12 Kerrygold Butter Alternatives Worth Buying

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There's a reason Kerrygold is so popular. The Irish grass-fed butter's name has become a byword for quality, while its yellow tint and creamy flavor make it a feast for both the eyes and the taste buds. Kerrygold may not be the only type of butter out there, but you'd be forgiven for thinking it's the only one worth purchasing given how chefs and amateur cooks alike shower it in praise.

Look — we love Kerrygold as much as everyone else. However, it's worth remembering there are countless butters out there, and if you're looking to try something new, or want to opt for something a little more affordable (because Kerrygold can be on the expensive side), then you're spoiled for choice. Alternative butters from Irish, French, and American producers are readily available in stores across the United States, and plenty of them give Kerrygold a run for its money. In fact, plenty of customers prefer these butters over the Irish brand, citing their fuller flavor and higher butterfat content. We didn't think it was appropriate to gatekeep all that knowledge, so we're sharing it here. These are all the Kerrygold alternatives that should be firmly on your radar.

Vermont Creamery knows what it's doing when it comes to butter. Since starting life in 1984, the Northeast-based dairy producer has created products that embody the flavors of Vermont — and those decades of experience come together in its cultured butter. This butter is made with Vermont's own fresh cream, into which bacterial cultures are added, kicking off a fermentation process that ultimately gives it a more nuanced, slightly nutty flavor. 

A multi-award-winning butter, it's available in both unsalted and sea salt forms. Both of these options will imbue whatever you're making with rich, full flavor, but it's the sea salt version that really stands out to customers. "[This] is how butter is supposed to taste!" says one customer on Amazon, while others praise it for its creaminess and sense of quality. While cultured butter has a slightly more developed profile, it's still versatile enough to be used with virtually anything. It may not be a budget option, but it'll be worth the cash you spend on it.

Purchase Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter With Sea Salt for $4.24 from Walmart.

If you've ever tried Isigny Sainte-Mère, you'll likely find it hard to switch back to a different butter again. This French butter is astonishingly full-flavored and creamy, and it's crafted with the utmost care, with every aspect of its production rigorously considered. Since 1930, the Isigny name has been protected to prevent rogue butter producers from using it on their lesser products. Now, Isigny Sainte-Mère is a Protected Designation of Origin item, a hard-won label achieved after the unique and superlative quality of Isigny milk was proven.

In short, you won't find a butter like this elsewhere, and it shows in its flavor. Isigny Sainte-Mère butter is renowned for a luscious, intensely rich flavor, with its quality demonstrating itself in every bite. For some, it beats Kerrygold — and not just on the taste front, but on the texture front, too. Its visual appearance is also striking in its simplicity and rustic nature. The only drawback is Isigny Sainte-Mère is on the expensive side, and you might find Kerrygold sticks at a lower price — but if you want a classic French butter, it's hard to beat this one.

Purchase Isigny Sainte-Mère Butter With Sea Salt Crystals for $8.49 on Amazon.

It's hard to argue with Plugrà's quality. It may be American (although that might not be immediately apparent from its name), but its European style gives it a serious creaminess thanks to its high butterfat levels. This combination of 82% butterfat and slow-churn production not only improves its flavor and mouthfeel, but it also makes it more pliable in pastries and doughs. There's a reason why it comes recommended by plenty of industry professionals, including none other than Martha Stewart.

Customers love it, too. "I think it tastes noticeably better than Kerrygold," said one person on Reddit about Plugrà. They went on to remark it was generally cheaper than Kerrygold at their local grocery store. Others have pointed out its superlative richness, as well as the gentle sweet note in its flavor profile. The salted option earns points for not having too much of a sodium-forward note; instead, the saltiness is balanced and well-incorporated into the butter. Plugrà is easily one of the best store-bought butters around. 

Purchase Plugrà Premium European Style Salted Butter for $3.12 from Walmart.

Who would have thought a worthy Kerrygold competitor would come courtesy of Costco's private label? Kirkland Signature Grass-Fed Butter is produced either in New Zealand or Ireland, with its packaging changing depending on its country of origin — but wherever it's coming from, its quality remains high. It has the same yellowish tone as Kerrygold, and if you weren't well-versed in the Irish butter, you might find it hard to tell the difference.

Plenty of people can, though — and some even prefer Costco's product. Its velvety texture stands up to scrutiny, and some have said it has more of a coherent, rich, grease-free composition and mouthfeel than Kerrygold. It's also an excellent choice for people who like salted butter that isn't too salty, as it has a lower sodium content than Kerrygold (it doesn't come in an unsalted option, though, so bear that in mind). Kirkland Signature Grass-Fed Butter also wins points for price; it's generally much cheaper than Kerrygold, particularly if you're buying it at Costco.

Purchase 2 pounds of Kirkland Signature Grass-Fed Butter for $10.99 from Costco.

Sometimes, a short quote speaks a thousand words. "Who would believe that a butter could be life changing," says one customer about Rodolphe Le Meunier's salted butter on Murray's Cheese. "It literally is the best butter by a Grand Canyon over any other butter you've had." Allow us to explain why they're so enthusiastic about it: Rodolphe Le Meunier is a beurre de baratte, a French churned butter still made using traditional, time-honored methods. Made with pasteurized cream and hand-shaped, it's a butter that's crafted, not merely manufactured — and it means that every block is made with serious attention to detail.

No wonder it's won such passionate fans. Some people say Rodolphe Le Meunier is not just one of the best butters, but the best butter available in the United States. In some ways, it's almost more like a cheese, and you might even find it in the cheese section of some gourmet grocery stores — if you're willing to shell out the dough, that is: Rodolphe Le Meunier is the definition of an artisanal butter, and it fetches a very high price (although you may find cheaper blocks in stores like Whole Foods). It's not an everyday Kerrygold alternative, but it's definitely one you won't forget in a hurry.

Purchase Rodolphe Le Meunier Salted Butter for $25.00 from Murray's Cheese.

Cabot Extra Creamy Butter takes everything you like about Kerrygold and kicks it up a notch. This butter's sea salt variety is made with 83% butterfat, whereas Kerrygold Salted Pure Irish Butter contains 80% – and that extra 3% makes all the difference. The higher butterfat levels give Cabot Extra Creamy a serious richness and a luxurious quality, with its slow-churned nature adding to its velvety composition and density.

If you don't believe us, maybe you'll believe the experts. Cabot Extra Creamy Butter was voted the best butter in the salted butter category at the 2024 World Championship Cheese Contest, and also took first place at the American Cheese Society Competition in both 2025 and 2026. Cabot is also Ina Garten's go-to brand when she cooks with butter; she uses the unsalted variety, incidentally. If you can't find Cabot's Extra Creamy variety, its entire butter range is crafted with care, and it's hard to go wrong with one of its options. Cabot Extra Creamy butter is also easy to find at plenty of nationwide grocery retailers like Whole Foods and Walmart.

Purchase Cobot Extra Creamy Sea Salted Butter for $2.99 from Walmart.

Some people may be more aware of Tillamook as a cheese or ice cream brand — but don't forget it makes butter, too. It makes very good butter, in fact. Tillamook Extra Creamy Butter contains 81% butterfat, giving it a smooth, full-bodied quality and a dense creaminess. It's also as versatile as you would expect from a good butter, giving life and richness to cookies as much as it does to a slice of homemade sourdough toast.

If you're looking for a like-for-like swap for Kerrygold, Tillamook is going to be the clearest alternative. Not only does it have a similar butterfat level, but it also performs just as well in recipes (and for some, it's even better than the Irish butter and has emerged as a preferred choice). Where it has the edge, though, is in its price. Ounce-for-ounce, Tillamook Extra Creamy Butter can come in at nearly 50% cheaper than Kerrygold – and for a product that's just as good, if not better, it's worth making the swap.

Purchase Tillamook Extra Creamy Butter for $5.96 from Walmart.

In a crowded butter market, Finlandia holds its own. Made with pure Finnish milk sourced from family-owned farms, this butter feels unadulterated and as simple as they come. Simple doesn't mean it's lacking in flavor, though — far from it. Finlandia Imported Butter has a full-bodied, deeply buttery taste and a vibrant yellow appearance that customers love.

Crucially, it also shines in applications where you actually need the butter flavor and its creamy qualities to shine through — especially in comparison to Kerrygold. "I normally use the Finlandia grass fed butter and ended up having to get Kerrygold from Walmart," said one customer on Facebook. "I make bullet proof coffee in the morning and there is a huge difference between my creamy Finlandia and this Kerrygold butter. I don't know what you all like about Kerrygold." In short, once you switch from Kerrygold to this one, you might find it hard to go back.

Purchase Finlandia Pure Milk Butter for $12.79 from BJ's Wholesale Club.

There's a lot to love about Truly Grass Fed Natural Creamy Butter. This Irish-imported butter is produced from grass-fed cows, and it's also non-GMO and antibiotic-free. It's also got a higher butterfat content than a lot of equivalent options out there, giving it the creamy, rich quality all good butter should have. 

Its production pedigree is a particular high point for a lot of people, and not just because they feel they're getting an ethically sourced butter made with care; they can actually feel and taste the quality coming from it. Perhaps that's why some people have started to drift towards Truly over Kerrygold. "[Truly] butter is very creamy and delicious. We like it better than Kerrygold, which we've used exclusively for years," said one person on Facebook, who concluded by saying, "We plan to continue buying it." 

Taste and appearance-wise, it's similar to Kerrygold (which makes sense, considering they're both Irish butters), but it may have the edge. It might be trickier to find, though — although it can sometimes pop up in Costco stores as a temporary replacement for its Kirkland Signature Grass-Fed Butter or Kerrygold.

Purchase Truly Grass Fed Natural Creamy Butter from stores in your area via Instacart.

If you judge how tasty your butter is by how much butterfat it has (and given that's one of the biggest factors in how to choose butter when baking), then you might be wise to skip Kerrygold and go for Danish Creamery European Style Butter instead. This slow-churned butter has a whopping 85% butterfat, notably more than both Kerrygold and most other commercially available butters out there. This amount of butterfat gives it a luscious, super-rich quality and a serious density people love — and they love it more than Kerrygold, in a lot of cases.

Now, we know what you're thinking: Don't you have to pay more for more butterfat? Wouldn't that cancel out the benefit of buying this butter? No — because it's actually less expensive than Kerrygold. Danish Creamery European Style Butter is approximately 25 cents cheaper per ounce than Kerrygold at the time of writing this article, and you're quite literally getting more for less. To be honest, we'd call that a bit of a no-brainer.

Purchase Danish Creamery European Style Butter for $3.44 from Walmart.

Organic Valley Butter has long drawn comparisons to Kerrygold, and to this day people still consider it a worthy alternative to the classic Irish butter. Organic Valley has a luxurious quality thanks to its butterfat content, and some people say it has more of a creaminess and a fuller mouthfeel than Kerrygold. That creaminess also comes through in its flavor, which feels distinctly milky and rich. Throw in the fact Organic Valley keeps things a touch more moderate on the salt, and it's a good choice if you prefer your butter to have a more delicate taste.

It's also a good option, as you may have gathered from its name, if you're looking for an organic butter. Organic Valley Butter is made with pasture-raised organic milk with no hormones, antibiotics, or pesticides used in its production. It's then churned in small batches, ensuring each one gets individual and specific attention. While it's a little more expensive than some butters, it can still be slightly cheaper than Kerrygold at some stores.

Purchase Organic Valley Butter for $4.64 from Walmart.

Can a supermarket's own version of a staple like butter really compete with name-brand producers? In Trader Joe's case, yes, it can. Its Cultured Salted Butter has long been considered by its customers to be one of the best options out there, and sometimes even better than the famous Irish butter. Trader Joe's fans frequently say they prefer it to Kerrygold, and given it has a similar price point (and may be marginally cheaper), it's certainly worth a try.

Trader Joe's Cultured Salted Butter is, in typical fashion, carefully sourced. It's supplied to the supermarket by producers in Brittany, France, and churned extensively to lower the moisture content and amp up the creaminess. The added bacterial cultures deepen and develop the flavor, giving it a slight tang and a fermented note that doesn't distract when it's added to food (although there are some things you should keep in mind when cooking with cultured butter). Instead, it creates additional textures and interplay — and it also makes it taste fuller and richer when it's the star of a snack. Some TJ's butter and a hunk of crusty bread? Heaven. This one belongs in Trader Joe's product hall of fame for sure. 

Purchase Cultured Salted Butter for $4.99 at Trader Joe's.