Comparing Texas Roadhouse and Walmart: Which Store-Bought Honey-Cinnamon Butter Reigns Supreme?

If you’ve dined at Texas Roadhouse, whether you got your favorite juicy steak or fall-off-the-bone ribs, you know what comes first: a platter of unreasonably delicious fresh, steaming rolls served with a delectable honey cinnamon butter. For some of us, this is the main highlight of the meal. And now, you can get your hands on the restaurant’s retail version of the tasty condiment. But that’s not all. Bettergoods, one of Walmart’s in-house brands, has started selling its own version of the cinnamon honey butter too. 

If you’re wondering how the two measure up to expectations — and to one another — we’ve tried both the Texas Roadhouse and bettergoods versions to compare taste, texture, nutrition facts, price, and (very importantly) ingredients. After all this taste testing and toast testing, we’ve come up with a very clear winner. Read on to find out which of these two sweet-and-salty spreads really blew us away, and which was worth skipping.

It’s important to keep in mind the language used on this item’s packaging. The Texas Roadhouse whipped buttery spread is just that — a spread. Since it isn’t 100% butter, it allows for much easier spreading and a softer more malleable texture. This made it easier to scoop out of the container, and I had no problem spreading it on toast as well.

The flavor of this spread certainly maintained that buttery saltiness, and the sweetness was not overwhelming. In fact, both the sweetness from the honey and the touch of warmth cinnamon usually provides were mild and rather underwhelming. The color was a creamy off-white, and the flecks of cinnamon were not overly abundant. Except for the whipped texture and marks from the spread being piped into the container, it largely resembled regular butter, save for the scant specks of cinnamon. This spread had a bit of a greasy aftertaste that lingered on the tongue in an oily, salty film after I finished tasting it. It disappeared after a few moments, but it was certainly noticeable and somewhat unpleasant.

If I had gone into this purchase expecting the same rich, sweet flavors of the in-restaurant condiment, I would have been sorely disappointed. That said, it was the easier of the two to spread on toast, with a far smoother texture compared to the bettergoods version.

The bettergoods cinnamon honey butter was a flavor explosion. The real butter base was the tiniest bit salty and didn’t lose any of its classic buttery richness to the sweeter ingredients. The texture was a bit on the grainy side, but I only noticed that when I was trying the butter on its own. When I spread it on toast, any texture from the plentiful cinnamon was completely enveloped by the toasted bread.

This butter was sweet and creamy. The honey, molasses, and cinnamon really shine, and each bite is balanced. When I spread it on toast I was really reminded of those beloved classic cinnamon-and-sugar toasts I made as a kid. This spread was definitely more of a tan color from all of the cinnamon and the touch of molasses included in the recipe, and you could certainly see the abundant flecks of cinnamon in the mixture. There was no aftertaste that lingered more than one would expect, and certainly no film left behind in the mouth. An interesting perk of this butter was the way the flavor developed as it melted, from the cool rich butter to the warm and sweet cinnamon honey flavors.

Since this product is true butter, it was a bit harder to spread on toast, but the shallow shape of the container allowed for layers to be shaved off the top for easy melting and minimal damage to the toast.

Both the bettergoods and Texas Roadhouse spreads are available at most Walmart locations across the country, and the prices remain the same regardless of whether they are being sold in New York City or Iowa City. There is a note on the website that the listed price is specifically for online purchase (pickup or delivery), so in-store prices could be subject to a bit of variation. Be sure to check on the Walmart website (and add your zip code to check availability at your specific location) before heading there, as availability is not guaranteed across the board, and could change if the item sells out.

As far as pricing goes, the Texas Roadhouse option was $3.48 for 7.35 ounces, while the bettergoods butter is $2.56 for 3.7 ounces. This makes the Texas Roadhouse spread about $0.47 per ounce and the bettergoods about $0.69 per ounce. The Texas Roadhouse may be cheaper per ounce, but as always, you get what you pay for. For a backyard barbecue or family dinner where you expect to really be moving through the buttery spread, the Texas Roadhouse could be the better option. However, for general use the bettergoods butter is simply better.

When it comes to nutrition, I knew I was working with butter and oil, so I wasn’t expecting either to be very calorie friendly. I was surprised, however, to discover that not only is the Texas Roadhouse buttery spread 70% vegetable oil, but the remaining 30% isn’t even butter. In fact, there’s no butter in the recipe at all! This version is loaded with oils like palm and soybean, as well as preservatives like potassium sorbate and calcium disodium EDTA, plus artificial colors and vague references to natural flavors. From an item that has the expected ingredients in the title, I was disappointed to flip the package and read this list.

The bettergoods butter is simply that: butter mixed with confectioners’ sugar, honey, molasses, and cinnamon. This brief list of real food ingredients had me breathing a sigh of relief that not all grocery store food items are laden with chemicals and preservatives to extend their shelf life toward immortality and draw them further away from actual foods we recognize. This simplicity showed in the taste and texture, for better (as far as taste) and for worse (as far as the slight graininess).

Both spreads have 60 calories per tablespoon, while the Texas Roadhouse has 8 grams of fat per serving and the bettergoods has 4.5 grams. Texas Roadhouse’s butter has more sodium and less carbs than bettergoods’, which is reflected in the taste.

Though the logistical match up, from taste to nutrition, has made it pretty clear, I am 100% recommending the bettergoods cinnamon honey butter over the Texas Roadhouse spread. Yes, the bettergoods option is more expensive per ounce, but for countless completely justified and valid reasons. And unless your main and only goal is to maximize quantity of spread over quality of taste or ingredients, I don’t see a reason to even purchase the Texas Roadhouse version. This is not only because of the overall lack of flavor or the weird filmy aftertaste, but ultimately, even if it had measured up to bettergoods in those categories, the fact that it’s 0% butter is super irksome and will always land it in last place. 

Plus, you can use the real bettergoods butter for tons of delicious recipes, like simmered sweet potatoes. If you don’t feel like spending the extra money on the bettergoods version, just add a touch of cinnamon and sugar to your regular butter. I promise, it’ll be better than the Texas Roadhouse retail version. If you decide to go ahead and make it yourself and are looking for the next best butter option, we’ve already ranked grocery store butter brands for you. If you find yourself with a package of Texas Roadhouse dinner rolls and are looking for something else to dip them in, there are a ton of tasty dipping options besides the classic sweet spread. 

To taste and compare both of these items, I started by trying a small portion of the bettergoods butter, followed by the Texas Roadhouse spread. I tried each of them straight-up and took notes on the taste, as well as the relative texture versus overall smoothness, how they melted on the tongue, and whether there were any aftertastes/developments in the flavor after melting. I also tried each one on half of a piece of toast to see if the quality, texture, or overall experience was altered in a more natural eating context. 

After looking at the ingredients in each, I didn’t even end up finishing the toast with the Texas Roadhouse spread. That’s not to say that it was bad, but I wasn’t loving the flavor as it was. Also, knowing that it was primarily vegetable oil was a big turn-off.