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10 best butter dishes
By Lucy Roxburgh
We've found the best butter dishes to buy for yourself or as a wedding or housewarming gift, from simple porcelain, to modern metal and quirky ceramic designs.
Keep your butter fresh and spreadable with this simple kitchen addition. Butter dishes aim to regulate the temperature of butter, keeping it spreadable for morning toast. Keeping it covered also protects it from light, air and bacteria. You can even use your butter dish in the fridge if you want your butter chilled but protected from the aromas of other foods. If serving breakfast or bringing butter to the table to serve with bread rolls and soup, a butter dish is smarter and cleaner than having open packaging on the table.
There are varied styles of butter dishes available to buy. A simple white classic porcelain lid and tray might be what springs to mind, but there are colourful ceramics, simple metal or even tiled and glass options available, so there's a design for every kitchen. This is also helpful if not buying for yourself – a new butter dish makes an affordable housewarming or wedding gift, too. Check out our foodie gift guide for even more inspiration.
For more unbiased expert buyer's guides, visit our reviews section to find over 200 round-ups of everything from the best slow cookers and best microwaves, to the best coffee machines and best blenders.
Best butter dishes at a glance
Best butter dishes to buy 2024
M&S Maxim porcelain butter dish
Best bargain butter dish
Keep it cheap and cheerful with this simple £10 option that you won’t feel nervous about using. Made from scratch-resistant porcelain, it's practical, compact and dishwasher-safe.
Available from:M&S (£10)
Xabono butter dish with lid
Best butter dish with knife
This simple-looking butter dish has clever design features: the white porcelain base has a bamboo lid with a tight silicone seal to help preserve freshness, plus an inlaid steel and ceramic butter knife, ready to spread your butter.
Available from:Amazon (£16.99)
Le Creuset stoneware butter dish
Best investment butter dish
If you already own a Le Creuset casserole dish, pick up a butter dish to match your set. This comes in the classic range of Le Creuset colours, from the signature ‘volcanic’ orange to white, black or blues. It holds a 250g pack of butter, has a small handle for gripping and a ridged base to hold the butter in place. It's made of chunky stoneware, but still suitable for the microwave when you need to soften butter fast.
Anthropologie bistro tiled butter dish
Best tiled butter dish
Make a statement when you bring this butter dish to the table. Inspired by French bistro tiles, it has a striking black, gold and white tiled pattern and shiny gold handle, with a ‘hello’ motif on the base. There are also matching mugs, plates and coffee canisters in the range. One drawback is that this is suitable for handwashing only.
Available from:
Sophie Conran Portmeirion porcelain butter dish
Best butter dish for a gift
Most butter dishes have a domed lid that encloses over the flat butter tray, which can make the lid sticky or greasy, and messy to put down on the counter. This Sophie Conran model avoids that problem, keeping the butter safe in a tub with a simple, flat lid. It has curved edges and a gentle rippling design (which is available in a whole range of kitchen products, from plates to oil drizzlers), plus it comes in a gift box, perfect for an elegant housewarming present.
Graham & Green hare butter dish
Best for country kitchens
This classic ceramic butter dish is perfect for rustic country kitchens. It has a sweet hand-painted hare on the top, and a simple flat base with a shallow lip. Plus, it's dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning if it gets sticky or greasy.
Available from:Graham & Green (£35)
Dunelm kitchen pantry butter dish
Best statement butter dish
This butter dish has a large lid that is slightly higher than many models, which ensures there's plenty of space for your butter so the dish won't get sticky. The cheerful yellow honeycomb pattern will brighten up breakfasts, plus it's dishwasher-safe, too.
Available from:Dunelm (£14)
Kadax glass butter dish
Best glass butter dish
If you want to easily check how much butter you’ve got left, opt for a glass butter dish. It has a short handle to grip and tight seal to protect against anything getting inside. The clear glass design is perfect if you’ve got interesting flavoured or artisan butters to display.
Judge stainless steel butter holder
Best for spreadable butter
If you’re a spreadable butter devotee, this is the dish for you. Designed to hold 500g tubs, you can drop the tub in to hide the packaging on your counter. However, be aware that while the dish says it holds 500g tubs, some packaging shapes and designs might not all fit.
Glaze Me Pretty lilac butter dish
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Best round butter dish
Despite its deceptive round size, this holds a 250g block of butter. Made of durable stoneware clay in south west London, each dish is individually glazed, so all are unique. We love the elegant lilac, but plenty of glaze colours are available. This could also double up to be used for cheese on a cheeseboard.
Available from:Glaze Me Pretty (£50)
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