Butter, Unsalted vs. Cheese
Nutrition comparison of Butter, Unsalted and Cheese
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
butter, unsalted
versus
cheese
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in butter, unsalted and cheese:
- Both cheese and butter, unsalted are high in Vitamin A, calories and saturated fat.
- Cheese has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6, folate and Vitamin B12.
- Cheese is an excellent source of calcium and protein.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Butter, Unsalted (Butter, without salt) and Cheese (Cheese, Mexican blend) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both cheese and butter, unsalted are high in calories. Butter, unsalted has 87% more calories than cheese - cheese has 384 calories per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 717 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, butter, unsalted is much lighter in protein, much heavier in fat and similar to cheese for carbs. Butter, unsalted has a macronutrient ratio of 1:0:100 and for cheese, 25:0:75 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Butter, Unsalted | Cheese | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 1% | 25% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | ~ |
| Fat | 100% | 75% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both cheese and butter, unsalted are low in carbohydrates - cheese has 0.13g of total carbs per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.06g of carbohydrates.
sugar
Butter, unsalted and cheese contain similar amounts of sugar - butter, unsalted has 0.06g of sugar per 100 grams and cheese does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Cheese is an excellent source of protein and it has 26 times more protein than butter, unsalted - cheese has 23.5g of protein per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.85g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both cheese and butter, unsalted are high in saturated fat. Butter, unsalted has 214% more saturated fat than cheese - cheese has 16.1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 50.5g of saturated fat.
cholesterol
Butter, unsalted is high in cholesterol and cheese has 56% less cholesterol than butter, unsalted - cheese has 95mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 215mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Both cheese and butter, unsalted are high in Vitamin A. Butter, unsalted has 293% more Vitamin A than cheese - cheese has 174ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 684ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Cheese has more Vitamin D than butter, unsalted - cheese has 21iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and butter, unsalted does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Butter, unsalted has 828% more Vitamin E than cheese - cheese has 0.25mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 2.3mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Cheese and butter, unsalted contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - cheese has 2.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 7ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Cheese has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6, folate and Vitamin B12.
| Butter, Unsalted | Cheese | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.005 MG | 0.023 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.034 MG | 0.318 MG |
| Niacin | 0.042 MG | 0.114 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.11 MG | 0.249 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.003 MG | 0.061 MG |
| Folate | 3 UG | 13 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.17 UG | 1.23 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Cheese is an excellent source of calcium and it has 26 times more calcium than butter, unsalted - cheese has 659mg of calcium per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 24mg of calcium.
iron
Cheese has 28 times more iron than butter, unsalted - cheese has 0.59mg of iron per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 0.02mg of iron.
potassium
Cheese has 254% more potassium than butter, unsalted - cheese has 85mg of potassium per 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 24mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, butter, unsalted has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than cheese per 100 grams.
| Butter, Unsalted | Cheese | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 1.18 G | 0.332 G |
| Total | 1.18 G | 0.332 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, butter, unsalted has more linoleic acid than cheese per 100 grams.
| Butter, Unsalted | Cheese | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.138 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 1.83 G | 0.532 G |
| Total | 1.968 G | 0.532 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.
Note: The specific food items compared are: Butter, Unsalted (Butter, without salt) and Cheese (Cheese, Mexican blend) .
Butter, Unsalted g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cheese g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
| MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
| MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does cheese or butter, unsalted contain more calories in 100 grams?Both cheese and butter, unsalted are high in calories. Butter, unsalted has 90% more calories than cheese - cheese has 384 calories in 100g and butter, unsalted has 717 calories.
Does cheese or butter, unsalted contain more calcium?
Cheese is a rich source of calcium and it has 26 times more calcium than butter, unsalted - cheese has 659mg of calcium in 100 grams and butter, unsalted has 24mg of calcium.