How to Pick a Margarine for Healthy Cholesterol Levels
Updated on July 31, 2025
ON THIS PAGE
ON THIS PAGE
When it comes to health, margarine usually edges out butter. Since margarine is made from vegetable oils, it’s also made of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, which may be better for your cholesterol levels than the saturated fats in butter.
However, that doesn’t mean you should go slathering on the margarine just yet. Margarines are highly processed, and various products have a range of different additives, ingredients, risks, and benefits that mean making an informed choice is vital, especially if you’re trying to control cholesterol levels.
Cholesterol Level Recommendations
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 111 million adults in the United States have high cholesterol levels. However, there are two main types of cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or “good”) cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol. LDL is the cholesterol that contributes to plaque buildup in the arteries and much of high cholesterol’s health risk, whereas HDL transports cholesterol away from the arteries.
For men and women ages 20 years and up, LDL cholesterol should be lower than 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). For men, HDL cholesterol should be over 40 mg/dL, and women should have over 50 mg/dL. In both sexes, people under 19 years old should have over 45 mg/dL of HDL cholesterol and under 110 mg/dL of LDL cholesterol.
An HDL of over 60 mg/dL would add even more protection against heart disease.
Having elevated cholesterol blood levels increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, and the plaque that develops as it builds up on arteries causes no noticeable symptoms until it causes complications. Staying on top of your cholesterol is vital, as you might not know your cholesterol is causing health problems until they’re severe.
What’s in Margarine?
A mix of plant oils goes into the margarine production process, mostly replacing the animal-sourced saturated fats in butter with unsaturated fats that reduce LDL cholesterol. Research has strongly supported oils with high polyunsaturated fat content, such as soybean oil, as a saturated fat replacement.
Margarine outside the United States often contains a type of fat called trans fat, which is used to keep it solid at room temperature. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the addition of man-made partially hydrogenated oils, which are the source of trans fats, in U.S. margarines in 2018.
For this reason, margarine may now be a healthier alternative to traditional butter for managing cholesterol levels.
However, a lot goes into the creation of margarine, from a process that aims to make it solid to the use of additives, emulsifiers, and colors to give it that buttery feel. In short, margarine is a highly processed food product.
How to Pick a Healthier Margarine
Various brands of margarine use different oils and recipes, and this means that each product offers a different balance of saturated fats, vitamins, and salt. When you’re seeking out a healthy margarine product, look for the following:
- Less solid margarines, as more solid products contain more saturated fats
- Choose tub instead of stick margarines, as tub products contain less saturated fats
- A nutrition label that lists the amount of saturated fat in a serving as less than 10 percent of your recommended daily intake
- The lowest salt level
Whichever brand you choose, limit its use. Margarine adds calories to a meal, so moderating its use can help you avoid too many additional calories. One tablespoon (tbsp) of margarine adds around 60 to 100 calories to your intake, plus around 0.5 to 2 grams (g) saturated fat.
Picking a light margarine reduces the calorie hit in 1 tbsp to between 40 and 45 calories, but it often includes more saturated fat — around 4.5 to 5 g.
Also, consider a margarine that's fortified with phytosterols (also known as plant stanols or plant sterols). Phytosterols are natural compounds found in plants that partially block the intake of cholesterol by the gut, so your bloodstream absorbs less of it. According to the British cholesterol charity Heart UK, consuming 1.5 to 2.4 g of plant stanols reduces LDL cholesterol by between 7 and 10 percent in two to three weeks if you eat them as part of a balanced diet and healthy overall lifestyle.
However, they’re not effective in isolation. Phytosterols might help reduce LDL cholesterol as part of an overall approach to eating that limits saturated fat and cholesterol intake. The average margarine with phytosterols provides 70 calories and 1 g of saturated fat. Light margarines with phytosterols are also available that only contain 45 to 50 calories but have the same serving of saturated fat.
Healthier Alternatives to Buttery Spreads
Making the switch from butter to margarine may help you cut a few calories, but not so many that you’ll notice a huge difference. And although those creamy yellow spreads are a widely embraced staple in American cooking culture, healthier alternatives are available.
Try turning to olive oil or other plant- or nut-based oils and spreads the next time you start to reach for that little yellow stick. Perhaps consider a drizzle of olive oil on your bread or baked potato, rather than butter or margarine.
That said, margarine can have a place in your diet as long as you stick to the all-things-in-moderation approach.
The Takeaway
- Margarine is often a healthier choice for cholesterol management than butter. It has more polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats that can help reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.
- When choosing a margarine, opt for tub products instead of stick varieties to limit saturated fat intake, and be mindful of your overall calorie consumption to maintain balance in your diet.
- Consider selecting margarines fortified with phytosterols, as they may support lower LDL cholesterol as part of a balanced diet. However, don’t rely on them alone.
- If you notice an onset of health issues related to cholesterol, consider consulting a healthcare professional to evaluate and manage potential associated risks such as heart disease or stroke.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
- Polyunsaturated Fats. American Heart Association. October 25, 2022.
- Margarine or Butter: The Heart-Healthiest Spreads. Cleveland Clinic. December 3, 2020.
- High Cholesterol Facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. October 24, 2024.
- Cholesterol Levels. Cleveland Clinic. July 19, 2024.
- Which Spread Is Better for My Heart — Butter or Margarine? Mayo Clinic. April 30, 2025.
- Margarines Now Nutritionally Better Than Butter After Hydrogenated Oil Ban. University of Minnesota School of Public Health. December 13, 2021.
- Phytosterols. Cleveland Clinic. July 30, 2022.
- Heart UK Approved Products. Heart UK.
Meet Our Experts
Julie Cunningham, MPH, RDN, LDN, CDCES
Medical Reviewer
Julie Cunningham is a registered dietitian-nutritionist and a certified diabetes care and education specialist.
Cunningham received a bachelor's degree from Appalachian State University in North Carolina. She subsequently completed a master's degree in public health nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Cunningham has worked in women's and children's health, cardiology, and diabetes. She has written for Abbott Nutrition News, Edgepark Medical HealthInsights, diaTribe, Babylist, and others. She is also the author of 30 Days to Tame Type 2 Diabetes.
A resident of beautiful western North Carolina, Cunningham is an avid reader who enjoys yoga, travel, and all things chocolate.
Niesha Davis
Author
Niesha Davis is a health and wellness writer and sensitivity editor based in Cleveland, Ohio.