Cultured Butter Is Even Better Than Regular Butter—Here's How to Use It

Find out what makes cultured butter a standout, plus how we like to use it in baking and cooking.

overhead view of bread and butter on a wooden surface — Credit:
Mizina / Getty Images

Maybe you've noticed a new type of butter in the dairy section at your grocery store, or maybe you've seen it on a restaurant menu as the accompaniment to a bread basket. Now you're curious about cultured butter and wondering how it's different from the sweet cream butter you usually use. Is it worth trying to spread on your toast or daub on pancakes, or is it only for certain uses like baking? Learn how cultured butter is different from your usual butter and the best ways to use and enjoy it.

Gina Martano, head of research and development at Vermont Creamery, an artisan-style maker of butter and cheese.

What Is Cultured Butter?

To learn what makes cultured butter special, we spoke with Gina Martano, head of research and development at Vermont Creamery. Cultured butter is made much like sweet cream butter, says Martano.

Making traditional butter is a fairly simple process (cream is churned, then the resulting butter is separated from the buttermilk). Making cultured butter takes more time and patience than making sweet cream butter. There's an extra step that involves adding live bacterial cultures to the fresh, pasteurized cream. The cultured cream rests in a vat as it thickens, and this is where the cultures begin to alter the actual flavor of the butter. The cream slowly ferments overnight, producing flavors and aromas that are unmatched. After fermentation, the cream is churned into cultured butter.

The finished cultured butter is as creamy as sweet cream butter but with a significantly more complex flavor, higher butterfat content, and lower moisture level.

The Taste

While traditional butter tastes fatty, salty, and, well, buttery, cultured butter has more dynamic notes on the palette. It's often described as slightly tangy and a bit nutty. Martano says Vermont Creamery's cultured butter has notes of buttermilk and hazelnuts.

The use of live cultures is what sets cultured butter apart from regular butter, creating a more pronounced butter flavor. "In short, it’s a more buttery butter," says Martano.

When to Use Cultured Butter

Cultured butter can be used anywhere you would use regular sweet cream butter—you can use cultured butter in any recipe that calls for regular butter. It will affect recipes in a relatively subtle yet meaningful way. And it will only improve things, says Martano.

Where It Shines Best

Keep in mind that the price point for cultured butter is higher than regular butter, so while it can be used for everyday applications, we like to save it for recipes that are butter-forward, like shortbread cookies and traditional beurre blanc. Cultured butter will make these dishes even better.

Texture: Cultured butter affects more than just the flavor of a dish. Martano says the higher butterfat content of cultured butter creates a finer crumb texture in cakes and quick breads. Cultured butter's low levels of moisture can also lead to flakier layers in pie dough and biscuits.

Smoke Point: Cultured butter isn't just for baking; its lower moisture content means it has a higher smoke point. You can sear meat and vegetables and get that classic Maillard reaction without worrying about smoking up your kitchen.

Storing Cultured Butter

Since active cultures are present in cultured butter, it can have a slightly shorter shelf life than traditional butter, depending on the brand. If you don't plan to use it all before its expiration date, store it in the freezer for up to four months.

How to Use It

When substituting cultured butter in recipes, "the only adjustment you'll need to make is to elevate your expectations," says Martano. She likes to keep it simple by spreading a thick layer of cultured butter on toast or an English muffin. And we mean a thick layer: "The trick is to see teeth marks after you bite into it," says Martano. Slabs of cultured butter are also great anywhere you'd add a tablespoon or two—think stacks of pancakes or waffles, corn on the cob, lobster rolls, and fried eggs.

Searing meat: Its high smoke point makes it ideal for searing thick cuts of meat like rib-eyes, filets, or pork chops, especially if you plan to baste the meat with more butter and other flavors, like garlic and herbs.

Cooking seafood: It adds a subtle, nuanced flavor to seafood, so it's perfect for paella and shrimp boils.

Baking: Cultured butter is best used in recipes where butter is the most important ingredient, like butter cookies, pound cake, flaky biscuits, croissants, dinner rolls, and buttery breads like challah and brioche. Also, try it in buttercream frosting.

Making Cultured Butter at Home

What’s the old adage? Just because you can doesn't necessarily mean you should. If you want to try making cultured butter, you’ll need high-quality cream and another cultured dairy product, like cultured buttermilk or unsweetened yogurt. However, the process is time-sensitive and takes some practice. We wouldn't recommend it as a weekend DIY (stick to making sourdough, yogurt, or turning out a special cake.) Now that cultured butter is increasingly available in supermarkets and specialty stores, you can stock up when you shop.