Butterhead Lettuce 101: What It Is & How To Use It

Everything you need to know about Butterhead Lettuce, from the taste and texture to cutting and using it in your favorite recipes.

Most of us eat our fair share of spinach, romaine, and even iceberg lettuce. After all, what is life without a savory wedge salad every once in a while?! But, how often do you grab butterhead lettuce on your grocery runs?

Butterhead lettuce is a soft, tasty lettuce variation that gets its name thanks to its buttery flavor! Many consider it similar to cabbage as its shape and color (often coming in red) make them look quite alike. Some even refer to it as “cabbage lettuce!”

Butterhead vs. Iceberg

On a lettuce scale with crunchy and watery on one end, and leafy and soft on the other, iceberg and butterhead lettuce sit at opposite ends. While iceberg lettuce is known for being extra crunchy and seemingly supplying a glass of water in one serving (that’s an exaggeration, but I mean, iceberg lettuce is more than 95% water), butterhead lettuce takes on more of a spinach vibe (but with a more mild flavor). It’s soft, leafy, and delicious in so many ways!

What it Tastes Like

As mentioned above, butterhead lettuce tastes how you’d expect — buttery! That’s not to say that it doesn’t have typical lettuce flavor characteristics, it’s just less “grassy.” It tastes sort of sweet as well!

The benefits of Butterhead lettuce

Did you know that butterhead lettuce contains more iron than other types of lettuce? This makes it a great choice for your next salad, especially for vegetarians! Additionally, butterhead provides lots of Vitamin A and Vitamin K, as well as some manganese, folate, and potassium.

How to Cut butterhead lettuce

The correct cutting method for butterhead lettuce is a bit different than with other types.

1. Place it on a cutting board leaves-down, so the stem is facing up.
2. Cut out the stem by placing your knife at an angle, and spinning the lettuce until you’ve made a clean cut around the entire stem.
3. Remove the stem, and then take apart the leaves.
4. Stack a few leaves, and slice. Slice the strips in half to get even smaller pieces.

Don’t forget to wash before eating!

How to Use It In Recipes

Butterhead is obviously great for making salads (especially when pairing with your favorite creamy dressing), but it’s also delicious when used in a number of other recipes.

Because the leaves are nice and large, butterhead lettuce is great for using as “tortillas” for lettuce-based tacos, lettuce wraps, and other “filling” style recipes! Slap a piece onto your favorite sandwiches like seitan or mushroom burgers for an added crunch, or use it in gyros and spring rolls.

You could even sneak it into green popsicles for a hidden serving of veggies!