What’s the Difference Between American and European Butter?

When deciding which butter to slather on your sourdough, swirl into your sauce, or bake into your chocolate chip cookies, it’s important to understand the difference between the sticks and slabs on grocery shelves.

European butter has a higher minimum butterfat content than its American counterpart, which gives it a richer, lusher flavor and texture. But, somewhat confusingly, several American producers make their butter in the European style. And since European-style butter tends to be pricier, you might be wondering whether the splurge is worth it. Here’s what to know before making your next béarnaise sauce or pound cake.

Key takeaways

• American-style butter must have at least 80% butterfat, while European-style butter must contain a minimum of 82% butterfat. Both are made with a maximum of 16% water.

• European-style butter is richer than American-style butter and is often cultured, which gives it a tangier flavor.

• European-style butter is often preferred for laminated pastries or for dishes that put the focus on butter.
  

What is European-style butter?

While American butter must have a butterfat content of 80%, the minimum standard established by the European Union (EU) is 82% butterfat. That 2% variant might not sound like a lot, but it can make a big difference to the flavor and texture of your dishes. European-style butters are often cultured, which means that they are made by churning cream that has been treated with live cultures. This process creates a tangy, lactic, crème fraîche-like flavor.

Related: Can You Substitute Salted for Unsalted Butter?

Chefs recommend using European-style butter for smearing on bread, for dishes that put the focus on butter like Buttery Irish Cabbage, or when making pastries.

Laurent Tourondel, chef and proprietor at Laurent Tourondel Hospitality (which includes L’Amico, Skirt Steak, Back Bar, and SECOND), suggests using European-style butter if you are making or finishing a sauce with butter. “If you use the butter in a beurre monté [an emulsified French butter sauce], you are incorporating the butter and trying to get the flavor of the butter in the sauce,” he explains. You might also consider using European-style butter when basting steaks or other proteins.

In baking, butterfat content is even more crucial for certain baked goods like croissants or any other pastries that require lamination, the process of folding dough around sheets of butter to create flaky layers of pastry.

The higher percentage of butterfat not only adds flavor, but makes the butter much more pliable when working it into puff pastry and laminated doughs. “It is much easier to work with,” notes Tourondel. In addition to pastries, European-style butter can help you achieve layers in a flaky all-butter piecrust.

Shopping tip

European-style butter can be made in the U.S. Notable American-made brands of European-style butter include Plugrà and Vermont Creamery.

Chef-favorite European butters include Irish Kerrygold, and French butters such as Isigny Sainte Mère Beurre d’Isigny and Président. However, you can find equally good domestic butters that are made in the European style.

These days, “it’s less about European versus American and more about comparing domestic butters,” to find the highest butterfat option for optimal baking results, says 2022 F&W Best New Chef Caroline Schiff.

Related: We Asked Professional Bakers for Their Favorite Butter — All Their Picks Have One Thing in Common

Many domestic butters rival European butters in all the right departments, she says: fat percentage, cultured tartness, salinity, and texture. Some of our favorite American-made, European-style butters include Austin-based Vital Farms, which has a whopping 85% butterfat and is made with milk from Irish cows; Vermont Creamery; and Plugrà.

What is American-style butter?

Most of the butter you’ll find in the dairy aisle in the U.S. contains a butterfat content of about 80%, the minimum standard set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

American-style butter is a good affordable choice for everyday cooking and for most baked goods, like cakes and cookies. In a masked taste test, our favorite American-style unsalted butters included Tillamook, which has a higher-than-average 81% butterfat and a silky texture; Horizon Organic; and Whole Foods 365 Everyday. But if butter isn’t the star of your dish, you don’t need to be picky.

“A homemade baked good is better than no baked good at all, so if a generic 80% domestic butter is what’s accessible and affordable, go with that,” says Schiff. 

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