Low fat v original: butter

For this low fat v original taste test, we put full-fat butter up against a lighter version. Which came out on top?

Butter: Lurpak Original v Lurpak Lighter

The difference: the original stuff is 80% fat (of which 37% is saturates) and contains 72 calories per 10g serving, while the Lighter option is 60% fat (of which 26% is saturates) and is 54 calories per 10g serving. The only added ingredient in the Lighter butter is water.

The test: six tasters tested the two varieties. They were not told beforehand what the difference between the varieties was, so it was a completely blind test.

The result: draw. Three people liked Original, and three people liked Lighter. Those that preferred the latter did so because ‘it wasn’t as rich’ and ‘it tasted a bit saltier’, while fans of the full fat stuff praised it for its ‘original taste’, ‘creamy texture’ and ‘buttery colour’.

Conclusion: lovefood approves of both. Water is the only added ingredient in the Lighter option, so you don’t need to worry about any added nasties. But then again, butter is essentially a block of creamy fat, and if you’re not OK with that then you probably shouldn’t be eating butter at all. 

See all our low fat v original taste tests

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