Is Olive Oil Healthier Than Butter?

Short answer: Olive oil has less saturated fat than unsalted butter. Equal weights and usual spoon portions answer different questions: replacing butter improves the fat profile without necessarily reducing calories.

Selected foods: Olive oil and Butter. These specific preparations are compared below.

Which to pick for your goal

If you want	Better pick	The numbers
Fewer calories	Butter	717 kcal vs 884 kcal per 100 g
Less saturated fat	Olive Oil	14 g vs 51 g per 100 g
Overall (Nutri-Score)	Olive Oil	B vs E

Small differences count as a tie: a few calories or a few tenths of a gram won't change your day.

Nutrition side by side, per 100 g

Per 100 g	Olive Oil	Butter
Calories	884 kcal	717 kcal
Protein	0 g	0.9 g
Fat	100 g	81 g
incl. saturated	14 g	51 g
Total carbohydrates	0 g	0.1 g
incl. sugars	0 g	0.1 g
incl. fiber	0 g	0 g
Salt	0 g	0 g
Nutri-Score	B	E

Rounded values from exact USDA records (see * Data and sources below). Different brands, cuts and recipes can have different values. Diary food cards and the alternative versions below retain their own typical recipes.

For the same amount: 50 g

Equal amount	Olive Oil	Butter
Calories	442 kcal	359 kcal
Protein	0 g	0.4 g
incl. saturated	6.9 g	25 g
incl. sugars	0 g	0 g
incl. fiber	0 g	0 g

In a typical serving

One serving	Olive Oil	Butter
Serving	tablespoon, 14 g (0.5 oz)	on bread, 10 g (0.4 oz)
Calories	124 kcal	72 kcal
Protein	0 g	0.1 g
Saturated fat	1.9 g	5.1 g
Easy walking to burn it*	40 min	23 min

* For a 70 kg (154 lb) person; the app works it out for your weight and your activities.

Portion size usually moves the numbers more than the choice between two similar foods: a heaping serving of the “healthier” one can easily outweigh a modest serving of the other.

Other versions: typical diary estimates

The first two rows repeat the selected USDA records; other rows are typical diary estimates, without an exact source-record match. The cut, fat level or recipe can change the result. Per 100 g:

Per 100 g	Calories	Protein	Sat. fat	Sugars	Nutri-Score
Olive Oil	884	0 g	14 g	0 g	B
Butter	717	0.9 g	51 g	0.1 g	E
Rapeseed (canola) oil	884	0 g	7.4 g	0 g	B
Margarine spread	544	0.3 g	17 g	0.5 g	D

*Data and sources

Oil, olive, salad or cooking — USDA FDC 171413 (SR Legacy; published 4/1/2019).
Butter, without salt — USDA FDC 173430 (SR Legacy; published 4/1/2019).

Retrieved 2 October 2026. USDA composition is per 100 g; drink values per 100 ml use the record’s measured household weight, with the USDA customary cup of 236.6 ml. Displayed cup servings remain 240 ml. Carbohydrate includes fiber on this US site; salt is sodium × 2.5. The food records are historical reference values, not current brand guarantees.

WHO guideline on free sugars: honey, syrups and fruit-juice sugars count as free sugars. WHO guideline on saturated and trans fats: consider replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat.

FAQ

Which has fewer calories, olive oil or butter?

Butter: 717 kcal vs 884 kcal per 100 g. In a typical serving that's 124 kcal for olive oil (tablespoon, 14 g) and 72 kcal for butter (on bread, 10 g).

Is olive oil or butter better for weight loss?

No single food makes you gain or lose weight — the day's total does. Gram for gram, butter is the lighter pick (717 kcal vs 884 kcal per 100 g). The portion usually matters more: a typical serving of olive oil (tablespoon, 14 g) is 124 kcal, of butter (on bread, 10 g) 72 kcal.

Which is better for your heart, olive oil or butter?

On saturated fat, the nutrient heart-health guidelines ask us to limit, olive oil comes out ahead: 14 g vs 51 g per 100 g.

Does this comparison apply to every brand or recipe?

No. The main table uses the two specific USDA foods named and linked on this page. Fat level, ingredients, trimming, cooking and water content can change the result. Use the same amount for a fair comparison and check the label for the product you actually eat.

Log it and see your day

In Calories Not Count every food gets a Nutri-Score grade, a sugar–salt–fat–fiber traffic light, fair same-calorie swaps and the minutes of movement it costs for your weight and your activities — no scale needed. Goals like lower sugar, more protein or more omega-3 can be set in the diary, and swaps there are ranked for that goal.