How Much Butter to Substitute for Cream Cheese
Works for baking, sauteing, and slow cook. Butter brings a noticeably different flavor than Cream Cheese.
How much butter equals one cup of cream cheese?
Use 1:1 butter per 1 cup cream cheese.
Health notes
Compared with Cream Cheese, Butter has: more calories (717 vs 295 per 100g in Cream Cheese), more fat (81.1g vs 28.6g per 100g in Cream Cheese), more saturated fat (50.5g vs 18g per 100g in Cream Cheese), less protein (0.9g vs 7.1g per 100g in Cream Cheese), and less carbs (0.1g vs 3.5g per 100g in Cream Cheese).
Using butter as a cream cheese substitute in baking
Use 1:1 in cheesecakes and frostings, but expect no tang and a looser set. Add a splash of yogurt for tartness.
Other cooking methods
- Sauteing
1:1 works for enriching sauces or dips, but skip if you need cream cheese's body and tang.
- Slow Cook
1:1 adds richness to sauces, but won't thicken or add tang like cream cheese does.
- Raw Cold
1:1 in spreads, but expect a thinner, greasier texture with no tang. Chill well before using.
Methods to avoid (4)
- Frying
Not recommended: butter burns fast and won't hold the thick spreadable texture cream cheese gives.
- Grilling
Not recommended: butter melts and drips away instead of holding a creamy coating.
- Steaming
Not recommended: butter melts thin and won't set into a stable filling.
- Drinks
Not recommended: butter won't blend smoothly into cold drinks.
FAQ
- How much butter equals one cup of cream cheese?
Use 1:1 butter per 1 cup cream cheese.
- Can I substitute butter for Cream Cheese in baking?
Yes. Use 1:1 in cheesecakes and frostings, but expect no tang and a looser set. Add a splash of yogurt for tartness. Not recommended: butter burns fast and won't hold the thick spreadable texture cream cheese gives.
- How much butter to use as a cream cheese substitute?
Loses the tang entirely; add a squeeze of lemon juice or spoon of yogurt to compensate.
- How does the flavor change when substituting Butter for Cream Cheese?
Butter brings a noticeably different flavor than cream cheese.
- How does texture change when substituting Butter for Cream Cheese?
Butter thinner and greasier, not thick or spreadable; loses the dense body cream cheese gives frostings and fillings.
- What else should I know about substituting Butter for Cream Cheese?
For sauces, dips, and enriched batters. Expect a thinner, greasier texture with no tang and less body. Skip cheesecakes, frostings, and bagel spreads where cream cheese's thickness and tartness matter. Add lemon juice or yogurt to bring back some acidity. Won't fry, grill, or steam well since it melts thin and doesn't hold shape.
- What still works when substituting Butter for Cream Cheese?
Butter still works as a fat, texture, and flavor carrier.
- What won't work when substituting Butter for Cream Cheese?
Butter won't work as a binder.
- How well does Butter match Cream Cheese?
Butter is stretch on structure, stretch on heat, and stretch on flavor.
- How does nutrition compare per 100g when substituting Butter for Cream Cheese?
Butter has about x8 fewer protein, and about x2 more calories and x3 more fat and sat. fat.
- How do the flavor notes shift when substituting Butter for Cream Cheese?
The flavor shifts toward less acidic notes.