Aldi's Pure Irish Butter Is What You Need If You Don't Want To Pay For Kerrygold
Butter lovers have more choices at the grocery store than ever these days. But perhaps the biggest butter story of the last decade has been the rise of Kerrygold Irish butter. According to Eater, as of 2018 the fancy butter dressed up in the gold foil wrappers is the second-best-selling brand of butter in the U.S. (only Land O'Lakes sells better). Celebrity bakers and chefs, including Martha Stewart and Alison Roman, swear by the quality of the imported butter. The good stuff comes with a hefty price tag outside of Ireland, however, often costing more than an extra dollar or two per pound than store-brand sticks. If you love the taste and texture of Kerrygold, but not so much the price, point your shopping cart towards Aldi. Its Countryside Creamery Pure Irish Butter is a solid dupe and costs less than the brand-name stuff.
Even if you've never shopped there, you probably already know that Aldi does things a little differently, including charging a quarter for a shopping cart (yes, you get it back) and not providing shopping bags (bring your own). But what the store lacks in marketing and extras, it more than makes up for in high-quality store-brand items that are as good as — and sometimes better than — expensive brands such as Kerrygold.
What makes Kerrygold different from U.S. butters
Kerrygold butter swept to prominence in the last 10 years in America, but it's been a staple in Irish kitchens since 1962. It wasn't launched in the U.S. until 1998, and even then, it took several years to catch on with consumers. When compared to a stick of domestically-made butter, you can see right away when you open the wrapper that the sticks or blocks are a deeper yellow color and the texture is softer. It has a higher butterfat content and less water. Devotees say it has a richer, creamier flavor that's great in everything from macaroni and cheese to simply being spread on toast.
The company says on its website that the quality and color of the butter is because of the cream that comes from grass-fed cows that are raised and milked by a cooperative of family dairy farmers. "Kerrygold cows graze on fresh grass for most of the year," it says, as well as, "Kerrygold farmers plan herd movement to ensure their cows always eat the highest-quality grass." The yellow color in the butter comes from the beta carotene found in the grass that the cows eat, and the flavor is a bit nutty and grassy.
If you like that flavor profile, you'll pay extra for it. Eight ounces of Kerrygold costs around $4.50, or 56 cents an ounce, whereas a pound of Land O'Lakes costs between $3.50 and $5.50, or 34 cents an ounce.
Aldi's house brand is cheaper
If you're a Kerrygold convert but not a fan of the price, Aldi's Countryside Creamery Pure Irish Butter could be the answer. Aldi's Kerrygold knockoff clocks in at $2.49 for an 8-ounce package, which works out to about 31 cents an ounce. And according to the Aldi website, it's also imported from Ireland and made with milk from grass-fed cows. Aldi shoppers agree that it's extremely similar to the name brand, with a more approachable price.
"I buy the Countryside Creamery's Irish Butter because I am not made of money and can't afford Kerrygold," said one Reddit user. Another commented, "I have bought both Kerrygold and the Aldi version and I don't notice a difference." Food blogger Lynda Makara reviewed Aldi's butter next to Kerrygold and said that she couldn't taste or see any difference. "When I tasted them they tasted exactly the same to me. There's no way I could tell one from the other in a blind taste test. It makes me wonder if they come from the same supplier."
If you want to give Irish butter a try, or you're already a fan of the original but watching your spending, you may want to stop at Aldi on your next grocery run to get all the fat and flavor for a couple of dollars less than the original.