Margarine vs. Butter—Which One Is Better for You?

For decades, low-fat, plant-based dairy substitutes, like margarine, have been advertised as better or healthier than full-fat products like butter. Margarine is a butter substitute made of water, vegetable oil, artificial or natural color and flavor, and sometimes salt. The type of vegetable oil used can vary, but may include soybean, palm, corn, canola, or others.

Some health organizations recommend replacing butter with margarine to reduce the risk of heart disease. However, this may not be the best choice for your health.

Health Effects of Butter

Butter is made by churning milk or cream to separate the fat from the buttermilk. The buttermilk is then removed from the leftover mixture to leave the fat, which is then formed into butter. While butter contains many different nutrients, it is also high in saturated fat.

High in Saturated Fat

Butter typically contains 80-82% fat, mostly saturated fat. Consuming saturated fat, especially in large amounts, increases your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad", cholesterol. Saturated fat is also in foods such as processed meats, cheese, and palm oil. Eating a lot of saturated fat can increase your risk of heart disease and atherosclerosis (plaque build-up in the arteries).

The United States Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommends limiting saturated fats to less than 10% of your total daily calories.

Some evidence suggests that eating less saturated fat can lower your risk of heart disease, although research is mixed. Many studies have not found a significant link between how much saturated fat you eat and your risk of heart disease.

A 2022 review found that replacing saturated fats with plant-based protein, unsaturated fats, or complex carbohydrates may lower your risk of heart disease.

Contains Beneficial Nutrients and Compounds

Butter is high in fatty acids, particularly conjugated linoleic fatty acid (CLA) and vaccenic acid. These fatty acids can protect your heart by helping to prevent plaque buildup in your arteries, which are the parts of your heart that carry blood to the rest of your body.

Butter is a source of vitamin A, a nutrient that supports your vision, immune system, reproductive health, and growth and development. It also contains vitamin K2, which is required for bone health and to ensure your body absorbs enough calcium from your diet, which helps prevent heart disease.

Some kinds of butter are high in antioxidants, such as beta-carotene, a plant pigment that helps protect cells from damage.

While butter has some health benefits, it's high in calories and fat and should be consumed in small amounts. 

Health Effects of Margarine

Margarine is commonly used as a butter replacement. It's a water-in-fat emulsion: a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally unmixable.

Margarine is usually made of plant fats, such as soybean and canola oil. There are many types of margarine, including low-fat and vitamin-enriched. Stick margarine contains at least 80% fat, while spreadable margarine can contain lower amounts.

Partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) were once a common ingredient of margarine. PHOs are high in trans fats, which are linked to an increased risk of heart disease. Experts recommend limiting foods high in trans fats, such as fried foods, as much as possible.

Most manufacturers have reformulated their margarines to be PHO-free to comply with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ban on PHOs in food. Therefore, most margarine sold in the United States is trans-fat-free.

High in Omega-6 Fats

Omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids are nutrients that are essential to your health. Omega 3s are found in foods such as fish, seeds, avocado, and unsaturated oils like olive oil. Omega-6s are found in vegetable oils like soybean, corn, and canola oil.

Omega-6s cause more inflammation in your body than omega-3s. This imbalance can raise your risk of many health conditions, including obesity and heart disease.

Most Americans consume diets much higher in omega-6s than omega-3s. Margarine is commonly made of oils that are very high in omega-6 fats. Therefore, cutting back on margarine and replacing it with omega-3-rich fats like olive oil could help protect your health and reduce your risk of risk.

Low in Saturated Fat

Since margarine is low in saturated fat and butter is high, eating margarine instead of butter may help you eat less saturated fat overall. Reducing your saturated fat intake may help lower your risk of heart disease. However, many factors can affect your heart disease risk, including your diet and genetics.

Margarine is not categorized as a "healthy" fat and, like butter, should only be consumed in small amounts. Consider replacing margarine with fat sources that offer more health benefits, such as olive oil or avocado oil.

Nutrition Comparison

Margarine and butter have similar uses but are made up of different ingredients. Margarine is plant-based and significantly lower in saturated fat, while butter is made from heavy cream and is high in saturated fat.

Below are the nutrition facts for a one-tablespoon (14-gram) serving of soybean oil-based margarine compared to the same size serving of unsalted butter:

Calories

Margarine products are generally lower in calories than butter. However, both are high in calories per serving. People looking to reduce their calorie intake may need to limit high-calorie foods like margarine and butter.

Fat Composition

The different types of fats in margarine and butter contribute to their nutritional differences.

A study that compared the nutritional profiles of 83 margarine and butter products found that one tablespoon of the margarine products provided 11-18% of the Daily Value (DV) for saturated fat, while one tablespoon of butter provided 36% of the DV.

Margarine is much lower in saturated fat and much higher in unsaturated fat than butter. This is because plant oils—which are used in margarine—are higher in unsaturated fats, such as polyunsaturated fats.

Butter also contains more omega-3 fatty acids than margarine. These fatty acids have anti-inflammatory effects and can help support heart health.

Vitamins and Nutrients

Margarine products often contain added vitamins, such as vitamins A and E, which can help increase your vitamin intake. Both vitamins A and E support eye, skin, and immune health, and act as antioxidants, protecting cells from damage.

Butter is a natural source of vitamin A; one tablespoon of grass-fed butter covers 10% of the DV. Dairy products like butter also provide vitamin K2, which can help support bone health.

Butter also contains more health-protective antioxidants than margarine. Compared to regular butter, grass-fed butter contains even higher amounts of antioxidants, such as beta-carotene (a compound the body converts into vitamin A).

Taste and Culinary Uses

Margarine shares similar characteristics to butter, such as taste and spreadability. However, butter generally has a much richer taste and mouthfeel. Margarine tends to have a greasier feel, which can be unpleasant to some people. 

Margarine and butter are similar kitchen ingredients used in baking, cooking, and finished dishes. Many people enjoy both as a spread or topping on toast, muffins, baked potatoes, and crackers. 

Margarine is a good butter replacement in plant-based dishes as it's a plant-based fat. However, some margarine products contain animal-derived ingredients, so make sure to look for products labeled as vegan-friendly if you're following a vegan diet. 

What To Consider

When choosing between butter and margarine, or determining how much to eat, consider your overall fat intake and health needs. In some cases, alternative spreads and oils may be a better choice for heart health than butter or margarine.

Consuming fewer foods high in saturated fat, like butter, may protect against heart disease. However, if your goal is to lower your heart disease risk and improve your overall health, following a diet high in whole, nutritious foods is more important than cutting out butter.

Butter and other saturated fat foods aren’t harmful in small amounts, but a diet too high in saturated fat could harm heart health and overall health. Some people are more sensitive to dietary fats and cholesterol-rich foods and may need to reduce their fat intake further.

For example, people with familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic condition that causes high LDL cholesterol levels, must limit their intake of foods like butter to manage their blood lipid (fat) levels.

Alternative Foods

While some people may need to reduce their saturated fat intake, margarine is not the best replacement for overall health. Plenty of other fats can substitute butter and offer more health benefits than margarine, including protection against heart disease. These include:

• Olive oil
• Avocado oil
• Hummus
• Nut butter
• Mashed avocado

To support overall health, follow a nutritious diet rich in whole-food fat sources, such as yogurt, nuts, seeds, olive oil, fatty fish, and avocados. If you like butter, enjoy it in small amounts. If you're looking for a butter replacement, consider using a heart-healthy spread rich in monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, instead of margarine.

A Quick Review

Butter and margarine are popular fats used in cooking and baking. Margarine is often recommended as a replacement for butter for people who need to reduce their saturated fat intake. 

While reducing foods high in saturated fat, like butter, could support and protect heart health, margarine isn’t the healthiest choice for a butter replacement. If you’d like to consume less butter, choose healthier fat alternatives, like olive oil, hummus, or mashed avocado.

The best way to improve your health outcomes through diet is to follow a balanced diet high in whole, nutrient-dense foods.