8 Cheap Butters That Rival (Or Beat) Kerrygold

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Kerrygold is one of the best butter brands, according to bakers, chefs, home cooks, and butter lovers; but that endorsement comes with a caveat. It's a bit pricey. Kerrygold has earned its reputation for producing standout butter with a rich flavor, deep yellow color, and product consistency; all attributed to the milk produced by cows grazing on Ireland's lush grasslands. Given everything that goes into creating butter with those signature qualities — not to mention the cost of importing it from Ireland — it's hardly surprising that Kerrygold comes with a premium price tag, costing roughly $5 for an 8-ounce block or two sticks.

Luckily, there's a wide selection of quality butters that rival — and in some cases surpass — Kerrygold at a much lower price point. Not all butters have to be grass-fed to perform beautifully when cooked, baked, or slathered on a piece of bread. However, they should be rich in flavor (which is largely influenced by the butterfat content) and made with a simple ingredient list that doesn't include unnecessary additives that take away from the purity of pasteurized cream and salt. The next time you're at the grocery store yearning for Kerrygold but aware that buying it would strain the bank, turn to one of the options on this list to meet your butter and budget needs.

If grass-fed butter is a nonnegotiable in your fridge like it is in mine, one the most affordable butters that rivals Kerrygold is available exclusively to Costco members. Kirkland Signature Grass-Fed Salted Butter is offered in a pack of four 8-ounce blocks for the same price you'd pay for only two 8-ounce blocks of Kerrygold. Speaking from experience, this butter performs just as well as — if not better than — Kerrygold for cooking, baking, or as a topping. Kirkland Signature Grass-Fed Salted Butter comes from New Zealand from cows that graze on a diet consisting of 95% grass.

Purchase a four-pack of 8-ounce Kirkland Signature Grass-Fed Salted Butter at Costco for $11.07.

Tillamook is beloved for the high quality of its dairy products, and its butter is one of the best-performing options that's also affordable. Available in salted and unsalted, the unsalted variety is a rockstar when it comes to baking. The fact that it's available unsalted is one thing; an even bigger win is that it contains more butterfat than traditional butter at 81% and 12 grams of fat per tablespoon. These are two important qualities in butter that can produce more favorable outcomes in baked goods. Each pack contains four sticks of butter, priced slightly more than one block of Kerrygold, but offering double the butter.

Purchase 16 ounces of Tillamook Unsalted Extra Creamy Butter at Walmart for $5.96.

If you're in the market for a butter that not only comes from the milk of grass-fed cows but also from a brand that prioritizes the cows' living conditions — all at a reasonable cost — Vital Farms Butter is a worthy choice. Known for its high-quality eggs from pasture-raised chickens, Vital Farms also offers butter made from pasture-raised cows that graze on 90% grass. Vital Farms' butter also contains 12 grams of total fat per tablespoon, which is more than Kerrygold, making it a richer option. Even with these advantages, Vital Farms Pasture-Raised Butter still costs less per pack than Kerrygold.

Purchase 16 ounces of Vital Farms Grass-Fed Salted Butter at Kroger for $8.99.

Though it isn't grass-fed, Président Butter is a European cultured butter with a flavor that rivals Kerrygold while costing less per block. Pasteurized cream, cultures, and salt are the only ingredients you'll find in France's #1 butter brand. One benefit of using cultured butter over regular butter is that it's fermented, which creates a slightly tangy flavor. The cultures also contribute to its creamy texture and full-bodied flavor. This makes it ideal as a finishing butter, allowing its unique flavor to shine when spread on toast, melted on cooked veggies, or topped on meats. 

Purchase 7 ounces of Président Butter at Kroger for $3.99.

Don't be fooled by its giant, unconventional packaging. Amish Country Roll Butter makes it incredibly easy to stay stocked on flavorful, quality butter at an outrageously cheap price. Amish butter differs from regular butter in both its recipe and production. Amish Country Roll Butter comes from Wisconsin cows and is uniquely packaged by hand, which the brand claims allows the butterfat to distribute evenly and naturally throughout. At essentially half the price per pound of Kerrygold, this 2-pound roll is certainly worth trying.

Purchase 32 ounces of Amish Country Roll Butter from Safeway for $13.99.

If you're partial to Kerrygold and shopping at one of the many Kroger-run grocery stores, Kroger's store-brand offers a close comparison to the Irish butter with its Private Selection Grass-Fed Salted Butter. This butter is imported from New Zealand and offers the same fat content (11 grams per tablespoon) and simple ingredients list (pasteurized cream and sea salt) as Kerrygold while costing roughly $1 less per 8-ounce block. Private Selection Grass-Fed Salted Butter is also labeled as Wisconsin Grade AA — a type of butter grade that means it's earned the state's highest butter-quality designation for flavor, aroma, texture, and appearance.

Purchase an 8-ounce block of Private Selection Grass-Fed Butter at King Soopers for $4.19.

For shoppers who favor how cows are raised over what they're raised on, Whole Foods Market 365 Organic Salted or Unsalted Pasture-Raised Butter is a high-quality, USDA Organic butter that offers twice the volume of an 8-ounce block of Kerrygold at a comparable price. Pasture-raised butter is said to have the same complex, robust, and earthy flavors associated with grass-fed butter. Similar to Private Selection Grass-Fed Butter, 365 Organic Pasture-Raised Butter is also labeled as Wisconsin Grade AA, meeting a high standard for butter quality. 

Purchase 16-ounces of 365 Organic Pasture-Raised Butter at Whole Foods for $6.79.

With more than 130 years of experience, Danish Creamery follows the Danish tradition of butter-making here in the United States and knows a thing or two about producing a quality stick of butter. Specifically, its Premium Butter with Sea Salt is a reliable replacement for Kerrygold thanks to its rich, creamy flavor that comes from the high-quality cream it sources from dairy farms in California. For its quality, a 4-stick pack of Danish Creamery's Premium Butter is unbelievably priced. It costs less than what you'd pay for two sticks of Kerrygold, making it an especially smart choice for stocking your fridge with.

Purchase 16 ounces of Danish Creamery Premium Butter from Walmart for $4.76.