Salted vs. Unsalted Butter: What to Know Before You Buy
Updated: Dec. 04, 2020
Does what kind of butter you choose matter when it comes to cooking and baking? We settle the debate between salted and unsalted.
When it comes to baking, we all have our favorites. I always stock the same brand of chocolate chips in my pantry, always shop for pure vanilla extract and normally I always reach for salted butter. But our recent butter taste test got me thinking—is salted butter always best?
Salted vs. Unsalted Butter
The difference between the two kinds of butter is obviously salt. Unsalted butter is all cream, while the salted variety has some salt added, though the amount varies from brand to brand. Because salt is a preservative, salted butter has a longer life in the fridge—typically around five months while unsalted usually is good for about three. (It’ll also keep on your counter if you follow these rules.) In addition, this means that when you visit your supermarket, chances are the unsalted variety is a bit fresher.
(Psst: Know a butter lover? Give one of these gifts focused their favorite ingredient.)
When Unsalted Butter Matters
In our Whipped Shortbread recipe, the Test Kitchen recommends using salted butter to “bump up the flavor.” On the other side of the coin, our recipe for Salted Pecan Squares specifically calls for unsalted butter. But what happens when the recipe doesn’t specify?
To find out when the difference between these two matters, I turned to our culinary director Sarah Farmer. According to Sarah, this varying level of salt makes a huge difference in your baking. “You don’t know how much salt is in salted butter—you just don’t have the control,” she says.
Rule of thumb: If a recipe calls for “butter” (neither unsalted nor salted) and “salt,” it’s safe to assume the recipe’s been precisely calibrated with unsalted butter in mind.
Don’t Get Salty, Now
Since we all know that baking is a science, that extra bit of salt can affect your recipe the same way an improperly measured cup of flour can. (Learn how to measure the right way here!) Regardless of how “scientifically” you approach your baking, unsalted butter is always a wise choice in baked goods whose pure buttery flavor is front and center—for example, in these Swedish Butter Cookies or this Blue Ribbon Butter Cake. This will provide the best showcase for your finished product’s buttery flavor.
For cooking, there’s a bit more leeway, but if you really want to control the exact amount of sodium going into your dishes, it’s best to use unsalted.
In addition, Sarah explains that “if you care a good deal about the freshness of the ingredients you’re using, used unsalted.” So that’s good advice to keep in mind!
Learn why butter may be the best for your pie crust.
When Salted Works
However, just because unsalted butter is preferable in most instances, doesn’t mean that you need to stop buying the salted variety altogether. Salt helps bring out flavor in foods after all, so in some instances, it’s a welcome addition. If you plan to spread your butter on a fresh baguette or a muffin fresh out of the oven, you’ll want that little hint of saltiness to accentuate all those flavors.
If you’re not interested in keeping both types on hand, food stylist Lauren Knoelke has a great tip: “If I want salted butter on toast or bread, I can easily use one of my fancier flavored salts sprinkled on top.”
So I officially learned something that will change my baking routine! No more salted butter for me (well, at least not in my favorite Bundt cake recipes). Interested in going the homemade route? Learning how to make butter is super easy!
Big & Buttery Chocolate Chip Cookies
My take on the classic cookie is inspired by a bakery in California called Hungry Bear. It's big, thick and chewy—truly the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. —Irene Yeh, Mequon, Wisconsin
Blue-Ribbon Butter Cake
I found this buttercake recipe in an old cookbook I bought at a garage sale and couldn’t wait to try it. I knew it had been someone’s favorite because of the well-worn page. —Joan Gertz, Palmetto, Florida
Buttery 3-Ingredient Shortbread Cookies
With only a few ingredients, these butter shortbread cookies are so simple to prepare. —Pattie Prescott, Manchester, New Hampshire
Chocolate-Tipped Butter Cookies
These wonderfully moist morsels are too tempting to resist. They melt right in your mouth. Rather than sprinkling the chocolate tips with nuts, you can roll them in red and green jimmies or leave them plain. —Charolette Westfall, Houston, Texas
Brown Butter Spice Cookies
If you like spice cake, you’ll love this recipe! Browned butter, dark chocolate and a splash of rum produce an unconventional spice cookie that’s guaranteed to please. —Kristin Kenney, Newport Beach, California
Old-Time Butter Crunch Candy
Both my children and my grandchildren say the season wouldn't be the same without the big tray of candies and cookies I prepare. This one's the popular part of that collection. We love the nutty pieces draped in chocolate. —Mildred Duffy, Bella Vista, Arkansas
Buttery Coconut Bars
My coconut bars are an American version of a Filipino coconut cake called bibingka. These are a crispier, sweeter take on the Christmas tradition I grew up with. —Denise Nyland, Panama City, Florida
Pecan Butter Tarts
I searched for the perfect butter tart for ages. After many attempts, I discovered this favorite that begs for a scoop of ice cream on top. —Susan Kieboam, Streetsboro, Ohio
Butter Cookies
This great butter cookie recipe is a favorite of my nephews, who love the creamy frosting. —Ruth Griggs, South Hill, Virginia
Banana Butter Pecan Kabobs
Desserts with bananas remind me of Grandma. She and my mom taught me to cook. I rarely measure. For this dish, I set out pecans and butterscotch with kabobs so everyone can customize. —Crystal Schlueter, Northglenn, Colorado
Browned Butter Cereal Bars
Crispy rice treats were one of the first recipes I ever made as a kid. For this version, I wanted to make something similar but more special. Friends and family think using Cap'n Crunch and browned butter is genius, but I just call them delicious.—Kelly Krauss, Lebanon, New Jersey
Buttery Orange Sugar Cookies
My husband's grandmother made a variety of cookies every year for her grandkids at Christmastime. She would box them up and give each child his or her own box. This crisp, orange flavored cookie is one of my favorites from her collection.—Heather McKillip, Aurora, Illinois
Butter Pecan Fudge
Toasted pecans add a nutty crunch to this creamy fudge, perfect for holiday giving. People always seem to rave about its wonderful caramel flavor. —Pam Smith, Alta Loma, California
Cranberry Orange Scones
Moist and scrumptious, these scones come out perfect every time. I savor the chewy dried cranberries and sweet orange glaze. There's nothing better than serving these remarkable scones warm with the delicate orange butter. —Karen McBride, Indianapolis, Indiana
Maple Butter Twists
My stepmother passed on the recipe for this delicious yeast coffee cake that's shaped into pretty rings. When I make it for friends, they always ask for seconds. —June Gilliland, Hope, Indiana
Lemon & Rosemary Butter Cookies
Cooling lemon and aromatic rosemary make these butter cookies stand out at the holidays. I use them to punch up the cookie trays for potlucks or as gifts.—Elizabeth Hokanson, Arborg, Manitoba
Red Apple Butter Bars
Fall means apple-picking time, and we love using the fresh fruit to bake up these bars. The streusel on top makes them even better. —Nancy Foust, Stoneboro, Pennsylvania
Tiger Butter Bark Candy
Fans of tiger butter fudge will revel in this version that's very similar to bark candy. The chocolate swirls are pleasing to the eye, and the creamy, peanut flavor is a treat for the taste buds.—Philip Jones, Lubbock, Texas
Frosted Butter Rum Brickle Bites
The rum, real butter and toffee bits made these cookies my husband’s new favorite. If you’d like them less sweet, skip the frosting and sprinkle the cookies with confectioners’ sugar while still warm. —Cindy Nerat, Menominee, Michigan
Coconut Italian Cream Cake
I’d never tasted an Italian cream cake before moving to Colorado. Now I bake for people in the area, and this beauty is one of my most requested treats. —Ann Bush, Colorado City, Colorado
Lemon Butter Cookies
These tender cutout cookies have a slight lemon flavor that makes them stand out from the rest. They're very easy to roll out compared to other sugar cookies I've worked with. I know you'll enjoy them as much as we do. —Judy McCreight, Springfield, Illinois
Down East Blueberry Buckle
This buckle won a contest at my daughter’s college. They shipped us four lobsters, but the real prize was seeing the smile on our daughter's face. —Dianne van der Veen, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Frosty Peanut Butter Pie
With only a handful of ingredients, this peanut butter pie promises to deliver well-deserved compliments. Whenever I bring this creamy, make-ahead pie to get-togethers, I'm asked for the recipe. —Christi Gillentine, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Chocolate Chip & Cookie Butter Thumbprints
I wanted to make a more festive version of chocolate chip cookies for the holidays. Since my mom's thumbprints are what I look forward to most, I decided to combine the two. —Crystal Schlueter, Babbitt, Minnesota
Chocolate & Coconut Cream Torte
My grandmother passed this recipe down to me years ago and now I make it for my own grandchildren. When preparing, make sure the chocolate layer is properly chilled before adding the next layer, or the coconut will sink into it. —Jason Purkey, Ocean City, Maryland
Go Bananas Whoopie Pies
I love anything with peanut butter, so when I saw this recipe for soft banana cookies with a yummy peanut butter filling, I had to make them. Use a cookie scoop to keep them nicely rounded and all the same size. —Jessie Sarrazin, Livingston, Montana
Buttery Bubble Bread
Homemade bread can be time-consuming, difficult and tricky to make. But this fun-to-eat monkey bread, baked in a fluted tube pan, is easy and almost foolproof. If I'm serving it for breakfast, I add some cinnamon and drizzle it with icing. —Pat Stevens, Granbury, Texas
Chewy Peanut Butter Pan Squares
With seven of us in our family, including two teenage boys, these peanut butter cookie bars never last long! It's hard to believe how simple these peanut butter bars without graham crackers are to prepare. —Deb DeChant, Milan, Ohio
Kourabiedes (Greek Butter Cookies)
I had to bake something from my heritage for school. So, I made this heavenly kourabiedes recipe. —Rebecca Sprague, St. Louis, Missouri
Buttermilk Cake with Caramel Icing
This fabulous cake and caramel frosting are so tender, it melts in your mouth. It's been a family favorite since the '70s and it goes over really well at church potluck meals. —Anna Jean Allen, West Liberty, Kentucky
Buttery Ganache Cookie Cups
Our family wanted to share our love of ganache-filled cupcakes, so we made them into cookies. Even better: we bake the cookies in muffin cups, fill with ganache, and get the best of both worlds! —Adela Srinivasan, Parker, Colorado
Palmiers
It takes just two ingredients to make these impressive but easy-to-do French pastries, which are often called palm leaves. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Aunt Rose's Fantastic Butter Toffee
I don't live in the country, but I love everything about it—especially good old-fashioned home cooking! Every year, you'll find me at our county fair, entering a different contest. This easy toffee recipe is a family favorite. —Kathy Dorman, Snover, Michigan
Buttermilk Pound Cake
Now that I've retired from teaching, I have more time to bake. This buttermilk pound cake is the one I make most often. It is a truly southern recipe, and one I think can't be topped—once people taste it, they won't go back to their other recipes with buttermilk. —Gracie Hanchey, De Ridder, Louisiana
Butter Pecan Layer Cake
Pecans and butter give this cake the same irresistible flavor as the popular butter pecan ice cream flavor. —Becky Miller, Tallahassee, Florida
Peanut Butter Cream Pie
During the warm months, it's nice to have a fluffy, no-bake dessert that's a snap to make. Packed with peanut flavor, this pie gets gobbled up even after a big meal! —Jesse & Anne Foust, Bluefield, West Virginia
Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
After trying a few buttercream frosting recipes, this easy buttercream frosting takes the cake with its unmatchable homemade taste. With a few simple variations, you can come up with different colors and flavors. —Diana Wilson, Denver, Colorado
Coffee 'n' Cream Brownies
A friend gave me the recipe for these rich cakelike brownies topped with a creamy coffee-enhanced filling and a chocolate glaze. I like to garnish each square with a coffee bean. —Michelle Tiemstra, Lacombe, AlbertaSpecial thanks to Lauren Cahn for the additional reporting.
