Lard vs Butter: Calories and Nutrition Compared (2026)

Lard is higher in calories at 902, while butter has 717 calories. Butter contains more protein at 0.8g compared to lard's 0g.

Lard and butter are both fats used in cooking and baking, but they have different nutritional profiles. This comparison will highlight their calorie content, protein levels, and other nutritional aspects.

What Is the Difference Between Lard and Butter?

Lard is rendered pig fat, commonly used in cooking for its high smoke point and flavor. It is a pure fat with no carbohydrates or protein. Butter is a dairy product made by churning cream, resulting in a rich, creamy fat. It contains some protein and carbohydrates, along with fat.

Lard vs Butter: Nutrition Side by Side

The following table provides a side-by-side comparison of lard and butter based on their nutritional content.

Nutrient (per 100 g)	Lard	Butter (salted)
Calories	902 kcal	717 kcal
Protein	0 g	0.8 g
Carbs	0 g	0.1 g
Sugar	0 g	0.1 g
Fat	100 g	81.1 g
Fiber	0 g	0 g
Sodium	0 mg	643 mg

Which Is Better, Lard or Butter?

For weight loss: Lard contains 902 calories, while butter has 717 calories, making butter the lower-calorie option.

For muscle and protein: Butter has 0.8g of protein, while lard has none, making butter the better choice for protein content.

For low-carb or low-sugar: Both lard and butter contain negligible carbohydrates and sugars, with lard at 0g and butter at 0.1g for carbs and sugar.

How to Track Lard and Butter Accurately

It's easy to misjudge portion sizes and macros when using fats like lard and butter in cooking. Nutrola is an AI nutrition tracking app that identifies foods from a photo and returns calories and macros from a database of more than 1.8 million foods. It also supports barcode scanning and voice logging. Nutrola is available from EUR 2.50 per month and shows no ads on any tier.

How We Compiled These Numbers

The numbers provided are rounded reference values for educational use and should not be considered medical advice. This comparison is based on a per-100g basis. Values are per 100 g from USDA FoodData Central.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Which has more protein?

Butter has 0.8g of protein, while lard has 0g of protein.

Which has fewer calories?

Butter has 717 calories, while lard has 902 calories, making butter the lower-calorie option.

What is the fat content of lard?

Lard contains 100g of fat per 100g.

What is the fat content of butter?

Butter contains 81.1g of fat per 100g.

How much sugar is in butter?

Butter has 0.1g of sugar per 100g.

How much sodium is in lard?

Lard contains 0mg of sodium per 100g.

Key Takeaways

• Lard has 902 calories per 100g.
• Butter has 717 calories per 100g.
• Lard contains 100g of fat per 100g.
• Butter contains 81.1g of fat per 100g.
• Butter has 0.8g of protein per 100g.
• Both lard and butter have negligible carbs and sugars.