If you're looking for healthier low calorie butter options and butter substitutes, you've come to the right place. This list has everything from real butter substitutes to plant-based butter substitutes, and everything has under 100 calories per tablespoon!
Table of Contents
The Best Healthy Butter Options
Butter is definitely not the lowest calorie thing that you can eat. I mean, just a tablespoon of regular butter will run you over 100 calories. And considering the amount of butter used in baking, cooking, and just as an addition/topping on so many different foods, those calories can add up quickly.
The good news though is that there are plenty of low calorie butter alternatives out there. That means if you know what you're looking for you can get your butter fix in without getting all those "normal" butter calories in. And honestly, that's exactly why I put this list together. I wanted to make it as easy as possible for you to find the best low calorie butter option for you and you're diet/health goals.
This list features healthier butter options ranging from tasty vegan butter substitutes to real reduced-fat butter - so there's guaranteed to be an option on it for you no matter what kind of diet you're following!
Anyway, with that said, let's not waste any more time and get right into it!
Lowest Calorie Butter Alternatives
1. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Original Spray
Nutritional info for 1 spray:
- 0 Calories
- 0g Fat
- 0g Carbs
- 0g Protein
Kicking off our low calorie butter list is this spray butter from the well-known butter substitute brand I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. This classic butter spray is basically like melted butter, and it's ideal for putting on popcorn, veggies, or even toast!
Just keep in mind that it has 0 calories for 1 spray, but every 6 sprays will have 5 calories, so you'll want to keep track of how much butter you're spraying on whatever you're eating.
2. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light Spread
Nutritional info for 1 tbsp. (14g):
- 35 Calories
- 4g Fat
- 0g Carbs
- 0g Protein
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter also has a low calorie butter called "the light one". This plant-based oil spread has a total of just 35 calories per tablespoon and 80% less saturated fat than regular butter.
Honestly, I love using this stuff in a ton of recipes, and this high protein chocolate chip cookie recipe is just one of them!
3. Country Crock Light Spread
Nutritional info for 1 tbsp. (14g):
- 50 Calories
- 6g Fat
- 0g Carbs
- 0g Protein
This Country Crock churn-style butter is another popular low calorie butter alternative. It has a rich, buttery flavor, and it's super smooth, making it perfect for spreading on toast, bagels, English muffins, and more. With that said though, this stuff does have about 50% more calories than the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter kind.
By the way, if you're looking for a low calorie bread to spread some of this butter on, you'll definitely find one on my list of the best low calorie breads you can buy.
4. It's Just! Butter Powder
Nutritional info for 1 tbsp. (7g):
- 50 Calories
- 6g Fat
- <1g Carbs
- 0g Protein
If you thought you couldn't have regular dairy butter on a low-calorie diet, then you need to try this butter powder. It's made with dehydrated grass-fed butter and has half the calories per serving as full-fat butter.
The powder on its own is great for giving a luxuriously buttery flavor to popcorn, mashed potatoes, and really anything you want. You can also mix it with water as a butter substitute in baking or to make spreadable butter.
For what it's worth, we've been obsessed with putting this stuff on popcorn at our house. Like, we literally don't make popcorn without it anymore.
5. Land O' Lakes Whipped Butter
Nutritional info for 1 tbsp. (7g):
- 50 Calories
- 6g Fat
- 0g Carbs
- 0g Protein
Using whipped butter is a fantastic way to cut back on calories while still getting to enjoy the goodness of traditional butter. Land O' Lakes whipped butter has 45% less fat per serving than regular butter. It's made of sweet cream whipped into an airy, creamy consistency that's perfect for spreading over some low calorie toast, mixing into some high protein pasta, or sauteeing some veggies in.
6. Benecol Light Spread
Nutritional info for 1 tablespoon (14g):
- 50 Calories
- 5g Fat
- 0g Carbs
- 0g Protein
What sets Benecol's buttery spread apart from other healthy butter alternatives made with vegetable oils is that it has added plant stanols. Plant stanols are a natural compound that can reduce your body's cholesterol absorption. So, not only is Benecol butter lower in calories and fat, but it's also proven to lower your cholesterol.
7. Wayfare Dairy Free Butter Salted & Whipped
Nutritional info for 1 tbsp. (14g):
- 60 Calories
- 7g Fat
- 0g Carbs
- 0g Protein
For a vegan alternative to the whipped butter I mentioned earlier, this plant-based option from WayFare is a great choice. This healthy butter substitute is made with organic plant oils and butter beans. The combination of the two gives the spread a rich and creamy texture that's satisfying to eat on literally anything and everything.
8. Smart Balance Organic Butter
Nutritional info for 1 tbsp. (13g):
- 80 Calories
- 9g Fat
- 0g Carbs
- 0g Protein
Smart Balance's organic buttery plant-based spread is a step above their original formula, made with certified organic and non-GMO canola oil, soybean oil, palm oil, and olive oil. There are also no artificial flavors or preservatives added in.
So, if you're looking for a clean healthy butter substitute, this one is a great choice.
9. Miyoko's Cultured Oat Milk Butter
Nutritional info for 1 tbsp. (14g):
- 80 Calories
- 9g Fat
- 1g Carbs
- 0g Protein
Miyoko's cultured oat milk butter is the first of its kind. This low calorie butter is made with a blend of organic vegetable oils and cultured whole grain oat milk. The result is a rich and creamy vegan butter with a hint of tang. It's perfect for livening up the taste of things like this roasted broccolini and this air fryer zucchini.
10. Melt Organic Butter Sticks Made From Plants
Nutritional info for 1 tbsp. (14g):
- 80 Calories
- 9g Fat
- 0g Carbs
- 0g Protein
If you want a tasty plant-based butter option that has the look and feel of real sticks of butter, this low calorie vegan butter from Melt Organic is a great pick. This healthy butter substitute has a thick, melty texture and creamy flavor that is pretty darn close to regular butter. Not to mention, it has just a fraction of the calories of "normal" butter.
Also, for what it's worth, Melt Organic also makes a salted version of their butter, as well as classic and probiotic butter spreads that are similarly low in calories.
11. Kerrygold Reduced Fat Irish Butter
Nutritional info for 1 tbsp. (14g):
- 80 Calories
- 8g Fat
- 0g Carbs
- 0g Protein
Kerrygold's butter is basically the gold standard for traditional butter. It's super high quality and is churned in Ireland from pure grass-fed cows milk.
So, you can expect nothing but delicious buttery goodness from their reduced-fat butter too. It tastes and cooks exactly like regular butter, but it has 25% less fat and 50% less sodium, making it a much healthier choice.
12. Land O' Lakes Spreadable Butter With Olive Oil
Nutritional info for 1 tbsp. (14g):
- 90 Calories
- 10g Fat
- 0g Carbs
- 0g Protein
This blended butter combines salted butter with olive oil - which is a healthy plant-based source of monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats - to make a wonderfully rich and tasty butter spread that has some additional health benefits. Plus, it has about 10% fewer calories compared to regular butter.
13. Miyoko's Cultured Vegan Butter
Nutritional info for 1 tbsp. (14g):
- 90 Calories
- 10g Fat
- 0g Carbs
- 0g Protein
Finish off our list of healthy butter options is another vegan butter from Miyoko's Creamery. It's a low calorie butter that's made with coconut oil and cultured cashew milk for a good balance of healthy fats, essential fatty acids, and probiotics for digestive health.
Honestly, this is as close to real butter as a vegan option will get, making it perfect for baking, cooking, and spreading on toast. You can even turn it into browned butter for a variety of recipes!
Fat-Free Butter Substitutes
Okay, so I've talked about the top butter substitutes that are lower in saturated fats and calories, and now I want to quickly get into some other healthy butter substitutes that are completely fat-free.
And while these aren't a complete one-to-one replacement for butter, they're great for a variety of baked goods like making my chocolate protein donuts!
With that said, here are the best fat-free butter substitutes:
- Unsweetened applesauce - can be swapped for up to half the butter in baking recipes.
- Nonfat yogurt or nonfat cream cheese - you can use the same amount of either option to replace butter in baked goods or for adding richness to soups and sauces.
- Pumpkin puree - swap every 1 cup of butter with ⅓ cup of pumpkin puree in baked goods. It also adds natural sweetness to the recipe!
Wrapping It Up
Well, those are all the lowest calorie butter options and butter substitutes you can buy right now!
Butter is a great way to add flavor and richness to food, and with these low calorie options, you can use them for all of the things you would use regular butter for.
Anyway, I hope you found this list helpful. As always, if you give any of these options a try, be sure to let me know what you think in the comments!
More Low Calorie Lists
If you found this list helpful, I have a good feeling you'll like my other low calorie lists on the blog too.
Here are some reader favorites:
- Low calorie chips
- Low calorie milk
- Low calorie ice cream
- Low calorie vodka
- Low calorie cheese
- Low calorie crackers
- Low calorie yogurt
Oh, and for new easy to make low calorie recipes, be sure to follow my Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube channel! I post new recipes on them every single week.
I had no idea kerrygolds sold a light butter 😯
I put spray butter on everything but thanks for the list I will try some of the other ones.
I love this thank you for putting it together.
I’m excited about how low calorie the whipped butter from land o lakes is. Thanks for the list