Country Crock Plant Butter is a reasonable alternative to dairy butter, but it’s not as healthy as using liquid plant oils directly. It has no cholesterol, no trans fat, and less saturated fat than traditional butter in its tub form. The stick version, however, closes that gap significantly, with 6 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon compared to butter’s roughly 7 grams.
Saturated Fat Varies by Format
The single biggest factor in whether this product benefits your heart is which format you buy. The tub versions (both avocado oil and olive oil varieties) contain 4 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon. That’s about half of what you’d get from the same amount of dairy butter. The stick versions jump to 6 grams per tablespoon, which is only marginally better than regular butter.
This difference matters because replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat lowers total cholesterol and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, which reduces cardiovascular risk. When a plant butter contains nearly as much saturated fat as dairy butter, that benefit largely disappears. If you’re choosing this product for heart health, the tub is the better pick. The Mayo Clinic’s general guideline for spreads: look for one with less than 10% of the daily value for saturated fat per serving. The tub versions land right around that threshold, while the sticks exceed it.
Cholesterol and Trans Fat
Country Crock Plant Butter contains zero cholesterol and zero grams of trans fat per serving. Dairy butter, by contrast, has about 30 milligrams of cholesterol per tablespoon. Since the product is made entirely from plant-based oils, it avoids the cholesterol that naturally occurs in animal fat. It also contains no hydrogenated oils, the traditional source of artificial trans fats in margarine. U.S. margarines are no longer allowed to contain added trans fats, so this isn’t unique to Country Crock, but it’s still worth noting for anyone with memories of the old margarine-is-worse-than-butter era.
Sodium Is Worth Watching
One tablespoon of Country Crock Plant Butter contains 110 milligrams of sodium, which is 5% of the daily value. Regular salted butter typically has around 90 milligrams per tablespoon. That difference is small in a single serving, but if you’re generous with your spreading or use it frequently in cooking, it adds up. Unsalted dairy butter has essentially zero sodium, so if you’re managing blood pressure and switching from unsalted butter to this product, you’re adding sodium you didn’t have before.
The Processing Question
Country Crock Plant Butter is a processed product. To turn liquid plant oils into something that holds its shape like butter, manufacturers use techniques like interesterification, which rearranges the fatty acid molecules in the oil. This is the modern replacement for the partial hydrogenation process that created trans fats in older margarines.
The safety profile of interesterified fats is still not fully understood. Preliminary research published in Nutrition Bulletin found that commonly used interesterified fat blends led to higher blood triglyceride levels for up to four hours after eating, compared to the same fats in their non-interesterified form. Elevated post-meal triglycerides are a recognized risk factor for cardiovascular disease. That said, researchers have noted that studies on industrially relevant interesterified fats are still limited, so drawing firm conclusions is premature. This is one area where using liquid oils (olive oil on bread, avocado oil in a pan) sidesteps the question entirely.
Vitamins and Fortification
The product is fortified with vitamin A, providing about 17% of the daily value per tablespoon. It does not appear to be a meaningful source of vitamin D or vitamin E. Dairy butter naturally contains some vitamin A as well, so this isn’t a major nutritional advantage over the original. You won’t be choosing this product for its micronutrient content.
Allergens and Dietary Fit
Country Crock Plant Butter is dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan. For people avoiding animal products or managing lactose intolerance, it fills the butter role without the dairy. The product is made with plant-based oils featuring avocado oil or olive oil depending on the variety. If you have specific allergies, check the label for soy, which appears in some formulations as soy lecithin.
Cooking Performance
The avocado oil variety handles higher heat better than the olive oil version, which mirrors the behavior of those oils on their own. Avocado oil has a naturally higher smoke point, making the avocado oil variety more suitable for sautéing or pan-frying. For baking, the stick format performs more like dairy butter because the higher saturated fat content gives it a firmer texture that works in pastry and cookie recipes. That’s also why the stick has more saturated fat: firmness requires it.
How It Compares to Other Options
Country Crock Plant Butter sits in the middle of the health spectrum for fats. It’s better than dairy butter if you buy the tub, roughly equal if you buy the stick, and less ideal than simply using liquid olive oil or avocado oil, which deliver unsaturated fats without the processing needed to solidify them. If you need something spreadable or want a butter substitute for baking, the tub version is a solid choice. If you’re cooking in a pan or dressing a salad, reaching for the liquid oil itself is the healthier move.