Butter is one of the culturally embedded superfoods in India. Stories of the childhood of Lord Krishana of the Hindu religion are incomplete without referencing butter. He is known as "Makhan Chor." Except for all other superfoods which come with 'super price,' butter is conveniently available for everyone.
One can find a variety of milk and nut butter in the Indian market. We know that choosing the right butter is a difficult task. You have to decide whether you want to go with regular salted butter or unsalted one. Here we have designed a detailed buying guide and top 10 product recommendations to help you choose the right product for yourself. Let's get started! This article has been medically and thoroughly reviewed by a professional nutritionist, Ruchi Wadhwa, so keep reading!
Ruchi Wadhwa is a certified Nutritionist with a keen interest in Ayurvedic science. She has a wholesome, holistic, and sustainable approach to nutrition.
mybest editing team consists of experienced members who have backgrounds in writing, editing, translation, and more. We are dedicated to researching what makes a product or service the best to users in India in order to create top-quality articles. From skincare, to kitchen appliances, and to DIY supplies, our mission is to find the best ones for you.
The expert oversees the Buying Guide only, and does not determine the products and services featured.
Table of Contents
There are many types of butter from various brands available in the Indian market. It is quite overwhelming and confusing for a customer. It is better if you go through some guidelines and considerations. We have taken the effort to design a buying guide so that you can get the most suitable product for yourself.
There are two types of butter in India that are, milk butter, which is also known as dairy butter or white butter, and nut butter. Both have a considerable amount of differences in their nutrient values. You should know which is the most suitable for you.
Milk butter, also known as dairy butter or white butter is mainly extracted from the cow milk. But aside from cows, some other mammals like sheep, goat, and buffalo are also used for this purpose. Fat and proteins, and Its Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) helps in increasing energy and endurance.
Fatty foods are often more flavourful because flavors dissolve in fats quite smoothly. The same thing applies for butter as well. Because of the high concentration of fat, it has a rich flavor and a creamy texture. It also works incredibly well as a 'flavor carrier,' as it efficiently carries the taste of the parent product, on which it applies, into the dish.
It can be a primary source of flavour in dessert toppings, naan, curry, and others. It is fine if consumed in moderation, but overconsumption of milk butter has many harmful effects too. The fats it has can cause various problems like obesity, hypertension, heart diseases, and many more.
Milk butter, a widely used dairy item, is basically milk fat separated from its other components. Milk butter is 80% fat which carries fat-soluble vitamins (Vitamin A, D, K, E) and other nutritious components like MFGN (Milk Fat Globule Membrane), CLA (Conjugated Linolenic Acid), and some SCFAs (Short-Chain Fatty Acids).
MFGM contains bioactive components that play a role in cell growth, blood coagulation, neurological signaling, and cholesterol-lowering activities. CLA, the other nutritional element, is widely known for its cancer-protecting and weight-reducing properties. Moreover, this high-fat is responsible for butter-rich flavor, texture, and high palatability.
Thus, making it an ideal choice for baking and cooking. But, butter is both calorie-dense and has a very high amount of saturated fat, a combination known to increase the risk of heart disease and other NCDs. Therefore, it should be consumed moderately.
Nut butter is prepared by using almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, and many more. The most widely consumed kinds of nut butter in India are peanut butter and almond butter. They are far healthier and protein-rich than milk butter. Nut butter contains a variety of nutrients that are good for your heart and help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Although every nut butter has its unique benefits, some benefits are common to all. They are a great source of minerals and nutrients and contain heart-healthy unsaturated fats, protein, and fiber. They are a rich source of vitamin E, which keeps our immune system as well as skin and hair healthy. It is a perfect thing to incorporate in your diet if you haven't done it yet.
However, be aware of artificial sweeteners like advantame, aspartame, neotame, and more present in some nut butters, as some researchers suggest that they may lead to problems like diabetes, gastrointestinal issues, and might contain a lot of calories.
In recent times, nut butter, especially almonds and peanuts, are used as a healthier alternative to dairy butter. This is because nut butters are rich in protein, fiber, essential fatty acids, and other nutrients, whereas traditional butter (from cow's milk) is just fat and water.
Current evidence suggests that consumption of nuts decreases the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, gallstone disease, and several cancers. In fact, intake of nuts 5 or more times per week reduces the risk of diabetes by 27%. Nut butter contains around 90% of nut ingredients.
Therefore, using nut butter instead of milk butter is a good way of incorporating nuts into a regular diet. However, one should choose natural butter over commercial ones, which usually contain unhealthy substances like palm oil, sugars, etc.
Experts consider protein as a crucial building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. Among all kinds of nut butter, peanut butter contains the highest amount of protein. 2 tablespoons of peanut butter has 7 grams of protein- an easy way to add protein to your daily meal!
Aside from protein, it also has a rich amount of calcium, magnesium, zinc, and iron. Its monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are healthy for the heart. It can be a cost-effective way to improve heart health.
They come with two kinds of textures, creamy and crunchy. Like milk butter, it should also be consumed in moderation because overeating will increase fat and sodium intake that will have harmful effects.
Peanut butter is delicious, low-carb food packed with protein, healthy fats, essential vitamins, minerals and is known to help with weight loss, reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. In addition, peanut butter is an excellent plant-based protein source as it contains around 25% protein, and therefore is used by bodybuilders and gym-goers.
However, it is much lower in essential amino acids like methionine and cysteine than animal protein; its digestibility is like animal protein. As a result, peanut butter usually has either a nutty or smooth texture. Although both have almost the same nutrient profile, chunky or nutty peanut butter is a little high in protein than smooth one and should be preferred if the goal is either weight loss or bodybuilding.
Other than nutrients like calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, almond butter also has a rich content of vitamin E. 2 tablespoon of almond butter can fulfill more than 50% of your daily vitamin E requirement.
Vitamin E is a heart-protective antioxidant. Also, 2/3 of the total amount of almond butter contains heart-healthy monosaturated fats. It is also rich in fibers that help improve cholesterol panels. So, replace your regular butter with nut butter for more health benefits.
Almond butter-like all the other nut butters are rich in both calories and essential nutrients. Almond butter is a heart-healthy food item as most of its calories come from good quality fats like MUFA (Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acids) and PUFAs (Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids) which help to reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase good cholesterol (HDL).
Moreover, it contains vitamin E and L-arginine that stop the buildup of plague and maintains the walls of arteries, respectively. Thus, moderate consumption of almond butter regularly helps to improve heart health and lower the risk of heart disease.
It is important to consider affordability in the case of butter because it is a perishable product that requires constant replacement. You have to purchase it regularly which means that you have to manage it within household income.
Generally, nut butter is more expensive than milk butter. But it does not mean that you should ignore the downside of milk butter. If not consumed in moderation, its high amount of fats will cause many problems related to blood pressure and cholesterol.
Despite being less healthy, milk butter is much more popular among the masses as it is both accessible and affordable. Moreover, replacing conventional butter with nut butter is difficult in few instances, like cooking traditional Indian dishes or baking.
Therefore, it is advised that people consume it cautiously in moderate amounts. Also, nut butter does have relatively fewer calories and fat content than milk butter. So to achieve the above-mentioned health benefits, they should be consumed moderately along with a well-balanced diet.
Packaging of butter is essential to consider because it's not only to make it look attractive but also to increase its shelf life. Some brands give too much importance to the packaging as they prefer to launch a tamper-proof product.
We recommend inspecting the packaging first to see if there's any alteration made. Should there by any, this means that you should not purchase the butter.
Manufacturers often engage in malpractices like misbranding or making false health claims to make the product look more attractive and appealing. Many times words like '100% natural', 'No added sugar,' 'Cholesterol free' are used at the front of the pack to make a product seem more healthy than it actually is.
Therefore, consumers need to make themselves aware of these terms and choose products as per their needs. For example, natural peanut butter should not contain any ingredients other than nuts and salt. So, if you want to buy all-natural peanut butter, first check the label, and if you find ingredients like hydrogenated palm oil or sugar, then keep it back.
To choose between salted and unsalted butter, you have to consider two variables, that are, the shelf life of the product and if there are preservatives added. If your priority is prolonged shelf life, then you should consider salted butter. In this butter, except for taste, salt also acts as a preservative that extends the life of butter.
Unsalted butter is pure and contains no preservative and has a shorter shelf life than salted butter. If you want to buy unsalted butter, we recommend you to look at the words like 'sweet butter' or 'unsalted butter.' In comparison to unsalted butter that survives only for three days, the shelf life of the salted butter is around five months in the refrigerator.
Salt is one of the most commonly used preservatives. It is added to butter to increase both its shelf-life and flavor profile. Patients with all those conditions that require sodium restriction for its management like high blood pressure, kidney failure, liver failure, chronic heart failure should definitely check the ingredient list and opt for the unsalted or the low-salt version.
This butter can be the best choice for you if you generally prefer products which are more natural and have minimum additives. It has zero salt as well as sugar and contains no preservatives.
It is natural, and Non-GMO. This butter is rich in protein and dietary fiber that is good for heart and weight management. It can be a highly useful product for gym goers, dieters, and joggers.
This product is rich in probiotic fiber which is good for the digestive system. This fiber produces various bacterias that boosts the immune system and improve metabolic health.
Diabetic patients can also consume this product as it contains less than 80% sugar. Reviewers consider it a very good replacement for other kinds of butter.
Usually, children don't have healthy eating habits. Initially, it will be a difficult task to include such healthy superfoods like peanut butter in their diet because if its dull taste. So this peanut butter with chocolate flavor can be a comfortable start for children.
This product has no additives like sugar, salt, hydrogenated oil, or any other kind of artificial flavor. Reviewers called this product as a perfect blend of chocolate and peanut butter.
This product is for those who have a craving for organic food items. All peanuts of this product are directly grown by the company in their farmlands without any pesticides. It claims to be 100% organic.
It contains all essential nutrients like protein, dietary fiber, Vitamin E, phosphorus, and many more with a delicious creamy texture. Reviewers liked its real flavor of peanuts and its aroma.
When it comes to dairy products, Amul is the most trusted and loveable brand among Indians. If you are looking for a salty flavor in milk butter, then this is one of the best options. Its overconsumption can be harmful because it contains a high amount of sodium, cholesterol, and saturated fats.
This butter can be topped with various dishes like pav bhaji, daal, soup, popcorn, maggie, corns, paneer masala, and many more. Reviewers have kept this butter at the top because of the taste.
This product offers a unique combination of chocolate and almond. It is a vegan butter and contains 80% almond butter and 20% dark chocolate and has a prolonged shelf life of approximately six months.
Diabetic patients can also use this product as it is sugar-free and has no other preservatives. Those who prefer gluten-free food material can also rely on this product.
If you are looking for an organic almond butter, this product is one of the best options you have. Jus Amazin is an organization that is committed to providing 100% organic made-in-house food items.
There are no chemicals, artificial preservatives, refined sugar added to it. Its rich calcium content is beneficial in bone development and strength. Reviewers appreciate its taste and texture and even say that it breaks the myth that whatever is healthy is not tasty.
This butter from Amul is for those who prefer the plain flavor of milk butter and want no preservatives. It is an Amul butter in its purest form and has a good shelf life of around six months.
It is rich in vitamin A that is good for our immune system and bone health. Reviewers like its creamy texture and consider it best for a ketogenic diet, a diet with high-fat, adequate-proteins, and low-carbohydrates.
If you have a craving for cashew nuts, then this product is for you. Those who have a deficiency of copper but want the texture of butter in their diet can also try this product as cashews are a rich source of copper.
It also helps in controlling gallstone, hard crystalline mass formed abnormally in the gall bladder, and diabetes. Reviewers praised its packaging as it is highly temper proof.
In comparison to peanut butter, the consumption of hazelnut butter is very limited in the Indian market, still if someone wants to try, this product can be a good starting point.
It contains all essential nutrients like proteins, fibers, vitamin E, and many more and also maintains great flavor with a creamy texture. Supports cardiovascular and brain health.
Apart from various health benefits, peanut butter can also be used to make various delicious food items including smoothies. Peanut butter and banana are one of the most appreciated flavors among Indians. So, it's a show-stopping smoothie recipe you need to make!
We will help you out with ingredients and methods.
Ingredients
Instructions
For more details, you can visit the website.
One substitute of butter can be ghee because it can also be complemented with various things like naan, curry, even shakes and smoothies. So, check out our recommendations of pure desi ghee.
Choosing the desired product seems simple and trivial, but, in reality, to purchase the most suitable product, a consumer has to consider a lot of things from affordability to flavor, from nutrients to brand name.
Selecting the best butter for yourself has the same story. We have tried our best to make things simple and clearer for you by designing a detailed buying guide and product recommendations. We hope this article is of great aid in making a choice!!
Author: Nikhil Deora
When you purchase products mentioned in the article, part of the sales may be returned to mybest.
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