Chewing the Fat: Is Beef Tallow Healthy?

The use of beef tallow in the kitchen is on the upswing thanks to the increasingly popular keto diet, a high-fat and low-carb eating plan with a strong focus on red meat and other barnyard offerings.

In a way, beef tallow’s resurgence in cooking is a return to old-style meal prep. Cooks long relied on the solid fat for frying or baking before other options — such as extra virgin olive oil and vegetable oils — grew in popularity.

But is this culinary revival a healthy turn of events? Let’s find out from cardiovascular dietitian Michelle Dodd, RD, LD.

Is beef tallow good for you?

When it comes to your health and heart, there’s not a lot of love for beef tallow. The reason? Beef tallow is high in saturated fat — hardly a surprise, given it’s made from the rendered fat of cows.

Tallow is essentially a cleaned-up version of the fatty drippings that come from cooked beef. It’s often made from the dense fat found around organs, like the kidneys.

“Beef tallow is so high in saturated fat that it’s a waxy solid at room temperature,” shares Dodd. “Think of what that sort of substance does once it gets inside of you. It’s not good for your cardiovascular system. It’s not something you want to regularly use and consume.”

Are there benefits to beef tallow?

It’s not difficult to find glowing beef tallow testimonials online. Spend a few minutes on TikTok and you’ll see numerous videos where people describe beef tallow as a natural wellness product that qualifies as “liquid gold.”

And the truth is, there is some good stuff in that fatty concoction. “Beef tallow has some fat-soluble vitamins,” says Dodd. “There are omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, too, plus some minerals and amino acids.”

Plus, let’s be honest here: It can add amazing flavor during the cooking process.

But any potential benefits from beef tallow don’t add enough positives to offset the negatives from the saturated fat, notes Dodd. “Anything beneficial in beef tallow is in trace amounts. It’s not enough to make a difference.”

Beef tallow nutrition facts

Here’s some of what you get in a tablespoon of beef tallow:

• Calories: 115
• Total fat: 12.8 grams (g)
• Saturated fat: 6.4 g
• Cholesterol: 14 g
• Vitamin D: 0.09 micrograms (µg)
• Selenium: 0.26 µg
• Choline: 10.2 mg

So, what does all that mean? Basically, this: “Beef tallow would not be a recommended dietary source for any sort of nutrient,” clarifies Dodd. “Whatever you’re looking to get out of beef tallow nutritionally, you’ve got better options.”

Potential health concerns with beef tallow

A diet that’s high in saturated fat increases your risk of coronary heart disease (CAD), the most common type of heart disease, says Dodd. CAD occurs when gunk builds up on your artery walls and restricts blood flow.

CAD is often known as a “silent killer,” given how it can develop undetected before revealing itself with a heart attack.

“Saturated fats promote the sort of artery clogs that can lead to these problems,” she adds.

The American Heart Association advises limiting saturated fat to only 6% of your daily caloric intake. To put that in perspective, a tablespoon of beef tallow is almost the FULL daily amount of saturated fat recommended within a 2,000-calorie diet.

“Beef tallow is just not a healthy choice for cooking,” emphasizes Dodd. (She suggests using plant-based liquid cooking oils such as avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil. Try to avoid coconut oil, which shares many of the same health concerns as beef tallow.)

Final thoughts

Beef tallow is frequently and traditionally used in barbecue circles to add extra flavor and texture to ribs or brisket. Some restaurants fry in beef tallow to boost the taste of fries and chicken wings, too.

But the key is to enjoy foods made with beef tallow on a limited basis (if at all).

“If you’re using beef tallow here and there to cook special dishes, that’s fine,” says Dodd. “But it’s not something that should be part of your daily cooking routine.”