Beef Tallow: Should You Avoid Or Enjoy It?
Learn more about beef tallow, why it's a trending topic, the pros and cons, our takes, and the fats we recommend - including healthy fat recipes.
Happy Wednesday! Today, we are taking on beef tallow, an animal fat that has been trending lately. Learn more about what beef tallow is, why some fast food restaurants are using it again, and our take on whether it should be in your diet… including what we think about beef tallow being added to the new USDA Food Pyramid. Plus some recipes featuring fats we recommend.
What Is Beef Tallow?
Beef tallow is a rendered fat made from beef, typically from the fatty tissue around the kidneys and other parts of the animal. The fat is slowly heated until it melts, then strained and cooled into a solid cooking fat. It has been used traditionally for frying, roasting, and baking because it is stable at high temperatures and has a long shelf life.
Historically, beef tallow was commonly used in home cooking and even in commercial foods (for example, early fast-food fries were cooked in beef tallow before vegetable oils became widespread). However, there is a resurgence in the popularity of beef tallow - read more on that below.
Is Beef Tallow Unhealthy?
Beef tallow is not inherently harmful, but it is high in saturated fat, which is why most health experts recommend using it in moderation.
Potential downsides of beef tallow include:
High saturated fat content: Diets high in saturated fat can raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in some people, which may increase cardiovascular risk.
Low in beneficial fatty acids: Compared with oils like olive oil, beef tallow contains fewer monounsaturated fats and almost no omega-3 fatty acids.
Calorie-dense: Like all fats, it is very calorie-dense.
Possible benefits of beef tallow include:
Stable for cooking: It is relatively heat-stable, making it well-suited for roasting or frying.
Traditional fat: It has been part of traditional diets for centuries and provides small amounts of fat-soluble vitamins.
Why Beef Tallow Is Becoming Popular Again
Beef tallow’s comeback is mostly driven by nostalgia, culinary flavor, and debates about seed oils, rather than new scientific evidence that it’s healthier. Some reasons beef tallow is trending:
1. Pushback against seed oils. In recent years, some influencers and health commentators have criticized seed oils (such as soybean, canola, and corn oil) and promoted traditional animal fats, such as beef tallow, instead.
Supporters argue that tallow is less processed, more “traditional” and more stable for high-heat cooking.
However, many nutrition experts still caution that beef tallow is high in saturated fat, which can raise LDL cholesterol and increase heart disease risk when consumed in large amounts.
2. Nostalgia for older cooking methods. Before the 1990s, many fast-food restaurants fried foods in beef tallow. For example, McDonald’s originally cooked its fries in a mixture that was mostly beef tallow before switching to vegetable oil due to health concerns.
In 2025, Steak ’n Shake announced that all locations would begin frying their famous shoestring fries in 100% beef tallow instead of vegetable oil. The company said the change was intended to improve flavor, return to a more traditional cooking method and give fries a crispier texture.
3. Interest in traditional and “less processed” ingredients. There’s also a broader movement toward older cooking fats such as butter, tallow and lard. Some consumers view these as more natural compared with industrial vegetable oils.
If you are interested in this topic, you may enjoy these In The News takes as well:
Healthy Meals Delivered to Your Door
Today’s post is brought to you by Sunbasket - a meal delivery service we chose to partner with after personally trying many of their meals. We love how simple they make healthy eating without sacrificing flavor. Their fresh, organic produce and thoughtfully sourced ingredients meet our anti-inflammatory standards. Weil Nutrition Corner™ readers can save $140 on their first five boxes, plus get free shipping on the first box. Visit sunbasket.com/drweil to learn more.
Beef Tallow: Our Takes
WEIL Nutrition Corner™ VIPs can access our takes on beef tallow - how we think it fits into a healthy diet, our biggest concerns, the fats we suggest, and more - including healthy fat recipes. Unlock VIP today for access to this and all our In The News takes. If you are already VIP, scroll down to see our thoughts on today’s topic.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to WEIL Nutrition Corner® to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.