorbs into whatever you put it on before you can taste it."
In terms of margarine products, there are a few brands that attempt to paint
themselves as healthy alternatives to real butter
that actually aren't all that healthy. And Smart Balance is just one such brand.
Once again, Smart Balance is not technically a butter product,
it's a vegetable oil spread that contains an oil blend made up of canola, palm, extra virgin olive,
and flaxseed oils, as well as the usual list of impossible-to-pronounce additives.
And reviews of the brand aren't happy with the product, either,
with even consumers who are fine with butter alternatives saying this just doesn't work.
Not only is it lacking in taste, but the texture isn't even all that great. Basically, avoid it.
One of the most popular butter brands out there is definitely Country Crock. Though not technically
butter, Country Crock certainly tries to imitate that butter taste in a smooth, spreadable
creation. The ingredients in Country Crock, though, are a bit concerning. There's a variety
of oils including soybean, palm kernel, and palm oil, as well as other artificial ingredients.
Reviews of Country Crock make it clear that the butter spread isn't all that great.
In fact, people aren't that fond of it. One explained:
"This in my opinion is not edible. Definitely would spend a little
more to get actual butter that taste[s] better."
Yes, Country Crock is not the best quality butter out there, but as far as spreads go,
it's probably one of the best. Still, if you want real butter, this is not the way to go.
Brummel & Brown is far from your typical spread. The product claims to be healthier than actual
butter because it's made from yogurt, but when you look at what is actually in it,
there are still some vegetable oils and other ingredients that make it far from
ideal. For instance, there's soybean oil, nonfat yogurt, palm kernel and palm oil,
modified corn starch, salt, mono and diglycerides, potassium sorbate and more. So Brummel and Brown
isn't really healthy. More than that, it doesn't taste that great.
As reviews of the brand claim, the butter isn't the worst,
but also not the best. One review complained:
"I personally felt this tasted a little plastic. It wasn't as good as
other products I've tried. It had a strange aftertaste. Needs to taste more natural."
But some people actually really enjoy it, citing the lower calories as a good
thing. Brummel and Brown is pretty mediocre, and beware that it's not all that healthy.
"Just look at this family. Here comes mother,
innocent enough! But the silly gal doesn't know much about saturated fat, does she?"
If you want a butter that's actual butter, then Challenge Butter fits
the bill. With just two ingredients, ​​pasteurized cream and natural flavoring,
Challenge Butter is about as real as you can get. But just because it's actual butter,
that doesn't mean it's the best brand of butter out there.
Though the quality of Challenge Butter isn't the best, people still tend to like the taste.
One reviewer described it as:
"This butter is completely fine. Just nothing extra special to justify the price."
Challenge Butter definitely has good flavor, and an impressive ingredients list, but store-bought
butter has come so far recently that there are still a ton of better options out there.
It's no secret that when it comes to store-bought products, there is
no shortage of preservatives, additives, and artificial flavorings on many ingredients lists.
Fortunately, Danish Creamery isn't one of those brands.
In fact, Danish Creamery butter might be one of the best butter brands out there.
It's been around since 1895 and the recipe has stayed the same that whole time as well:
just cream and sea salt. But the taste is top-tier as well.
Reviews of Danish Creamery butter rave about the product. Take it from this person, who says:
"My staple butter brand. It has a great taste and quality. Its price
is good and usually has a rebate. I wish I knew if it were fully grass finished."
Despite not knowing if the butter is grass-finished or not,
it's still an impressive product.
Vital Farms butter seems to have a lot of good things going for it.
The label boasts of pasture-raised butter from family farms, it only has two ingredients — cream
and sea salt — and it's made in the USA. While it's certainly a pretty good brand of butter,
it's far from the best, and some can't help but notice that it tries a little
too hard to imitate another brand of butter, but doesn't quite pull it off.
Reviews of Vital Farms butter definitely make it clear that the brand isn't the best. One explains:
"It doesn't really melt as well as Kerrygold. I mean they are the standard. And if [Vital
Farms] can't compare then back off. Especially with this price. Awful."
Whatever the case, Vital Farms isn't the best store-bought butter out there, that's for sure.
The ingredients in Cabot Creamery butter are pretty simple and impressive,
just cream and natural flavoring. That said, it's not for everyone,
and there are certainly better butter brands out there.
Reviews of Cabot butter range from pretty critical, to pretty positive.
While one was almost brutally honest with:
"I don't think this tastes nearly as good as other butters."
Others — like this one — praised the product, saying:
"This butter had such a nice rich but gentle flavor.
You can really tell the difference between this and store brand or other name brands."
So, Cabot Creamery butter might just be one that
you have to try for yourself to see whether or not you like it.
When you think of Land O'Lakes butter, you probably don't think of it being the best butter
out there. And it's not, not by a long shot. But it's still pretty tasty. And while Land O'Lakes
isn't the healthiest butter out there, it's also not terrible for you. Yes, the ingredients in
some Land O'Lakes butter are actually pretty impressive: simply sweet cream and sea salt.
The reviews of the butter seem to agree that it's pretty darn tasty — well, for the most
part. Of course, there are some critiques. While some say it's just "okay," others are happy with
this widely available, straightforward, all-around decent butter — like the reviewer who explained:
"The flavor is fantastic. The consistency is as good as it
gets. The only downfall is the price, but it's well worth it."
Darigold is another butter brand that's not always widely available,
and you might not have even heard of it before. But if you see it at your grocery store,
it's definitely worth a try! The only ingredients are cream and salt,
and the taste is pretty good for a butter that's not as pricey or popular as other brands.
Reviews of Darigold butter seem to indicate that it's pretty popular among regular butter users,
though it might not be the absolute best. According to one person:
"This is my backup butter choice when it comes to baking. Usually buy this if it's on sale
at the store because it works the same as the Tillamook butter. It has
good flavor and doesn't ruin your baked goods."
The butter from Horizon Organic is just like every other dairy product from the brand.
It's top-tier, made with quality ingredients, and pretty darn healthy as far as butter goes. The
only ingredients are Grade A pasteurized organic cream and salt. According to Horizon Organic,
"[Our butter is] made with milk produced on our farms by cows
not fed GMO feed or given growth hormones or antibiotics."
And that's what makes the brand so good.
Don't believe us? Just check out this review of the butter, which is basically a love poem:
"How do I use this butter? Well here's the thing, how DON'T I USE THIS BUTTER! I use,
I abuse it! My arteries are clogged from it!"
If you just so happen to be a big cheese or ice cream lover, then chances are you recognize the
Tillamook brand. Tillamook is known for being high quality, totally affordable,
and available in most grocery stores. It makes sense that their butter would be just the same.
Made with just cream and salt, Tillamook butter is about as clean and simple as it gets,
and the taste perfectly reflects that.
Yes, reviews of Tillamook butter are positively, well, positive. One person wrote:
"Buttery! I am no butter gourmet, but this stuff does the trick."
Tillamook butter is definitely one of the best store-bought butter brands out there,
so next time you're doing your grocery shopping, definitely give it a try.
Still doubt? What about this hilariously glowing review?
"We like Tillamook cheese so much, we named our dog after it.
The butter is no slouch either. Highly recommended for fresh, buttery flavor."
Another great brand of store-bought butter is Organic Valley, which makes
a lot of dairy products as well. Not only is Organic Valley butter obviously organic,
but it's pretty healthy and tasty. It's made with only pasture-raised milk, and sometimes salt,
but the ingredients are of the highest quality, and you can't deny the flavor is beyond amazing.
Reviews of Organic Valley butter definitely seem to indicate that the brand is high quality and
tastes great. Of course, Organic Valley butter doesn't get across-the-board perfect marks,
though the complaints are minimal. Many echo this one, and a customer who wrote:
"Has a nice buttery taste and melts evenly in a frying pan.
No added preservatives or [genetically modified organisms] used. Could have a little more salt."
Clearly, this is one of the best butters you can buy at the store.
Our absolute favorite butter brand that you can buy in stores is Kerrygold.
The only ingredients are pasteurized cream and salt.
But what really sets the brand apart from other butter brands is that Kerrygold butter
is made with cream from grass-fed Irish cows, and the difference is pretty noticeable.
Reviews of Kerrygold butter prove that the brand — and all their products,
including cheese — has an almost cult-like following, as this person explains:
"The best butter I've ever tasted. I use it for all of my baking as well and
it makes a massive difference in how my baked goods taste.
I am a repeat customer. I don't use anything else. I highly recommend it!"
For the health-conscious, take it from this reviewer:
"This butter was recommended to me by the nutritionist. It has a flavor that reminds me of
butter made at home from the family's ranch cows. I use it to cook sweet foods or for desserts."
Seriously, for the most authentic butter taste, there's no beating Kerrygold.
"That is Kerrygold?"
"Yes, Mum, it's Kerrygold."
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