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An essential tool for every butter lover.

A butter crock (a.k.a. butter bell or butter keeper) is a two-piece butter storage container that lives on your kitchen countertop. Fresh butter is stored in the top piece known as the bell, and water is stored in the base or the crock. The major difference between a butter dish and a butter crock is that a butter crock uses water to seal off the bottom of the butter from the air, keeping it fresh for longer than butter exposed in a butter dish. While a butter dish needs to be kept in the refrigerator, a butter crock can be kept at room temperature on your countertop for up to a month. That means you can have soft, spreadable butter at the ready for smearing onto jammy egg toast, spreading on charred corn on the cob or swirling on top of blender pancakes. It's a game-changer!

In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, we tested eight butter crocks side-by-side to see how they compared. We filled each butter crock with each brand's suggested amount of softened salted butter and water and conducted weekly testing for a month. Butter crocks were evaluated based on ease of use and quality of butter throughout the month. We used 40 ounces of butter, logged 32 temperature readings and water was refreshed four times per butter crock to determine the best butter crocks of 2022.

You can read more about how we tested butter crocks in our Lab — plus everything you need to know to shop for your perfect butter crock — at the end of this guide. Looking for more food storage solutions? Check out our guides to the best food storage containers, food vacuum sealers and adult lunch boxes.

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.

We tested eight butter crocks side-by-side in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab to find the best butter crocks. We filled butter crocks with the manufacturer's recommended amount of butter and water and used standardized testing procedures to see how they stood out among the rest.

To set up a butter crock you have to fill the bell attached to the lid with room-temperature butter. We let salted butter get to room temperature for an hour and a half until softened. We used salted butter to mimic what most people would use for spreading onto toast. Salted butter also has a longer shelf life than unsalted butter since salt helps inhibit bacterial growth. Once the butter was softened, we filled up the bell and smoothed out the surface so that there were no gaps or holes. We filled the lower piece with water using a liquid measuring cup. Most butter crocks fit 1/2 cup of butter and a 1/2 cup of water.

To test butter crocks we stored them on a countertop for a month under the same external conditions. Once a week, the temperature of each butter crock was taken and a tablespoon of butter was removed to mimic use. Each tablespoon of butter was evaluated for color, texture and flavor. The water was refreshed and the butter was smoothed out so there were no holes.

We discovered that the butter got saltier in flavor, tasted sweeter and mellowed in flavor over the course of the month — like you might experience with an aged dairy product.

✔️ Material: A good butter crock needs to keep the butter cool and not expose butter to air or light.

✔️ Capacity: The majority of butter crocks fit a standard stick of butter (4 ounces or 1/2 cup) which is convenient. If you have a larger family or just love having more butter on hand there are crocks that fit up to two sticks of butter. The largest capacity on our list fits 7 ounces of butter.

✔️ Handle: While not all butter crocks feature a handle, it is a nice feature to look for to easily maneuver the butter crock.

✔️ Shape of the bell: While most butter crocks feature a rounded bell for storing butter, we did notice there were other designs as well. With the rounded shape it's easy to scoop butter out and clean all crevices. Butter crocks with a long narrow bell are harder to scoop butter out of and there are lots of crevices where butter could get stuck in. The butter crocks with a deep bell and harder to use and clean, but provide additional protection from the air.

✔️ Fill line: The majority of butter crocks do not have a water fill line, but it's a nice-to-have feature for ease of filling with water. This eliminates having to pull out a liquid measuring cup or accidental overfilling.

✔️ Ease of cleaning: Hand washing a greasy butter crock can be a time-consuming and slippery task. Not all butter crocks are dishwasher-safe, but many are.

The water at the bottom of a butter crock acts as a barrier layer, protecting the bottom from the air. Water should be as close to touching the butter as possible to protect it from the air which would cause it to spoil more quickly. Also, ensure that you spread the butter in the bell evenly without any holes to ensure there aren't spots for air to get trapped.

You should replace the butter crock water regularly; anywhere from every three to seven days is recommended for optimal freshness. Keep your butter crock away from bright windows and hot spots in your kitchen, like near your range, as it could heat up the butter inside and melt it. If you follow these tips, you can have soft, spreadable room-temperature butter on your countertop for up to a month.

Eva Bleyer is the reviews analyst in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab. She has tested everything from gas ranges to microwaves to kitchen scales to blenders. She graduated from NYU with a bachelor of science in food studies, nutrition and public health and is a trained chef through the Natural Gourmet Institute. Eva conducted the side-by-side testing of butter crocks. She loves having soft, spreadable butter whenever she pleases for homemade banana bread or a fresh boule of sourdough.