Unsalted Butter
Churned cream with no salt added: the baker's standard butter. Pure, sweet cream flavor, and full control of a recipe's seasoning.
| Category | Butter & Spreads |
|---|---|
| Maker / Origin | United States |
| Storage | Keep wrapped and refrigerated, away from strong-smelling foods; it takes on flavors quickly. |
| Shelf life | About 1 to 2 months in the fridge; up to 6 months frozen. |
| Best uses | Baking, pastry, buttercream, and any recipe where salt is measured separately. |
| Substitutes | Salted butter (reduce added salt in the recipe), or ghee for high-heat cooking. |
| Pairings | Fresh bread, jam, delicate cakes, and butter sauces. |
| Last checked | October 18, 2026 |
About it
Unsalted butter, sometimes labeled sweet cream butter, is plain churned cream with nothing added. Without salt masking the cream, its flavor is delicate and fresh, and it spoils a little faster than salted butter.
Storing it
Freeze extra sticks in their wrappers inside a freezer bag and thaw in the fridge. Because there is no salt to preserve it, discard unsalted butter that smells sour or tastes stale.
Using it
Bakers choose unsalted butter so the recipe, not the butter brand, sets the salt level. It is also the right butter for clarifying and for butter sauces like hollandaise, where its clean flavor leads.
Swaps & pairings
Salted butter is the ready swap: it carries roughly a quarter teaspoon of salt per stick, so lower the recipe's added salt by about that much per stick. For frying, ghee matches the flavor without the burning milk solids.
More from this maker: United States