What Is Beef Tallow?

Written by Nichole Owens
Medically Reviewed by Christine Mikstas, RD, LD on March 20, 2025
8 min read

Beef tallow is the fat around a cow’s organs that’s been rendered (melted) and strained to remove any leftover meat or tissue and cooled to room temperature. Once it’s cooled, beef tallow is whitish or yellowish in color and looks and feels a lot like shortening. 

Beef tallow has been used for centuries in cooking, to make soaps and candles, and even in skin care. It’s making a comeback and gaining popularity with everyone from beauty influencers to cooks in the kitchen.

 Tallow vs. lard

 Tallow and lard are similar but they’re not the same. 

 Lard is rendered pork fat. It has a mild, neutral flavor and is often used in baking.

 Beef tallow, on the other hand, is rendered fat from cows. It has a mild beef taste and is often used to cook foods at very high temperatures.

You can use beef tallow to cook, to make home goods like soap and candles, and as a skin moisturizer.

Beef tallow for cooking

Beef tallow’s smoke point is nearly 480 degrees F. That means when you use it as an oil, it can get almost that hot before it starts to smoke. This makes beef tallow a good choice for deep-frying or sautéing foods. 

In fact, McDonald’s used beef tallow to cook their French fries until the mid-1990s before switching to more heart-friendly fat options.

You can use beef tallow for cooking in several ways including: 

  • To grease baking dishes
  • To replace butter or shortening in pie crusts
  • To cook eggs or sauté vegetables or meats 
  • To season cast-iron pans

How to make tallow candles

You can also make beef tallow candles. Historically, people used beef tallow to make candles because it offered several benefits, such as: 

 Stays solid at room temperature

  • Repels water and won’t dissolve
  • Smooth texture
  • Low odor
  • Not toxic

 To make tallow candles, you need the following: 

  • Heat-resistant canning jar
  • Tallow 
  • Wicks

Fill the bottom of a double boiler with 1 to 2 inches of water. Add beef tallow to the top pot. Melt, stirring occasionally. Set the wick in the jar. Slowly pour the melted tallow into the container. Allow to set overnight. The tallow is cool once it turns white. Trim wick and enjoy. 

Beef tallow moisturizer

It started as so many other things do, as a rumor on social media: Beef tallow moisturizer is good for your skin.

A review of recent research on its therapeutic benefits as a skin care product found it does have hydrating and moisturizing properties. But the study also suggests other oils, including pumpkin seed oil and linoleic acid, were superior at hydrating and moisturizing. 

Researchers also suggest tallow may help with some skin conditions like dermatitis and psoriasis, but we need more research with larger sample sizes and skin types to know for sure.

Beef tallow is touted as having many different benefits, including for your skin and for cooking.

Benefits of beef tallow for skin

“Beef tallow is rendered animal (beef) fat rich in lipids, fatty acids, and vitamins,” says Susan Massick, MD, a dermatologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. 

But is it a miracle moisturizer? Massick says no.

“Beef tallow acts as an occlusive agent, which means it can prevent water loss from the skin. So while beef tallow could help replenish the skin barrier as a moisturizer, it does not actually hydrate the skin, may worsen acne with increased clogged pores, and may hold a strong beef odor depending on its source and its manufacturing.”

Roger Kapoor, MD, senior executive and VP of Beloit Health Systems, agrees. He says that while the vitamins and fats in beef tallow may have positive benefits on the skin, the quality of the beef tallow matters, as well.   

“For example, grass-fed tallow contains more vitamins and fatty acids, leading to potentially more effective results,” he says.

Massick says you should skip beef tallow moisturizer altogether. “There are so many other effective, safe, reliable, trusted products with proven track records and backed by scientific evidence that can address dry skin products that moisturize, hydrate, and heal dry skin; that are effective in diverse skin types and skin conditions; can be used by anyone, including vegans; that are odorless; and that won’t aggravate or cause acne breakouts or skin irritation.”

And Massick cautions many products might be labeled as natural but that doesn’t mean they’re safe, effective, or beneficial, for everyone to use. “Know your skin type,” she says. “[And] choose medically sound, scientifically proven ingredients. Don’t fall for viral social media trends.” 

Studies do show that beef tallow may provide relief for atopic dermatitis or psoriasis, but more research is needed on the benefits of beef tallow for skin.  

Beef tallow benefits for cooking

Cooking with beef tallow can impart a rich, savory flavor to your foods. Its taste is subtle and savory and complements foods like meats and fried potatoes. It’s also not as greasy as you might expect and has a smooth texture.

Beef tallow’s high smoking point also makes it ideal for frying and searing. You can use it for several cooking methods, including:

  • Deep frying
  • Pan frying 
  • Sautéing 
  • Roasting vegetables
  • Baking
  • Making sauces  

Beef tallow is high in saturated fats, nearly 50%. Other oils, including canola, corn, and olive, are much healthier because they have less saturated fat.

And you’ve probably been told saturated fats are bad for you, but small amounts of certain saturated fats may be beneficial. That includes a specific type in tallow called stearic acid, which research shows may not raise cholesterol like other saturated fats.

It also has monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are healthier. Small amounts of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is one polyunsaturated omega-6 fat in beef tallow that may help reduce plaque buildup in your arteries, but we need more research to know for sure.

We do know that beef tallow has some essential vitamins, like D, E, and choline, but it's not very rich in any of them. Beef tallow also has small amounts of omega-3s.

But the American Heart Association still advises against oils loaded with saturated fats and instead suggests using seed oils to lower your risk of heart disease. 

Seed oils come from the seeds of plants, rather than their fruits. They’re also good for high-temperature cooking and are high in omega-6 fats, which can help control blood sugar. And they’re cheaper than beef tallow.

You can make your own beef tallow at home. Here’s how to make beef tallow in a few, easy steps:

  1. Buy beef trimmings from a local butcher or farm.
  2. Remove the fat and any meat stuck to it.
  3. Place the fat chunks in a Dutch oven or pot. 
  4. Simmer on low heat for three to four hours, stirring every hour. Do not boil.
  5. Check to make sure all the white pieces of fat have melted and separated from the beef trimmings.
  6. Remove from heat.
  7. Strain the liquid into a bowl with a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth.
  8. Store in a jar or airtight container.

Your beef tallow will keep at room temperature for several months. You can also store it in the refrigerator or freezer for up to a year.

If you don't want to make your own, you can buy beef tallow from your local butcher or grocery store. You can also buy it from a local farm or online.

Beef tallow is rendered cow fat. It has a soft texture and can last for months at room temperature. It’s commonly used for cooking, baking, making candles, and even as a skin moisturizer. Beef tallow is high in calories and saturated fat. It has some vitamins but it’s not as healthy as other fats, such as avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil.

Is beef tallow just lard?

No. Beef tallow comes from cow fat. It has a soft texture and looks and feels like shortening. It is whitish or yellowish in color. It tastes like beef and is used for cooking foods at high temperatures. Lard comes from pork fat. It is harder and firmer than beef tallow and is bright white. It has a mild, neutral taste and is often used in baked goods. 

Is beef tallow healthier than olive oil?

Beef tallow does contain essential vitamins, such as vitamins D and E. But it’s also very high in calories and saturated (bad) fat, which may increase your risk of heart disease. More research is needed on the health benefits of tallow. 

Olive oil is high in monosaturated (good) fats, which may help lower bad cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. Research shows that olive oil helps treat many health issues, such as heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and type 2 diabetes.

Does beef tallow cause skin to purge?

No. Retinoids, which come from vitamin A, increase cell turnover. Some people who use them may experience skin purging. This is when your skin cells die, shed, and form new ones. It often happens right after you begin using new skin care products to fight acne or aging. Beef tallow contains vitamin A but not enough to cause the skin to purge. Doctors say if you experience more breakouts when using beef tallow, it’s from actual clogged pores, not purging.

Why did people stop using beef tallow?

In the 1950s and ’60s, beef tallow was a popular cooking fat. But by the 1970s, doctors found a link between high-fat diets and heart disease. In the 1980s, the U.S. released its first Dietary Guidelines, which warned Americans about the health risks caused by a high-fat diet. Since then, research has shown that seed and vegetable oils may reduce heart disease risk. Still, doctors say you should eat all oils sparingly.