8 Best Butter Crocks, According to Expert Testing

Le Creuset's butter crock is made out of lightweight ceramic with the signature Le Creuset logo written across the crock. It comes in a few of the brand's signature colors to match your other Le Creuset pieces. The handle of this butter crock is easy to grasp, there is a water fill line located on the interior and it performed well in our testing. In the Lab, butter remained at 73 degrees throughout the entire month of testing. The butter stayed a soft yellow color in the crock and tasted smooth, sweet and salty – perfect for spreading on toast. The butter even tasted sweeter at the end of the testing period, as the flavor mellowed as it sat. This butter crock is larger than others tested, storing 6 ounces of butter, and it's dishwasher-safe.

At under $15, the Norpro Butter Keeper is not only affordable, but it also has some great ease-of-use features that other models do not have. The handle provides a good grip, and it has a fun retro design. Our butter remained at a consistent 73 degrees during testing, and while it tasted very salty (a common finding among other butter crocks we tested), it still remained smooth, spreadable and sweet. This lightweight butter crock is also dishwasher-safe.

The DOWAN Butter Keeper Crock comes in seven different colors to match your kitchen's aesthetic and boasts a jar-like design. This lightweight ceramic butter crock has a water fill line for great ease of use and can be thrown in the dishwasher after all of the butter is used. While the ribbed edge of the lid is easy to grasp, we did wish there was a handle on the top of the lid for an even better grip. On the bright side, the flat lid design allows you to set the bell down without fear of tipping. In the Lab, our butter stayed between 73 and 74 degrees during testing and remained sweet all month, but got very salty (like other butter crocks we tested).

This marble butter crock from Crate and Barrel was easy to use, stylish on the countertop and priced affordably for solid marble. It was the heaviest butter crock we tested, but thanks to the handle, it was easy to grasp and it didn't get slippery if some butter smudged on the exterior. The marble imparted some mineral flavor to the butter initially, but it dissipated over time. The butter temperature fluctuated between 72 and 74 degrees but stayed at a spreadable temperature the entire time. This butter crock is not dishwasher-safe.

King Arther Baking's butter keeper is a lightweight ceramic crock with the brand's logo centrally displayed. This affordable pick features an easy-to-grip handle and perfectly holds one stick of butter so it can be scooped out with ease. In our testing, the butter remained sweet but got extra salty over the first three weeks. In the final week, the butter began tasting a little sour and had pockets of melted butter in a few areas. Because of this, we recommend this one for butter lovers who go through a lot of butter quickly. Otherwise, remember to change your butter after 3 weeks. King Arthur doesn't say if this butter crock is dishwasher-safe or not, so we recommend hand washing just in case.

This handmade ceramic butter crock designed and made by New York artist Jeannine Carson features an ombre paint design and comes in three different colors. Not only is this a useful and functioning butter crock, but it's a piece of art for your countertop. In our testing, we did wish it had a handle on top and we found that it has a very narrow bell which isn't as easy to scoop butter out of. But it did a great job keeping butter fresh. The butter crock held a temperature between 73 and 74 degrees over the month and the butter stayed consistently sweet, smooth amd light yellow in color. Bonus: This handmade crock is also dishwasher-safe.

Emile Henry's butter pot has a compact design with a large butter capacity, holding almost two sticks of butter. The sleek ceramic butter crock is made from Emile Henry's signature clay from Burgundy, France and it's finished with a rich glaze that comes in three different colors. In our testing, we did miss the addition of a handle for pulling the butter crock open, and we found the bell to be harder to scoop butter out of compared to other models. Overall, the butter kept well and was comparable to other models: light yellow in color, smooth and salty. This butter crock is dishwasher-safe as well.

Williams Sonoma Breakfast Butter Keeper is a simple piece of glazed stoneware with a small handle on top. This butter bell fits a stick of butter nicely and won't take up too much space on your countertop thanks to its compact design. We found that this design caused some of the butter to make contact with the water, causing the top layer of the butter to be lighter in color, almost white, but the butter was still safe to eat and tasty. The taste of the butter was sweet and very salty and stayed at a similar temperature to all the other butter crocks tested. This butter crock is also dishwasher-safe.