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

Beef tallow is being used more often in cooking due to the seed oil debate. But is beef tallow actually good, or is it just another trend?

The post Should You Cook With Beef Tallow? Here’s What A Dietitian Has to Say appeared first on MyFitnessPal Blog.

If you’ve been on nutrition social media lately, you’ve probably seen influencers claiming that seed oils are bad for you and that beef tallow is better. They’re saying that seed oils are inflammatory and toxic. But the science suggests most of these claims may be wildly overblown.

Yet, the people all worked up about seed oils (and their many online followers) are turning to other sources of fat to cook with—one of the most popular substitutes being beef tallow. 

Influencers claim that beef tallow is anti-inflammatory and doesn’t raise cholesterol. If that doesn’t sound quite right to you, you aren’t alone. Plenty of people still remember when fast food restaurants stopped using beef tallow in the 90s in response to health advocates who wanted to stop the rise in heart disease (15).   

But the tide of public opinion has turned, and now a lot of people think beef tallow is actually good for you. Is there any truth to that or is this just another health fad? We turned to the real experts— dietitians—to find out. 

So, What is Beef Tallow Anyway?

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

Beef tallow has a high smoke point (1), making it effective for high-heat cooking methods such as: 

• Frying
• Deep frying
• Roasting
• Grilling
• Sautéing

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Pros and Cons of Beef Tallow

Beef tallow might have some potential health benefits, but these must be weighed against its risks, particularly regarding heart health. “We don’t have a lot of quality research on beef tallow and its effect on humans,” says MyFitnessPal registered dietitian Emily Sullivan.

Possible Benefits of Beef Tallow

Beef tallow contains stearic acid, and there is some research that suggests stearic acid might have a cholesterol-lowering effect (2). Yet, Sullivan says more research on the topic is needed to confirm this claim.

“Beef tallow does contain small amounts of vitamins, but not a significant amount in a 1 tbsp serving,” Sullivan says.

Additionally, beef tallow is a source of conjugate linoleic acid, which is a form of polyunsaturated fat that may reduce inflammation (3). Sullivan says most of the research on conjugate linoleic acid’s benefits has been conducted on animals in a lab setting, so research on humans is necessary before we can say it reduces inflammation in people.

Overall, although there may be a few benefits to cooking with beef tallow, most of these benefits are not fully science-backed and seem to be relatively insignificant in small amounts.

About the Experts

Emily Sullivan, RD is a food data curator at MyFitnessPal. She earned her bachelor’s degree and completed her dietetic internship at The Ohio State University, and obtained her culinary arts degree from Johnson and Wales University.

Melissa Jaeger RD, LD is the Head of Nutrition for MyFitnessPal. Melissa received a Bachelor of Arts in Nutrition (DPD) from the College of Saint Benedict and completed her dietetic internship through Iowa State University. In May 2024 she was recognized as the Registered Young Dietitian of the Year awarded by the Minnesota Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Stephanie Saletta, MS, RD is the Sr. Lead Nutrition Scientist at MyFitnessPal. Stephanie earned her master’s degree in Nutrition from San Diego State University. She has experience in nutrition research, obesity prevention and treatment program development, and sports nutrition.

Drawbacks of Beef Tallow

Beef tallow is high in saturated fat, and there is an overwhelming body of scientific research showing that saturated fat increases LDL cholesterol (that’s the “bad” cholesterol)—therefore, saturated fat increases cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, or risk of heart disease (4). “There’s good evidence suggesting that swapping saturated fats for unsaturated fats, including cooking oils, lowers LDL cholesterol and benefits heart health,” says Stephanie Saletta, MS, RD, Lead Nutrition Scientist at MyFitnessPal (16).

100 g of beef tallow contains 50g of saturated fat (5). The USDA recommends keeping saturated fat consumption to no more than 10% of calories per day (6), and the American Heart Association recommends you cap it at 6% (4). 

So, if you’re following USDA recommendations, that’s about 22 g of saturated fat per day if you eat about 2,000 calories a day. If you’re following the American Heart Association’s guidelines,