Butter vs Margarine

The spread debate, settled with numbers.

Margarine takes it, 64 to 37. A 27-point gap. Butter's lab-built rival — a fifth of the saturated fat, all of the processing debate. Butter’s case: Delicious, traditional, and 51g saturated fat per 100g. Cook with it, don't build on it.

Tale of the tape

Nutrient	Butter per 100g	Margarine per 100g
Calories	717	717
Protein	0.9g ●	0.2g
Total Fat	81.1g	80.7g ●
Saturated Fat	51.4g	15.2g ●
Dietary Fiber	0g	0g
Total Sugars	0g	0g
Sodium	643mg ●	654mg
Cholesterol	215mg	0mg ●
Potassium	24mg ●	18mg

Red dot marks the winner of each row. Column bases differ because chain labels are per serving — the per-100-calorie comparisons below put them on equal footing.

Where Butter wins

Butter has 4.5x the protein of Margarine per 100 calories.
Vitamin A: 76% DV vs Margarine’s 0% DV (per 100g).

Where Margarine wins

Margarine has less saturated fat per 100 calories (Butter has more).
Vitamin K: 62% DV vs Butter’s 0% DV (per 100g).
Vitamin E: 35% DV vs Butter’s 0% DV (per 100g).

Questions

Is Butter healthier than Margarine?

By our scoring, Margarine grades higher (64 vs 37). The full nutrient comparison is in the tale of the tape above.

Which has more protein, Butter or Margarine?

Butter: 0.1g per 100 calories. Margarine: 0g per 100 calories.

How many calories are in Butter vs Margarine?

Butter: 717 calories per 100g. Margarine: 717 calories per 100g.

A note before you eat your screen: grades are computed from published nutrition data with a transparent formula. They are a starting point for thinking about food, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian about your diet.