Enter the secret world of fancy butter, where class and sophistication define every dish they’re added to. While high-end butters like Bordier and Kerrygold offer richer flavors and a smoother texture, the question remains: Is it worth splurging $20 or more for the indulgence?
What is fancy butter?
Fancy butter is a high-quality butter with unique characteristics that you just don’t get in your supermarket brands. These distinct qualities can include higher butterfat content, a complex taste or a softer texture. They can also be made from the milk of grass-fed cows or select breeds that have more flavorful milk, or even from goat’s milk.
If you’re wondering why butter usually tastes better in restaurants, gourmet butters might be the reason. In 2021, The Guardian discussed the growing restaurant trend of using fancy, handmade butter, such as those flavored with herbs, spices or even smoked bone marrow, to deliver a different flavor experience.
Is a stick of fancy butter worth it?
An article in HuffPost states that fancy butters contain higher butterfat than ordinary butter, especially those from Europe which can go up to 87% versus your store brand which hovers around 80%. This higher butterfat content gives the butter a richer flavor and lower moisture content, which improves mouthfeel, taste and texture. “What’s the point of having good bread if you don’t use good butter,” is a sentiment shared by many, including Amanda Luhn from Knoxville Backyard & Beyond.
Statista has projected the price of butter to rise even more in 2025, and with increased demand, is gourmet butter better? From French butter that could range up to $82 per pound to Irish grass-fed butter like Kerrygold, are these pricey spreads worth every buck, or are they just a modern fad?
Bordier butter: Justifying the French craze
French butter is revered worldwide for its rich flavor and texture, which elevates everyday dishes from soups to pastries. Ashley Wali, creator of Wanderlux, recommends visiting creameries and grocery stores in France to experience true French butter craftmanship. “They pass airport security and will stay cold until you get home. It’s the perfect edible souvenir you can’t get anywhere else,” she says.
One of the most famous French butter is Bordier butter, a handcrafted butter made with high-quality organic milk from small local French farms in regions like Brittany, Normandy and Pays de la Loire. Starting at $12 for a 4-ounce stick, this premium butter will give you a unique creamy, silky texture and complex flavors, which change with the seasons due to the varying cow diets.
Bordier butter is made using traditional methods, including churning, kneading and salting by hand. With meticulous attention to detail in its production, this luxurious butter is a beloved ingredient in professional kitchens and among food enthusiasts, making every penny you spend worth it.
“Sure, it’s not always cheap — hello, sticker shock — but there’s no comparison when you’re spreading it on warm bread or swirling it into a sauce,” says Bitty of Eighty Recipes who’s been stashing specialty butters in their freezer. “Flavored ones, like Bordier, are incredible and hold up perfectly for months. When you treat butter as more than just an ingredient, it can make a meal sing,” she adds.
Grass-fed butter: Healthy and fancy
Grass-fed butter is made from the milk of cows that eat a diet of 100% grass without grain or corn supplementation. This means the color of grass-fed butter is deeper due to the carotene and chlorophyll in the grass, making it richer than grain-fed cows. Because of the diverse grasses and herbs the cows consume, grass-fed butter offers a rich, creamy taste with nutty undertones.
Angus Dalton explains in the TastingTable that grass-fed butter contains higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids which are essential for brain and heart health and could help manage depression. It’s also rich in conjugated linoleic acid which can aid in weight loss.
Grass-fed butter is a healthier option than traditional grain-fed butter that are high in saturated fats. This premium butter can cost $5-12 per pound based on brand and whether it’s organic or specialty butter.
Is Irish butter just better?
An 8-ounce slab of Irish butter for $4-7 will give you a sweeter and more flavorful alternative due to its higher butterfat content and the cows’ grass-fed diet. According to Real Simple, it contains 82% butterfat, which makes it creamier, spreadable and more flavorful than American butter. Lovers of Irish butter, like Glenda from Glenda Embree Blog, reserve this pricy butter for special occasions.
Real Simple states that the sweeter taste comes from the beta-carotene in Ireland’s lush, nutrient-rich pastures the cows graze on. This also contributes to the butter’s distinctive bright yellow color. Irish butter is mostly uncultured and unsalted, unlike most European butter, making it smoother and milder in taste.
The most famous brand of Irish butter is Kerrygold which launched in the United States in 1990 with its first product, Kerrygold cheese. The Irish Co-operative Organisation Society reports Kerrygold holds the number one position in the U.S. market for imported butter, and Wirecutter has named it one of the best butters of 2024, describing its texture as “luxuriously creamy, dense and silky, without any mouth-coating greasiness.”
The creative spreads of flavored butter
If you want to go fancy without spending a fortune, try making flavored or compound butter at home. Compound butter is butter mixed with other ingredients, like herbs, spices or even alcohol, to enhance its taste. It’s another method of adding flavor to your dishes and improving your butter’s flavor profile. Here are some notable examples you can whip up to make you feel like a five-star chef in your kitchen.
Herb compound butter
If you’re looking for butter that adds a luxurious aroma to your dishes, herb compound butter might be for you. This flavored butter ranges from combining shallot, rosemary asiago or lemon herb for that rich, savory flavor to your recipes.
Garlic compound butter
A popular staple in restaurants and home kitchens, garlic compound butter, such as roasted garlic, lemon garlic, garlic powder and black garlic, offers various savory, aromatic flavors for bread, meats, seafood, vegetables, pasta and even vegetarian meals. This makes this fancy butter a versatile ingredient that will help you invent that signature dish you’ve been planning ever since.
Sweet compound butter
Use sweet compound butter, such as apple herb, cinnamon honey and maple brown sugar, to combine sweet and savory flavors in your dishes. Flavored butter of this variety works wonders in baked goods, breakfast items and meats.
Savory compound butter
To introduce bold and rich flavors, incorporate savory compound butter into your dishes, such as blue cheese, bacon, four cheese and pesto basil. This flavored butter is ideal for meats, vegetables and baked goods.
Final words on fancy butter
Adding fancy butter to your arsenal of ingredients should be based on your preference and budget, not primarily on social status. With several options to choose from, gourmet butter should not only be used for sophistication but to also create mouthwatering dishes that will have your guests asking for seconds.
Jennifer Allen, retired chef turned cookbook author, blogger and traveler, shares her adventures and travel tips at All The Best Spots. Living at home with her family — and the cats that rule them all — her work has been featured in The Washington Post, Seattle Times, MSN and more.