Grass-Fed Butter vs. Regular Butter: What’s the Difference?

Key Differences Between Grass-Fed and Regular Butter

So, should you buy grass-fed or regular butter? Anecdotal and scientific evidence backs up the notion that grass-fed may be the better option to add to your cart at the grocery store thanks to its better marks in terms of appearance, taste, and nutritional content.

Appearance

Taste

“While the flavor of grass-fed butter will change depending on the location and time of year that the cows grazed, the taste is generally richer and more intensely butter-flavored than regular butter,” Malkani says.

Nutritional Content

Grass-fed butter also has greater amounts of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a group of fatty acids that may help lower your risk of heart disease, says Malkani.

Some people tout CLAs as also being beneficial for fat loss, but the scientific evidence for that claim is weak, says Sonya Angelone, RDN, a nutrition consultant in San Francisco. What’s more, you’d have to consume 3,000 to 6,000 milligrams (mg) of CLAs per day to see benefits. One tablespoon (tbsp) of grass-fed butter has only about 300 mg, she says.