"What is European style butter?" you ask. Well, we consider it a hidden gem in the dairy aisle. Despite the many types of butter lined up in supermarkets, serious bakers consider it the only kind to use for decadent, flaky, flavorful baked goods.
We share everything you need to know about this creamy, decadent baking staple, including the difference between European-style and American butter. We also name the most popular brands of European-style butter widely available in the U.S. (including a vegan one), and how best to use it.
Butter-Making Basics
All butter begins as cream, which naturally contains some water. As the cream is churned, it transforms into whipped cream. Eventually, as the cream continues to whip, milk curds form that turn into butterfat, and those solids separate from the cream.
The longer cream is churned, the more butterfat—or pure butter—develops. Churning continues until the proper butterfat percentage (generally 80 to 82%) is reached. The remaining percentage of butter solids that are not butterfat consists mostly of residual water. The liquid leftover from the butter-making process is buttermilk.
If you've ever over-whipped homemade whipped cream and observed small yellow curds start to form, you may have ruined your whipped cream, but you've inadvertently made butter!
What Is European-Style Butter?
European-style butter has been churned to achieve at least 82% butterfat content, which is the minimum standard established by the EU. This high butterfat content results in a softer, super-spreadable product, perfect for when you forget to pre-soften your butter before baking.
While the term implies import status, European-style butter can be manufactured anywhere, even in the U.S. It can also be salted or unsalted, cultured (soured) or uncultured, and may even have a percentage of butterfat higher than 82%.
European-Style vs. American Butter
American butter, sometimes referred to as table butter, contains at least 80% butterfat as regulated by USDA. The 2% difference in butterfat between European-style and American butter may not seem like much, but most chefs and recipe developers agree it makes a huge difference in taste and texture. While European-style butter is sometimes recommended in pastry recipes, it's rarely required, so you can use either butter interchangeably.
When comparing cost, that 2% difference in butterfat between European-style and American butter translates to a price difference of 10 to 40%. To compare, America's most popular brand of butter, Land O'Lakes, costs about $5.50 a pound, while a European-style product of the same volume generally costs between $6 and $9.
Best Brands of European-Style Butter
There are many good brands of European-style butter sold in the U.S. According to Dorie Greenspan—five-time James Beard award-winner and author of multiple cookbooks—the really, really good stuff is Beurre d'Echire, a small-production cultured butter from France that boasts 84% butterfat. As you might expect, this elite brand is available only from specialty stores, running about $12.50 per 8 ounces.
For a far more accessible brand, follow the lead of U.S. consumers who've made Kerrygold, an Irish butter, the third-bestselling brand in the U.S. in 2023. (Private labels ranked first, followed by Land O'Lakes.) Available in most U.S. supermarkets, an 8-ounce package of Kerrygold costs about $4.
Another widely available brand is Plugrà, labeled as a premium European-style butter. Despite its exotic-sounding name—derived from the French term "plus gras"(which means "more fat")—Plugrà is made in the U.S. by the Dairy Farmers of America. Also carried by most U.S. supermarkets, Plugrà costs about $3 per 8-ounce package.
For a vegan alternative, California-based Miyoko’s sells a European-style butter made from organic cashew milk. The company touts it as perfect for baking—from flaky pastries to cakes and cookies—and recommends it for other uses as a 1:1 swap in any recipe. Walmart, Kroger, and Albertson's are among retailers that stock this plant-milk butter, which runs about $6 per 8-ounce package.
When to Use European-Style Butter
If your budget allows, it certainly doesn't hurt to use European-style butter exclusively for all culinary purposes. It can be freely used in any recipe that calls for butter.
If you have the refrigerator real estate to carry both types of butter, we recommend reserving the European-style product for baking and other dishes in which the richer, creamier flavor and texture make a noticeable difference, like in our basic pie crust pastry recipe or for creating a trendy butter board, On the other hand, where butter quality doesn’t make a huge difference—like making the perfect grilled cheese or greasing a cake pan—save a few dollars and choose American.
