Butter is a dairy product made by churning milk or cream to separate fat globules from buttermilk. It's a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, comprised of approximately 81% butterfat. Predominantly made from cow's milk, butter can also be produced from the milk of other mammals like sheep, goats, buffalo, and yaks. Salt and food coloring may be added. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) stipulates that butter must contain at least 80% butterfat.
Key features of butter include its use as a spread, condiment when melted, and as a fat in baking, frying, and sauce-making. Clarified butter, or ghee, results from rendering butter to remove water and milk solids, yielding almost pure butterfat. Butter remains solid when refrigerated but softens at room temperature and melts at 90 to 95 °F. The color ranges from pale yellow to deep yellow based on the animal's feed and genetics, though commercial processes may use food colorings. Many manufacturers produce butter, including California Dairies Inc. and Minerva Dairy. Private label options are also available through companies like Butterball Farms.
The price of butter varies. According to a January 2026 report, the regular price of name-brand butter in Canada averaged $8.14 per pound, while house brands averaged $6.19 per pound. Sale prices were frequently observed at $5.49 in Western Canada and the Atlantic provinces and $4.99 in Ontario and Quebec. As of February 2026, the average price for a stick of butter in the U.S. was tracked by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Butter is widely available in grocery stores and supermarkets.
