For most people, margarine is the healthier choice. Modern tub margarines contain roughly one-third the saturated fat of butter per tablespoon (about 2.2 grams versus 7.3 grams) and deliver significantly more polyunsaturated fat, the type linked to lower heart disease risk. That said, not all margarines are equal, and butter does bring a few nutritional perks worth knowing about.
The Fat Profile, Side by Side
One tablespoon of salted butter contains 7.3 grams of saturated fat, 3 grams of monounsaturated fat, and just 0.4 grams of polyunsaturated fat. A standard tub margarine, by contrast, averages 2.2 grams of saturated fat, 2.8 grams of monounsaturated fat, and 2.3 grams of polyunsaturated fat. That difference in polyunsaturated fat matters: replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat rather than simply cutting fat overall is associated with a 25% reduction in non-fatal heart attacks, based on pooled data from six clinical studies published in The BMJ.
The American Heart Association recommends keeping saturated fat below 6% of daily calories. On a 2,000-calorie diet, that works out to about 13 grams per day. A single tablespoon of butter uses up more than half that budget. Two tablespoons, and you’re essentially done for the day. Margarine gives you much more room.
The Trans Fat Question Is Mostly Settled
Older margarines earned a bad reputation because they were made with partially hydrogenated oils, a major source of artificial trans fats. That concern is largely outdated. The FDA has revoked authorization for partially hydrogenated oils in margarine, shortening, and other foods, meaning manufacturers can no longer use them. Modern margarines rely on different processing methods to achieve a spreadable texture without producing significant trans fats.
One of those methods, called interesterification, rearranges the fatty acids in vegetable oils to create a firmer texture. A clinical trial comparing interesterified fat blends to non-interesterified blends with the same fatty acid profile found no adverse effects on blood lipids, liver enzymes, or blood clotting markers in healthy people. If you still want to double-check, look at the nutrition label: trans fat should read 0 grams.
Calories Depend on the Type You Choose
Butter runs about 100 calories per tablespoon. Regular margarine ranges from 60 to 100 calories depending on the brand and oil blend. If calories are a priority, light margarine drops to 40 to 45 calories per tablespoon. Light butter falls in between at around 50 calories. Butter blended with oil or yogurt-based spreads sit in a similar range.
The calorie savings from switching to light margarine may seem small per serving, but spreads tend to be used multiple times a day, on toast, in cooking, on vegetables. Over weeks and months, those differences add up.
Sterol-Enriched Margarines and Cholesterol
Some margarines are fortified with plant sterols or stanols, compounds that block cholesterol absorption in the gut. These products occupy a specific niche: they’re designed for people actively trying to lower their LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. A large meta-analysis covering over 9,600 participants found a consistent dose-response relationship, with 1.5 to 3 grams of plant sterols per day lowering LDL cholesterol by about 7.5% to 12%.
To hit that effective dose, you typically need two to three servings of the enriched spread per day, since each serving contains roughly 0.5 to 1 gram of sterols. These products are recommended as a dietary add-on for managing high cholesterol, not as a replacement for medication if your doctor has prescribed it. A light margarine with phytosterols runs about 45 to 50 calories and 1 gram of saturated fat per tablespoon, making it one of the most heart-friendly options on the shelf.
Where Butter Has an Edge
Butter isn’t nutritionally empty. It’s a natural source of fat-soluble vitamins, particularly vitamin A. Grass-fed butter takes this further, containing up to 500% more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than butter from grain-fed cows. CLA is a naturally occurring fat that has shown anti-inflammatory properties in some research, though the amounts you’d get from butter alone are modest. Grass-fed butter is also richer in vitamin K2, which plays a role in bone health and may help prevent calcium from building up in arteries.
These nutrients don’t cancel out butter’s high saturated fat content, but they do explain why butter in small amounts can fit into a balanced diet. If you prefer butter’s flavor, using it sparingly (a teaspoon on special dishes rather than a tablespoon on everything) is a reasonable approach.
Inflammation: No Clear Winner
You might expect butter to promote more inflammation than margarine, given its saturated fat load. But a study in people with metabolic syndrome (a cluster of risk factors including high blood pressure and excess abdominal fat) found no significant differences in inflammatory markers between groups consuming butter, plant-sterol margarine, or trans-fat-free margarine. The margarine groups did see improvements in certain cholesterol-related markers, but inflammation levels stayed comparable across all three groups.
This suggests the heart benefits of margarine over butter are driven more by changes in cholesterol and blood lipids than by reducing inflammation directly.
Cooking Performance
Butter has a smoke point around 350°F, which limits its usefulness for high-heat cooking like stir-frying or searing. Margarine, depending on its oil blend, ranges from 400°F to 570°F, making it more versatile at higher temperatures. Butter melts at 90 to 95°F while margarine melts lower, between 68 and 77°F, which affects texture in baking and spreading.
For flavor, butter is hard to beat in pastries and sauces. Many home cooks use margarine for everyday cooking and save butter for recipes where its taste is central.
Choosing the Right Margarine
Not every margarine on the shelf is a good pick. Stick margarines tend to be more processed and higher in saturated fat than tub or squeeze varieties. When shopping, look for these things:
- Tub or squeeze format over sticks, which are softer because they contain more unsaturated fat
- 0 grams trans fat on the label, with no partially hydrogenated oils in the ingredient list
- A short ingredient list built around liquid vegetable oils like canola, soybean, or olive oil
- Plant sterols if you’re specifically trying to lower LDL cholesterol
The AHA specifically recommends foods made with liquid vegetable oil rather than tropical oils like palm or coconut, which are high in saturated fat. Some margarines use palm oil as a stabilizer, so checking the ingredient list matters more than trusting front-of-package marketing.