This guide will help you find the best grass-fed butter brands for a keto diet. We made sure that all the brands listed on this guide are sugar-free, carb-free, grass-fed, and keto-friendly. We have also identified what brand is best for certain categories so you can easily find what’s right for you.
Here is an overview of the butter brands that we recommend for keto:
- #1: Anchor New Zealand Butter (Best Overall)
- #2: Black & Bolyard Brown Butter (Best Seller)
- #3: Organic Valley Butter (Best Organic)
- #4: Beurre D’Isigny French Butter (Best Taste)
- #5: Allgäu German Butter
- #6: Smjör Icelandic Unsalted Butter
- #7: Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter
Best Grass-Fed Butter Brands For Keto
#1: Anchor Grass-Fed New Zealand Butter (Best Overall)
- 100% grass-fed since cows in New Zealand can access pasture all year-round
- No sugar and carbs so it’s good for keto
- Gluten-Free and Non-GMO
- Affordable so it’s good for your daily bulletproof coffee
- Available on Amazon and most grocery stores
Serving Size: 1 tbsp (15g)
Calories: 109 | Fat: 12g | Net Carbs: 0g | Protein: 0g
Anchor Butter is made with cream from free-range cows in New Zealand and it is one of the best rated grass-fed butter available on the market.
New Zealand’s mild temperatures, moderate rainfall, and abundant sunshine provide a climate that allows cows access to pasture year-round.
It’s our top pick since it’s 100% grass-fed, it’s not that expensive, it has a classic butter taste, and it’s available on Amazon and most grocery stores.
If you’re drinking bulletproof coffee like us and you need a steady supply of grass-fed butter, then you can’t go wrong with Anchor.
#2: Black & Bolyard Grass-Fed Brown Butter (Best Selling Butter on Amazon)
- Best-selling butter on Amazon with high reviews
- 100% grass-fed butter
- No sugar and carbs so it’s good for keto
- Gluten-Free and Non-GMO
- Most reviews love the taste of this brand compared to traditional butter
- Only available on Amazon
- Expensive for its size
Serving Size: 1 tbsp (15g)
Calories: 120 | Fat: 13g | Net Carbs: 0g | Protein: 0g
Based in Brooklyn, New York, Black & Bolyard butter is a complex and richly browned version of traditional butter. It is cooked and caramelized before being seasoned and jarred.
We have just recently tried this we like its thick texture and rich nutty flavor. It is perfect for veggies, steaks, and anything that you can put butter on. If you are looking for a different butter experience, then this brand is perfect for you.
However, Black & Bolyard comes with a hefty price tag so we don’t recommend it for your daily cup of bulletproof coffee. Unless of course, you have the budget and you want to have a different-tasting keto coffee.
This brand is available on Amazon and it ships within 2 days.
#3: Organic Valley Cultured Pasture Butter (Best Organic)
- Grass-fed during pasture season. Organic foraging during the winter season.
- No sugar and carbs so it’s good for keto
- Gluten-Free and Non-GMO
- USDA Certified Organic
- Only available on Amazon Fresh
- Some people find this lacking in flavor especially when compared to European brands
Serving Size: 1 tbsp (15g)
Calories: 100 | Fat: 11g | Net Carbs: 0g | Protein: 0g
Organic Valley is the only certified organic brand on this list so it is perfect for you if you are following an organic keto diet.
It is made at the peak of the season when pasture grazing cow’s milk is high in Omega-3s and CLA. It is also dense, creamy and easy to spread! However, some people find that it does not have enough flavor, especially when compared to European brands.
It is also only available on Amazon Fresh, which is a grocery delivery add-on service of Amazon Prime and has a monthly membership fee. The fresh produce will be delivered in insulated totes and reusable packaging to guarantee its freshness.
#4: Beurre D’Isigny French Normandy Unsalted Butter (Best Tasting But Most Expensive)
- 100% grass-fed butter
- Best-tasting grass-fed butter that we have tasted so far
- No sugar and carbs so it’s good for keto
- Gluten-Free and Non-GMO
- Most expensive butter on this list
Serving Size: 1 tbsp (15g)
Calories: 105 | Fat: 12g | Net Carbs: 0g | Protein: 0g
The Normandy region in France has a reputation for producing the richest butter in the world.
Beurre D’Isigny’s butter is made from the freshest grass-fed cow’s milk refined through an old-fashioned churning process. They churn the cultured butter longer to achieve at least 83 to 86 percent butterfat which is higher than most non-European brands.
We guarantee that this would be the creamiest, richest butter that you will ever taste. Reviews from Amazon are also raving about the taste of this classic French butter.
However, this delicious butter comes at an expensive price because it’s imported from France and the production process requires more manual work than mass-produced butter brands.
We recommend that you try it at least once so you can taste the difference!
#5: Allgäu Grass-Fed German Butter
- 100% grass-fed butter
- Has a deep yellowish color which signifies that it is truly grass-fed
- No sugar and carbs so it’s good for keto
- Gluten-Free and Non-GMO
- More expensive than American brands, has a high shipping cost
Serving Size: 1 tbsp (15g)
Calories: 108 | Fat: 12g | Net Carbs: 0g | Protein: 0g
What we noticed with Allgäu’s butter is it has a deeper yellowish color compared to other butter brands. This is one indicator that the butter contains a higher butterfat percentage from grass-fed cows.
This means that you will get more CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) from this butter than most brands. CLA is known to burn more body fat and increase muscle mass.
This is also one of the recommended butter brands for bulletproof coffee because of its high CLA content. However, it is also expensive so the cost can quickly add up especially if you’re drinking it daily.
If you have the budget and you want the most health benefits for your bulletproof coffee, then we recommend this brand for you.
#6: Smjör Unsalted Icelandic Butter
- 100% grass-fed butter
- Use of hormones and antibiotics is banned in Iceland so cows are guaranteed to be free from synthetic hormones
- No sugar and carbs so it’s good for keto
- Gluten-Free and Non-GMO
- Not always available on Amazon or grocery stores
Serving Size: 1 tbsp (15g)
Calories: 100 | Fat: 11g | Net Carbs: 0g | Protein: 0g
Smjör butter is safer to eat than most non-organic American butter brands because the use of hormones and antibiotics is banned in Iceland and the majority of their cows are grass-fed.
Iceland is also renowned for being both clean and unpolluted which leads to healthier grass and better milk quality of their cows.
Another really appealing feature of Smjör is that all products are made using 100% carbon-free electricity. Not only are you getting a butter that tastes good, but you’re also getting a butter that does good for the overall environment.
However, Smjör is not available on Amazon most of the time and there is a good chance that it is not available on your local grocery stores as well. You may also try finding this rare butter brand at Whole Foods.
#7: Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter
- Grass-fed for most of the year (10 months)
- No sugar and carbs so it’s good for keto
- Gluten-Free and Non-GMO
- Available on Amazon and most grocery stores
- Cows are grain-fed for 2 months during the winter season
Serving Size: 1 tbsp (15g)
Calories: 100 | Fat: 12g | Net Carbs: 0g | Protein: 0g
Unlike the most European butter brands, Kerrygold Irish butter is one of the easiest butter to buy in the US. You can buy it both online and in most grocery stores.
However, the bad news is it is not 100% grass-fed. The cows are only grass-fed for 10 months, then they are grain-fed during the winter months. They have harsh winters in Ireland so they have no choice but to feed them with grains during those grassless months.
But still, Kerrygold is a LOT better than other brands which use 100% grain-fed cows. Some mass-produced brands even use synthetic hormones on their cows for better milk production.
Fortunately, Kerrygold is mostly grass-fed and they don’t use synthetic hormones on their cows as well.
So if Kerrygold is the only butter available in your area, then don’t fret. You can still use it for your keto diet and reap the benefits of a healthy grass-fed butter.
Why is Grass-Fed Butter Preferred for Keto?
Although butter used to be considered unhealthy due to its saturated fat content, there have been studies that have dismissed this claim. It has been discovered that there is no link between the amount of saturated fats consumed and heart disease. With that being said, your best option for butter would be any butter that is grass-fed.
Grass-fed butter is made from milk supplied from grass-fed cows. On the other hand, traditional butter is made with milk from cows which consume large amounts of grains rather than fresh grass.
Grass-fed cows produce milk that is far more nutritious, and they are not exposed to antibiotics or hormones. In turn, we, the consumers, end up with a higher quality product that also proves to be healthier for us!
Where To Buy Grass-Fed Butter?
You should be able to find grass-fed butter brands such as Kerrygold, Anchor Butter, and Organic Valley at your local grocery store. Some of the other highly rated grass-fed butter may only be found in a natural foods store or at a farmer’s market.
If you run into a problem and come up blank in your search, head on over to Amazon and have some delivered right to your door!
Grass-Fed Butter FAQs
Although grass-fed butter is considered to be a dairy product, it contains trace amounts of lactose. For reference, 1 cup of butter only contains about 0.1 grams of lactose. Generally speaking, the majority of lactose-intolerant individuals can enjoy butter without undesirable side effects.
Yes! Because grass-fed butter is seasonal, many people claim that you can taste the difference due to the time of year and location in which the butter is produced. Overall, grass-fed butter has a richer and heartier flavor compared to traditional grain-fed butter.
Yes, individuals with diabetes can consume grass-fed butter but it is important to be conscientious about how much fat you are consuming at one time if you are a diabetic. A little bit of butter will likely not cause a problem – but eating a large meal high in fat can slow down the digestive process and make it more difficult for insulin to do its job, therefore running the risk of glucose levels rising afterward.
No. Although organic butter is free of pesticides, that does not make it grass-fed. Many organic butter brands are made from grain-fed cows. The butter can only be classified as grass-fed if the cows that produce the milk are free-range and eat mostly grass.
No. Although grass-fed butter sounds like it would be vegan, ultimately the milk used still comes from cows. These cows are on a vegan diet, but dairy is dairy.
Casein is a protein found in dairy. Dairy products that contain higher amounts of fat compared to protein, such as butter, contain trace amounts of casein. Many people who have a casein intolerance can tolerate butter but if you have a severe allergy it is best to use a substitute such as ghee.
Similar to all dairy products, butter should also be kept in the refrigerator. With that being said, it is okay to keep small amounts of butter in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a few days.
It is also important to know that if you are going to keep any kind of butter at room temperature for a longer period of time, it should be salted butter. The salt adds some extra defense against possible bacterial growth.
All butter, grass-fed or not, should last anywhere from 8-9 months. Check the packaging for a “best by” date and rest assured knowing that it will stay fresh for at least a month after that date if you’ve been storing it in the refrigerator.
Fortunately, it is really easy to tell whether your butter is still good or has gone rancid. Look for any discolorations, sour smell, or sour taste. If you notice any of those three things, it’s time to toss the butter. And yes, you can taste it. A small amount of bad butter won’t hurt you!
This is known as Bulletproof Coffee, and there is a theory that the high fat content of the butter slows down the time it takes for the body to metabolize the caffeine from the coffee. This means you’ll have increased energy and less of a crash as the caffeine wears off. It is important to note that in order to obtain the desired effects of Bulletproof coffee, you must have quality coffee beans and grass-fed butter. Cheap coffee and butter will not provide you with the desirable effects!
Don’t forget to share this keto butter guide with your friends!
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6471712/, Lactose in Butter
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4927102/, Effects of Butter on Diabetics
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5657040/, Casein Content on Butter
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5409314/, Study on Grass-Fed Butter
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2846864/, Comparison of Nutrients from Grass-Fed and Grain-Fed Butter
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7905466, Omega-3 Content of Grass-Fed Butter
