Should You Cook With Beef Tallow? Here’s What A Dietitian Has to Say

[ad_1] <img width="800" height="534" src="https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/should-you-cook-with-beef-tallow-1024x684.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Should You Cook With Beef Tallow | MyFitnessPal" srcset="https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/should-you-cook-with-beef-tallow-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/should-you-cook-with-beef-tallow-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/should-you-cook-with-beef-tallow-768x513.jpg 768w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/should-you-cook-with-beef-tallow.jpg 1348w" /> When you’ve been on vitamin social media these days, you’ve in all probability seen influencers claiming that seed oils are unhealthy for you and that beef tallow is healthier. They’re saying that seed oils are inflammatory and poisonous. However the science suggests most of those claims could also be wildly overblown.

But, the individuals all labored up about seed oils (and their many on-line followers) are turning to different sources of fats to cook dinner with—one of the vital standard substitutes being beef tallow.

Influencers declare that beef tallow is anti-inflammatory and doesn’t increase ldl cholesterol. If that doesn’t sound fairly proper to you, you aren’t alone. Loads of individuals nonetheless bear in mind when quick meals eating places stopped utilizing beef tallow within the 90s in response to well being advocates who needed to cease the rise in coronary heart illness (15).

However the tide of public opinion has turned, and now lots of people assume beef tallow is definitely good for you. Is there any fact to that or is that this simply one other well being fad? We turned to the true consultants— dietitians—to search out out.

So, What's Beef Tallow Anyway?

Beef tallow is a rendered type of beef fats that's stable at room temperature. Like butter and lard, it’s primarily saturated fats. It’s made by eradicating, simmering, and clarifying the fatty tissue of cows to create a thick, oily consistency similar to lard (1).

Beef tallow has a excessive smoke level (1), making it efficient for high-heat cooking strategies akin to:

Frying

Deep frying

Roasting

Grilling

Sautéing

<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/dietitian-fact-checks-claims-seed-oils-1024x683.jpeg" alt="Dietitian Fact Checks 5 Claims Made About Seed Oils on Social Media | MyFitnessPal" class="wp-image-63197 size-full" srcset="https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/dietitian-fact-checks-claims-seed-oils-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/dietitian-fact-checks-claims-seed-oils-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/dietitian-fact-checks-claims-seed-oils-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/dietitian-fact-checks-claims-seed-oils.jpeg 1504w" /> You may additionally like

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Execs and Cons of Beef Tallow

Beef tallow might need some potential well being advantages, however these have to be weighed towards its dangers, significantly concerning coronary heart well being. “We don’t have a number of high quality analysis on beef tallow and its impact on people,” says MyFitnessPal registered dietitian Emily Sullivan.

Potential Advantages of Beef Tallow

Beef tallow comprises stearic acid, and there may be some analysis that implies stearic acid might need a cholesterol-lowering impact (2). But, Sullivan says extra analysis on the subject is required to substantiate this declare.

“Beef tallow does comprise small quantities of nutritional vitamins, however not a major quantity in a 1 tbsp serving,” Sullivan says.

Moreover, beef tallow is a supply of conjugate linoleic acid, which is a type of polyunsaturated fats which will scale back irritation (3). Sullivan says a lot of the analysis on conjugate linoleic acid’s advantages has been performed on animals in a lab setting, so analysis on people is important earlier than we will say it reduces irritation in individuals.

Total, though there could also be just a few advantages to cooking with beef tallow, most of those advantages usually are not absolutely science-backed and appear to be comparatively insignificant in small quantities.

Concerning the Specialists

Emily Sullivan, RD is a meals knowledge curator at MyFitnessPal. She earned her bachelor’s diploma and accomplished her dietetic internship at The Ohio State College, and obtained her culinary arts diploma from Johnson and Wales College.

Melissa Jaeger RD, LD is the Head of Diet for MyFitnessPal. Melissa obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Diet (DPD) from the School of Saint Benedict and accomplished her dietetic internship via Iowa State College. In Might 2024 she was acknowledged because the Registered Younger Dietitian of the Yr awarded by the Minnesota Academy of Diet and Dietetics.

Stephanie Saletta, MS, RD is the Sr. Lead Diet Scientist at MyFitnessPal. Stephanie earned her grasp’s diploma in Diet from San Diego State College. She has expertise in vitamin analysis, weight problems prevention and remedy program growth, and sports activities vitamin.

Drawbacks of Beef Tallow

Beef tallow is excessive in saturated fats, and there may be an awesome physique of scientific analysis exhibiting that saturated fats will increase LDL ldl cholesterol (that’s the “unhealthy” ldl cholesterol)—subsequently, saturated fats will increase heart problems (CVD) threat, or threat of coronary heart illness (4). “There’s good proof suggesting that swapping saturated fat for unsaturated fat, together with cooking oils, lowers LDL ldl cholesterol and advantages coronary heart well being,” says Stephanie Saletta, MS, RD, Lead Diet Scientist at MyFitnessPal (16).

100 g of beef tallow comprises 50g of saturated fats (5). The USDA recommends preserving saturated fats consumption to not more than 10% of energy per day (6), and the American Coronary heart Affiliation recommends you cap it at 6% (4).

So, if you happen to’re following USDA suggestions, that’s about 22 g of saturated fats per day if you happen to eat about 2,000 energy a day. When you’re following the American Coronary heart Affiliation’s pointers, you’ll wish to preserve that saturated fats complete even decrease—solely 13 g per day for those self same 2,000 energy per day.

Take into accout simply 1 tbsp of beef tallow comprises 6 g of saturated fats. Everyone knows that when cooking, the quantity you utilize can add up quick. Since you wish to restrict your saturated fats consumption and plenty of frequent meals already comprise saturated fats, it might be a good suggestion to keep away from extra sources of saturated fats like beef tallow.

“Not solely can grams of saturated fats add up rapidly however so can complete energy from fats. Fats comprises 9 energy/gram – greater than protein or carbohydrates. Logging your meals – together with your cooking oils – in MyFitnessPal will help you see how your energy stack up whereas staying on observe along with your well being objectives.” Melissa Jaeger, RD, LD, and MyFitnessPal Head of Diet.

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Beef Tallow vs. Different Fat

We’ve established that beef tallow is excessive in saturated fats—50 g of saturated fats per 100 g. However how does it evaluate to seed oils and different animal fat?

Per 100 g, right here is how a lot saturated fats every of those seed oils and animal-based fat comprise:

And right here’s how a lot saturated fats is in 100 g of different frequent cooking fat:

Olive oil: 16 g (9)

Canola oil: 7 g (7)

Avocado oil: 12 g (8)

Lard: 39 g (10)

Butter: 46 g (11)

Beef tallow has extra saturated fats than all of those, even butter.

Often Requested Questions (FAQs)

Does beef tallow have an effect on the flavour of meals? Sure, as a result of beef tallow is a rendered type of beef fats, it has a meaty and savory taste profile.

How lengthy does beef tallow final at room temperature? Beef tallow will be saved at room temperature for as much as a yr (13).

Ought to I refrigerate beef tallow? You possibly can if you happen to use beef tallow extra occasionally, and it lasts for six to 12 months (13). Chances are you'll have to thaw the meat tallow if refrigerated, although.

Can beef tallow be used as an alternative choice to butter or oil in baking? Beef tallow might be used as a baking substitute, however its meaty taste profile would possibly make it extra favorable for savory baked items. “You will need to notice that beef tallow has the next quantity of saturated fats than each butter and oil which needs to be considered if making that swap in a recipe,” Sullivan says.

Is beef tallow costly? The value of beef tallow can fluctuate based mostly on the model and high quality, however normally, it's costlier than vegetable and seed oils.

Is beef tallow simply lard? Beef tallow is created from beef fats, whereas lard is created from pork fats. Lard has a gentle, impartial taste that makes it higher for baking.

Is beef tallow unhealthy for ldl cholesterol? Beef tallow has excessive quantities of saturated fats. Analysis reveals that saturated fats will increase “unhealthy” ldl cholesterol—so sure, beef tallow could also be unhealthy for ldl cholesterol.

The Backside Line

Most individuals mustn't exchange vegetable/seed oils with beef tallow as a consequence of its excessive focus of saturated fats, says Sullivan. Consuming a small quantity of saturated fats will be a part of a nutrient-dense weight-reduction plan, however it’s nonetheless really helpful to make use of unsaturated fat akin to vegetable oils as the first supply of fats for cooking (14).

“Extra analysis is required on beef tallow and all the claims which can be being made about it, so I'd not suggest utilizing it rather than different fat presently,” Sullivan says.