What Is the Difference Between Butter and Grass-fed Butter and Which Is Better?

Butter is a popular solid dairy product that contains fat, water, proteins, and other compounds. Grass-fed butter comes from cows fed only grass or pasture-based forages instead of grains and it is healthier than butter.

Butter is a popular solid dairy product that contains fat, water, proteins, and other compounds. Butter is made by skimming cream from whole milk, heating it, and churning until the fat globules join and become solid butter. Grass-fed butter, a product version based on feeding differences, has some health benefits. 

Grass-fed butter comes from cows fed only grass or pasture-based forages instead of grains like corn. It’s sometimes also called pasture-raised or pasture-fed butter, though these terms aren’t always the same. For example, a cow can have grass-based or forage feed, like hay, silage, or haylage, while never seeing a pasture.  

The United States Department of Agriculture defines grass-fed but doesn’t regulate the term on labels. Marketing claims can be misleading since grain-fed dairy cattle often also have forage or grass-based feed. 

Large-scale farmers give dairy cattle grain because grass or pasture has a high moisture content and doesn’t provide enough energy to the animal. It’s hard to get high milk production from a cow unless it eats large amounts of feed, and pasture or grass alone often doesn’t cut it. But farmers usually add some pasture activity and grass-based feed to their nutrition program because it helps lower feed costs.

All that said, there are differences in the nutritional profile of regular butter and grass-fed butter. Studies show that grass-fed butter and dairy might be the better choice.

The nutritional structure of butter varies a lot, mostly related to the breed of cow, but diet also has an influence. 

Fats

Compared to regular butter, grass-fed butter has higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids. For instance, it has more omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to lower your risk for heart disease. Omega-3 helps maintain the structure of your cells, gives your body energy, and makes compounds that help your immune system.

Grass-fed butter also has higher levels of another fatty acid called conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA. Studies show that the CLA content in milk increases as the percentage of pasture-based grass and forage increases in a cow’s diet. 

In one study, cows eating pasture alone had 53 percent more CLA in milk fat than cows given one-third or two-thirds pasture grazing. Cows with a ratio of 50:50 grain and forage had 500 percent more CLA in the milk fat. 

CLA has anti-cancer properties and might lower your risk for obesity and plaque buildup in your arteries and vessels. CLA might also change your gut microbiome, leading to better gut and metabolic health. Metabolic health is your overall blood sugar control, cholesterol levels, blood fat levels, and insulin sensitivity. More research is necessary, though. 

Vitamins and minerals

Both butter and grass-fed butter are rich in vitamins and minerals, but in different types and amounts. Grass-fed butter is rich in beta-carotene, a precursor for vitamin A. You need vitamin A for healthy eyes, white blood cell activity, and bone repair. Grass-fed dairy also has higher amounts of calcium and phosphorus, whereas regular dairy is rich in selenium, iodine, zinc, and copper. 

Color and flavor 

Where regular butter is white, grass-fed butter is yellow. The color difference comes from higher levels of beta-carotene in grass-fed butter, the same compound that makes carrots orange. 

Both types have different flavors, too. Regular butter is sweet, malty, or milky, and grass-fed butter has a grassy flavor. People sometimes describe it as a green vegetable or medicinal smell and taste.

Studies suggest these differences don’t come from diet, though. In a study involving New Zealand cattle, researchers found that milk extracts from different diets had the same flavor compounds but at different levels. Of the 71 compounds, only one was unique to grain-fed milk compared to grass-fed. 

So a grass-fed diet doesn’t change the overall flavor compounds found in milk or butter. Instead, it changes the level or concentration of these compounds. Experts think it could be related to digestion or compounds the animals inhale, but it’s not exactly clear yet. 

Milk goes through processing to make butter. The milk fat, or cream, is skimmed off the top and heated, and the heating process can influence fatty acids and flavor compounds. 

Texture

Regular butter has high amounts of saturated fats and low amounts of unsaturated fats, which makes it solid and hard. Grass-fed butter has the opposite ratio. While it also has saturated fats and is still solid, it has a higher amount of unsaturated fats. As these unsaturated fats increase, butter gets softer. Grass-fed butter also has smaller fat globules, which raises the moisture content and gives it a smoother texture. 

So regular butter is hard and tough to spread, and grass-fed butter is smooth, creamy, and more spreadable. Grass-fed butter has a lower melting temperature and a velvety mouthfeel that changes the flavor and texture.   

Price

Interestingly, while it’s cheaper to feed animals grass and forage rather than grain, grass-fed products are usually more expensive. It could be because companies market grass-fed products as eco-friendly health foods, which increases prices. Or it might be because they come from smaller cattle farms with less volume, which makes it more expensive.

Whatever the reason, for many, buying premium-priced butter is not an option. If you’re on a budget and want a healthier fat option, it might be better to skip both types of butter and use healthy plant oils, like olive oil. 

Easy swap

If you’re used to cooking with butter, switching to grass-fed butter is easy. It has the same basic structure as regular butter and gives baking flavor, moisture, and tenderness. Switching to healthier grass-fed butter means you don’t need to adjust your favorite recipes as you do when you use oil, for example. 

Calories

Despite having healthier fats, grass-fed butter is still high in fat and calories. Eating a diet high in calories can lead to weight gain. Still, butter can be part of a healthy diet if you eat it in moderation. 

Grass-fed butter is rich in beta-carotene and healthy fats and has a softer, smoother texture than regular butter. While it’s usually more expensive, it can be a healthier option.