Everyone has a different preference for the consistency and texture of their butter. Chilled butter straight from the fridge is rock hard.
However, butter becomes more smooth when it’s left out at room temperature and is perfect for spreading on toast or as an ingredient in baking recipes that call for softened butter.
Salted butter and cultured butter can be left out overnight in a covered dish if the air temperature does not exceed 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure the butter has not been previously left out at room temperature. Unsalted butter should not be left out overnight because it does not have the same defenses against microbial growth that salted butter does.
We strongly recommend storing your butter in a butter dish. They’re very affordable, simple, have a sleek design, and will help keep your butter fresh.
The reason butter can be left out overnight is that during manufacturing, its water molecules are dispersed throughout its own fat during the churning process. This helps the water resist microbial contamination.
The most commonly manufactured butter in the U.S. is sweet cream butter, which is made from pasteurized fresh cream and contains 80% fat, 16% water, and 4% protein.
Sweet cream butter can be sold unsalted or salted and is the type of butter most consumers will encounter in supermarkets and grocery stores.
How Long Is Butter Safe To Eat When Left at Room Temperature?
According to the USDA, butter is no longer safe to eat after being left out for several days because it runs the risk of becoming rancid.
The FDA suggests that pasteurized butter, which is the most common type of butter sold in the U.S., can be left out for 10 days straight at 68 degrees Fahrenheit if it’s shielded from light, air, and dust.
Pasteurized butter is safer to leave out at room temperature than unpasteurized butter. The process of pasteurization lowers the number of bacteria in the butter to safe levels.
If the butter is nearing its expiration date, it could go rancid more quickly when left out at room temperature. Also, if you are not used to eating butter left out at room temperature, your stomach might need time to adjust.
Bacteria is more likely to grow on butter at room temperature, even if it’s good bacteria, and, in essence, that bacteria will still interact with your gut biome.
How Long Is Butter Good For?
The shelf life of butter depends on the storage method and type of butter. Below is a table detailing how long you can store different types of butter in different types of conditions.
| Type of Butter | Storage Method | Time Before Expiration |
Salted sweet cream butter | Room temperature (68 degrees F) | 10 days |
Salted sweet cream butter | Refrigerator (41 degrees F) | 2 months |
Salted sweet cream butter | Freezer (0 degrees F) | 9 months |
Unsalted sweet cream butter | Room temperature (68 degrees F) | 4 hours |
Unsalted sweet cream butter | Refrigerator (41 degrees F) | 1 month |
Unsalted sweet cream butter | Freezer (0 degrees F) | 6 months |
Another factor to consider is the taste of butter. Just because butter is still “good” doesn’t mean it will taste as delicious as it did when you first bought it.
The flavor of butter can easily be altered by its surroundings. Strong odors from other foods in the fridge can seep into the butter if it’s not kept in a separate drawer. For example, it can absorb the odors from herbs, green onions, and rancid leftovers.
Some people keep a box of baking soda in their fridge to help absorb odors, but sometimes this is not enough to shield butter from picking up on other smells.
A common complaint is that butter starts to “taste like the fridge” after it’s been in the fridge for only a couple of weeks. To avoid this, wrap the butter thoroughly after opening, and keep the rest of the fridge cleaned on a regular basis.
Not all butters have the hardiness to stay fresh like pasteurized sweet cream butter. Although rare, raw cream butter can only be refrigerated for up to 10 days, and then it must be frozen to maintain freshness.
Whipped butter, which has the texture of whipped cream, should be used right away or stored in the fridge for later use.
Note that butter is different from margarine and requires different food safety measures. Margarine does not have enough fat to withstand room temperature and should be stored in the fridge at all times.
What Happens If You Eat Rancid Butter?
You might gag if you accidentally eat rancid butter, but rancid butter will not give you a foodborne illness unless it has been exposed to pathogens by way of cross-contamination. Transfer of pathogens can occur from one food to another or from a person to a food, depending on the pathogen.
Most likely, eating rancid butter will give you a stomachache. If symptoms become worse, it is recommended that you speak with a medical professional immediately.
How Can You Tell If Butter Has Gone Bad?
Although you might not be able to see it underneath the surface, the water molecules in butter eventually interact with the butter’s own fat and lead to decomposition. This is when the butter starts to become rancid.
Butter that has gone bad contains translucent dark yellow patches. The butter will feel dried out where it was exposed to air. This is the result of the process known as oxidation.
The taste of rancid butter has a hint of sourness. It will not taste like butter!
Beware of any dark flecks forming on the outside of a stick of butter. This is another sign of butter that is starting to go rancid. When in doubt, throw it out.
How Should You Store Butter?
Butter sold commercially comes wrapped in wax parchment or foil. The wrapper keeps out excess air, which is ideal when storing butter. Butter exposed to bright light will go rancid more quickly than butter stored in dark, airtight conditions.
There are specific containers made for butter storage that shield the butter from light, air, dust, and other contaminants.
Some containers hold single sticks of butter and are either plastic or ceramic. When selecting a single-stick butter dish, choose one with a cover that keeps out light.
When storing butter at room temperature in a single-stick butter dish, unwrap the butter from the original packaging with clean hands.
No other contaminants or materials should be stored with the butter inside the dish. Cover the dish with the lid before leaving it out at room temperature.
Butter crocks may also be used to store larger amounts of butter. They look like cookie jars and have a removable container inside. Water is stored at the bottom of the crock and the butter is stored in the removable container inside the crock.
This storage method is common in France, and butter can safely be stored for up to 30 days in a properly maintained butter crock. Please adhere to all safety instructions detailed in the owner’s manual when purchasing a new piece of kitchen equipment.
When storing leftover butter in the fridge, be sure to rewrap it in its original wax parchment or foil covering.
Avoid using your own aluminum foil to rewrap a stick of butter because direct contact with metal can speed up the oxidation process, leading to rancidity. The butter can be placed in a plastic bag for extra protection from unpleasant odors.
The same goes for butter stored in the freezer. Leave it in its original wrapper and consider placing it in a plastic bag to avoid freezer burn.
Is There a Type Of Butter That Doesn’t Need To Be Refrigerated?
There are certain types of butter that do not need refrigeration past the FDA’s recommended 10 days at room temperature. Ghee, originally developed in India, is an example of this.
Ghee is also known as clarified butter. It is made by heating the butter to 190 degrees Fahrenheit to evaporate the water and then to 250 degrees Fahrenheit to brown the milk solids. The browned milk solids add flavor and antioxidants. The antioxidants delay the decomposition of the clarified butter.
Ghee can be held at room temperature for 6 to 8 months. It is commonly used as frying oil. Ghee reaches a liquid state at 76 degrees Fahrenheit.
Speciality butters for professional chefs and bakers are also commonly left out at room temperature. French bakeries often have cardboard boxes full of room temperature butter that is rotated properly and used quickly when the bakery is busy. Examples of specialty butters include beurre cuisinier, beurre pâtissier, and beurre concentré.
Restaurants and professional chefs still need to adhere to food safety guidelines and should not use butter if it appears to be rancid. Proper rotation of inventory follows FIFO (first in, first out) which ensures that the newer product is placed behind the older product. This allows the older product to be used first and not grow rancid on the back of the shelf.