Butter is one of life’s simplest pleasures. Without it, effortless dishes from omelettes to beans on toast are pale imitations of what they could be. Vilified for decades for being a ‘bad fat’, public health advice suggested swapping it for margarines as butter is higher in saturated fats (which increases cholesterol). But now butter is thought to be fine, as long as it's part of a balanced way of eating.
Now butter is firmly back in our shopping baskets and fridges, appreciated for the excellent creation that it is. Waitrose has reported a 16 per cent increase in sales of its essentials salted butter compared to last year, and flavoured butters have soared in popularity, with Worldpanel trend forecasting reporting sales have risen by 24 per cent in the UK in a year.
And, like the queen of cooking, Nigella Lawson loves to do, it’s best slathered on toast. I'd always opt for salted butter for toast. But Nigella has her own way of doing it – she uses unsalted butter, and has two ‘layers’, ensuring the second leaves un-melted blobs of butter on the slice. The final step is to sprinkle sea salt flakes on top. So, if salted butter is good enough for Nigella (albeit a more deconstructed approach), it's good enough for us. (For a quicker and simpler approach, I've only tested salted butter here.)
Like many essential ingredients, the cost of butter has risen around 19 per cent in the past year alone, so as it's something that you're always going to be buying, it's worth knowing which brands are worth their salt. It’s now unlikely to get a pack of butter (excluding the spreadable types that come in tubs) for less than £2, where most give only a few pence change from £3.
From basic own brands to the more luxurious among them, these are the butters from supermarkets that are worth adding to your basket.
The best supermarket butters for 2026 are:
- Best overall – Sainsbury's Taste the Difference West Country farmhouse butter: Sainsburys.co.uk
- Best cheap supermarket butter – M&S British salted butter: Ocado.com
- Best creamy supermarket butter – Kerrygold pure Irish salted butter: Asda.com
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How I tested
I tested 16 salted butters, first by slathering a decent amount on toast, and then tasting them on their own over a couple of days. I used the same bread (my favourite non-sourdough loaf, the Sainsbury’s multiseeded loaf) throughout the test.
I tested supermarket’s basic own-brand butter, where it was available (as not all supermarkets do it), the more luxurious own-brand butters and well-known brands available at supermarkets. I considered taste and creaminess, texture, and value – but I’ve detailed my full testing methodology at the end of the review. You can trust that these butters are worth adding to your weekly shop.
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Sainsbury's Taste the Difference West Country farmhouse butter
Best: supermarket butter overall
Weight: 250g
Place of origin: Somerset
Salted: Yes
Organic: No
Why we love it
- Made in Somerset
- Uses Maldon sea salt flakes
- Less than £3
From Sainsbury's premium range, Taste the Difference, this very bright yellow butter was the one I just kept going back to. It's made in Somerset with some equally premium ingredients, including Maldon sea salt, which gives it a great level of salty flavour. The farmhouse style refers to it following a slower churning process, usually using a higher-quality whey cream from leftover cheese production, instead of fresh whey.
It's really great tasting with a delicious savoury tang and a very obvious salting to it. It's creamy, rich and has a lovely, almost whipped-like texture without being greasy. It’s a fantastic option for an indulgent slather on toast.
Buy now £2.8, Sainsburys.co.uk
M&S British salted butter
Best: cheap supermarket butter
Weight: 250g
Place of origin: UK
Salted: Yes
Organic: No
Why we love it
- Affordable price
- Great for everyday and large families
It's not often you think of M&S and think ‘cheap’ when it comes to food or any essentials, but at £2, this is about as affordable as it gets for decent blocks of butter. Lightly salted and not too overpowering, this is a great everyday butter that isn't too salty or sweet, and is 'just right'.
It's made using milk from M&S selected farms, it's creamy, balanced and is great for your pre-work morning round of toast.
Buy now £2, Ocado.com
Kerrygold pure Irish salted butter
Best: creamy supermarket butter
Weight: 200g
Place of origin: Ireland
Salted: Yes
Organic: No
Why we love it
- Uses milk from grass-fed cows
Take note
- Slightly smaller block than most
Perhaps one of the most famous high-quality butters around, Kerry Gold is instantly recognisable for its shimmering gold wrapper and its bright Irish-green logo. It dates back to the 1960s when it was created as a flagship of quality Irish produce that was exported around the world, before it was even available in Ireland a few years later.
What sets this butter apart is that it's made from the milk of grass-fed cows, and Ireland is home to some of the lushest and most fertile grass around, which gives it the creamy (almost velvety, but not greasy) texture and taste. Surprisingly, it's not the brightest yellow, but it's wonderfully morish and not overpoweringly salty. Its only tiny downfall is that it's a smaller block than most others.
Buy now £2.65, Asda.com
M&S Cornish gold butter with sea salt
Best: luxurious supermarket butter
Weight: 250g
Place of origin: Cornwall
Salted: Yes
Organic: No
Why we love it
- Made in Cornwall
- Includes Cornish sea salt
Take note
- On the more expensive end
Reliable M&S has some of the best products on the high street, and the gold butter with sea salt butter is one of them. It's incredibly delicious and indulgent, and once you know that it's made by the producers of one of Cornwall's most famous exports, you'll understand why. It comes from Rodda's, where arguably the best clotted cream is made, and was the brightest yellow butter on test. The butter is traditionally churned in small batches and given the final touch of adding in Cornish sea salt, so it’s full of salt crystals, which I love.
Not only is this ultra creamy, but its supreme Cornish sea salt gives it an excellent touch of luxury too. This is a butter to savour – especially as it's one of the more expensive. It also looks great as it has the traditional ridges that make it look like butter pats (traditional wooden tools) have been used to shape the butter.
Buy now £3.6, Ocado.com
Trewithen salted butter
Best: locally-produced butter
Weight: 250g
Place of origin: Cornwall
Salted: Yes
Organic: No
Why we love it
- Delicious flavour
- Made in Cornwall
- Bright yellow
- Two star Great Taste awarded
Take note
- Might be too tangy for some
One of the brightest yellow butters, this is one of the newcomers to the supermarket shelves, which you might have seen in Sainsbury’s, Tesco or Morrisons. Winner of two-star Great Taste Awards, it comes from a dairy near the small village of Lostwithiel, Cornwall, which partners with local farms, all within Cornwall and a 25-mile radius.
Often reduced, this is a premium butter with an affordable price tag. It's an excellent everyday option that’s gently salted. It is a richer butter than some, with a complex flavour, a slight savoury taste and nice tang. Plus, it’s supremely easy to spread.
Buy now £2.85, Sainsburys.co.uk
Sainsbury's British butter
Best: everyday supermarket butter
Weight: 250g
Place of origin: UK
Salted: Yes
Organic: No
Why we love it
- One of the lowest prices
Take note
- Quite mild and pale
- Not a huge amount of flavour
Sainsbury's British butter is one of the milder butters on the list. It doesn't have a huge noticeable flavour, which might sound like a negative, but it certainly will appeal to some who prefer something plainer.
It's the cheapest on the list, beating M&S’s own salted butter by a single penny, which means it's a great go-to for everyday use, especially if you're a household that uses a lot of butter for sandwiches or just has a generous butter-user among you.
Buy now £1.99, Sainsburys.co.uk
Yeo Valley organic salted butter
Best: ethical supermarket butter
Weight: 200g
Place of origin: Somerset
Salted: Yes
Organic: Yes
Why we love it
- Organic
- The brand is famous for its high welfare standards
Take note
- Slightly smaller block
Based in Somerset, Yeo Valley has made a name for itself as the UK's go-to organic dairy producer, which has been running since the 1970s. Its name comes from the river that runs through the farm, and the brand's USP is not only being organic, but also that it follows excellent ethical and sustainable practices, such as having very high animal welfare standards and using renewable energy.
The milk comes from cows that roam freely across the farm and graze on clover-rich pasture. This gives it a great yellow hue, plus it's creamy, well salted without being over the top and is an excellent all-rounder. And for the price, at just over £3 (though it is 200g, not 250g), I think considering it's organic, and it’s high standards, it's a very good buy and is one to bulk buy when it’s on offer.
Buy now £3.1, Ocado.com
Waitrose No.1 French butter with sea salt crystals
Best: French supermarket butter
Weight: 250g
Place of origin: Brittany, France
Salted: Yes
Organic: No
Why we love it
- Creamy
- Tangy
- Made with sea salt crystals
Take note
- Expensive
One of the best things about going to France is the butter. And it’s even better when you can get that at home. French butter differs not only in geographical location, but also in that it usually has a higher butterfat content (meaning more richness and less water), creating more of a tangy flavour. It's also usually slower churned, and creates a more artisanal product. Waitrose’s No.1 French butter has been made following a traditional Breton recipe and is perfect for spreading over crusty baguettes, layering with gooey brie or dipping into homemade minestrone.
Waitrose’s No 1 range consistently creates excellent products, and any butter that has ‘crystals’ in the name is highly likely to be very, very good.
This one was quite pale compared to some others, but undeniably very French – it's obviously creamy, with a slight tang. It's very indulgent and is absolutely one to slather on toast on slow mornings to fully enjoy it.
Buy now £3.5, Waitrose.com
M&S salted Jersey butter
Best: Jersey supermarket butter
Weight: 250g
Place of origin: Jersey
Salted: Yes
Organic: No
Why we love it
- Delicious flavour
Take note
- Could be too salted for some
The little island of Jersey is well-known for its creamy milk and rich dairy products. And this M&S butter is made on the island – and is literally a taste of the island too, specifically in the parish of Trinity, where it’s churned.
It's well salted (quite generously so), but it's still balanced. And owing to its creamy milk, there's a complexity and a slight tang to it. It's another fantastic butter for slow weekend breakfasts and multiple rounds of toast.
Buy now £2.8, Ocado.com
Waitrose Duchy organic English salted butter
Best: subtly salted supermarket butter
Weight: 250g
Place of origin: Cornwall
Salted: Yes
Organic: Yes
Why we love it
- Organic
- Subtle salt
Take note
- The most expensive on the list
This Waitrose butter is organic and supports the Duchy, which means the money you spend has real buying power to do good. The company supports important causes both environmentally and humanitarian, which totals around £3m each year.
It’s very lightly salted and is best for those who like a subtle butter. It is the most expensive on the list, and while it's a nice and balanced butter, there isn't any overt difference in taste that makes it stand out from other similar organic and priced butters, bar from its worthy Duchy connections.
Buy now £3.75, Waitrose.com
Sainsbury's slightly salted so organic butter
Best: slightly salted organic supermarket butter
Weight: 250g
Place of origin: UK
Salted: Yes
Organic: Yes
Why we love it
- Organic
- Good for people who like lighter salting
Take note
- Not overly salted
- On the more expensive end
For those who like salted butter, but only a touch of salt added, Sainsbury's slightly salted so organic butter is a great option. As it says on the packet, this butter has just been slightly salted, so there's just a hint of it. It's very delicate, has a pretty mild taste, but is still creamy.
It's not overly complex and is slightly sweet, too. It's Soil Association certified organic, and is made using milk from organic British cows, which the brand says are reared to high welfare standards.
Buy now £3.15, Sainsburys.co.uk
Tesco finest butter with sea salt crystals
Best: butter with chunky salt
Weight: 250g
Place of origin: UK
Salted: Yes
Organic: No
Why we love it
- Sea salt crystals are great
- Less than £2
Take note
- Crystals could be too salty for some
From Tesco’s Finest range, this butter certainly looks the part with its sophisticated silver and blue wrapper that could easily pass off as a French butter, and inside is pretty good too.
It's a nicely balanced butter, made in the West Country, that's elevated with chunky salt crystals (as chunky as salt crystals get, that is), giving is an excellent little zing when you come across a crystal.
Buy now £2.9, Tesco.com
Anchor salted butter
Best: spreadable supermarket butter
Weight: 200g
Place of origin: Wiltshire, UK
Salted: Yes
Organic: No
Why we love it
- Very easy to spread
- Farmer-owned
Take note
- Has a slight greasiness to it
- Only 200g
Anchor is perhaps one of the most recognisable butter brands from the supermarket shelves that everyone will have bought at one point, especially as the brand has been around since 1886. It's made in the UK, specifically Wiltshire, and what sets this butter apart is that it's been double churned, which gives it a creamier taste. Plus, it's farmer-owned too.
It’s very easy to spread, has a creamy richness to it, is subtly salted, and is one of the more affordable in the list.
Buy now £2.6, Sainsburys.co.uk
What are the best supermarket butters?
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Farmhouse butter is the best supermarket butter. It was the one I kept going back to time and time again, and throughout my testing, it was clear this was my favourite. It ticks many boxes – it’s made in Somerset, uses Maldon sea salt, has been slowly churned and comes in at £2.80.
Unexpectedly, M&S’s own range of butter is an excellent budget buy (not usually a budget go-to supermarket). But at £2, it is a fantastic buy and is well worth stocking up on.
For a luxurious choice with chunky salt crystals, I adored the Waitrose No.1 French butter with sea salt crystals for its French style, which is made with a higher butterfat content and addition of indulgent sea salt crystals.
How the best supermarket butters were tested
I tested 16 salted butters before whittling it down to this final list. During my testing period, I considered the following:
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Emma Henderson is a foodie. She was also the editor of IndyEats, The Independent’s monthly digital food magazine, and was twice shortlisted for “best food magazine” at the Guild of Food Writers Awards. She’s sampled everything from the best supermarket sourdough to olive oils for IndyBest, so she knows what’s worth putting in your trolley.
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