Key TakeawaysMean Girls popularized the question, “Is butter a carb?“Butter is actually a fat.Even plant-based butter is fat, though some nut butters may also have carbs.

Key Takeaways

Mean Girls popularized the question, “Is butter a carb?“Butter is actually a fat.Even plant-based butter is fat, though some nut butters may also have carbs.

We’ve all been there. In the course of daily life, we realize that we don’t know the answer to a simple question. But whenMean Girlsdebuted in 2004, Googling health questions wasn’t nearly as common. This left queen bee Regina George, attempting an all-carb diet, to pose the now-iconic question: Is butter a carb?

After 20 years and in honor of the musical reboot coming to theaters this week, Verywell askedErin Coffield, RD, a registered dietitian with the National Dairy Council, to settle the matter once and for all.

Understanding Simple and Complex Carbohydrates

Butter: The Flavorful Fat

Once the fat in the form of cream is separated, it is pasteurized, tempered, and finally churned to create the solid form that we recognize. By the time milkfat becomes butter, it is almost entirelytriglycerides, a type of fat that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) says we should use sparingly.

“No, butter is not a carb; it is a source of fat,” Coffield said. “But a little dab of butter enhances the flavor of those carbs that we need to eat more of, like whole grains and veggies.”

Although butter wouldn’t fit into the fictitious all-carb diet, it is a popular component of the keto diet, which focuses on high-fat, low-carb foods. In a more balanced eating methodology, Coffield said that butter is an ingredient that should be used in moderation, according to the USDA Dietary Guidelines.

Is Plant-Based Butter a Carb?

Dairy-based butter is all fat, but what about plant-based alternatives like margarine? Coffield says that while butter alternatives may have different levels of saturated fats, they are still primarily fats.

“Instead of an animal source of fat, they will use a vegetable source of fat, typically a vegetable oil blend,” she said. “Some of them may have a gram or so of carbohydrate depending on the amount of emulsifiers.”

There are many non-dairy fats to choose from, including:

But dairy butter has more than just fats—it also contains more than 400 unique fatty acids, according to Coffield. And those fatty acids may be beneficial in ways that we are still discovering.

A recent study published in theAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutritionindicates that saturated fats from dairy sources had negligible impact on heart health as compared to non-dairy sources in a cohort of 2,391 participants.In fact, males who consumed higher amounts of dairy-based fats had a lower risk of hardened arteries.

The term “butter” has become ubiquitous and is often used for other products that go beyond its original form. Nut butters, in particular, bear little resemblance chemically to dairy-based butter and may indeed have carbohydrates.

How to Choose the Best Nut Butter for You

Coffield explained that nut or seed butter is a blend of three macronutrients: fat, protein, and carbs. Many nut butter also contain additional sugar, which increases carbohydrate count even more. Products like apple butter are almost entirely carbs, as they are blended and cooked down apples.

“Today, people use the term liberally to apply to things you spread on food,” she said.

What This Means For YouAlthough butter contains a high amount of saturated fat, it can easily fit into a balanced diet. If you’re interested in the keto diet, it may play an even larger role. There’s no need to add it to your dietary Burn Book. Butter is here to stay, even if it isn’t a carb.

What This Means For You

Although butter contains a high amount of saturated fat, it can easily fit into a balanced diet. If you’re interested in the keto diet, it may play an even larger role. There’s no need to add it to your dietary Burn Book. Butter is here to stay, even if it isn’t a carb.

3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.University of Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research.Butter science 101.USDA: FoodData Central.Milk, nonfat, fluid, with added vitamin A and vitamin D (fat free or skim).Yuan M, Singer MR, Pickering RT, Moore LL.Saturated fat from dairy sources is associated with lower cardiometabolic risk in the Framingham Offspring Study.Am J Clin Nutr. 2022;116(6):1682-1692. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqac224

3 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.University of Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research.Butter science 101.USDA: FoodData Central.Milk, nonfat, fluid, with added vitamin A and vitamin D (fat free or skim).Yuan M, Singer MR, Pickering RT, Moore LL.Saturated fat from dairy sources is associated with lower cardiometabolic risk in the Framingham Offspring Study.Am J Clin Nutr. 2022;116(6):1682-1692. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqac224

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

University of Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research.Butter science 101.USDA: FoodData Central.Milk, nonfat, fluid, with added vitamin A and vitamin D (fat free or skim).Yuan M, Singer MR, Pickering RT, Moore LL.Saturated fat from dairy sources is associated with lower cardiometabolic risk in the Framingham Offspring Study.Am J Clin Nutr. 2022;116(6):1682-1692. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqac224

University of Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research.Butter science 101.

USDA: FoodData Central.Milk, nonfat, fluid, with added vitamin A and vitamin D (fat free or skim).

Yuan M, Singer MR, Pickering RT, Moore LL.Saturated fat from dairy sources is associated with lower cardiometabolic risk in the Framingham Offspring Study.Am J Clin Nutr. 2022;116(6):1682-1692. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqac224

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