What Is a Good Substitute for Beef Tallow?

December 27, 2025 •

4 min read

McDonald's famously once used beef tallow for its signature French fries, demonstrating its value for achieving a unique flavor and crispy texture. However, home cooks, bakers, and product creators may need alternatives for dietary, cost, or availability reasons. So, what is a good substitute for beef tallow for your specific culinary needs?

Quick Summary

This guide explores effective substitutes for beef tallow, covering both animal and plant-based options suitable for various applications, including high-heat frying, baking, and soap making.

Key Points

Lard: Rendered pork fat offers a similar high smoke point to tallow, making it a great substitute for frying and creating flaky baked goods.
Ghee: Clarified butter provides a rich, nutty flavor and a very high smoke point, ideal for sautéing and adding richness to dishes without the beefy taste.
Coconut Oil: A versatile, plant-based alternative that is solid at room temperature, making it suitable for both baking and high-heat frying, with neutral refined options available.
Avocado Oil: With an exceptionally high smoke point and neutral flavor, avocado oil is a healthy option for high-temperature frying, searing, and sautéing.
Cocoa and Shea Butters: These solid plant-based fats are excellent vegan alternatives for non-culinary uses like making hard, moisturizing soap bars.
The Best Choice Depends on the Use: The ideal substitute for beef tallow varies by application, whether you need high heat for frying, a solid fat for baking, or specific properties for skincare.

Finding the Right Alternative for Your Recipe

Choosing a replacement for beef tallow requires considering the fat's function in the original recipe. Tallow is known for its high smoke point, savory flavor, and ability to create a crispy texture in fried foods, as well as its unique properties in baked goods and soap. Your best substitute will depend on whether you want to replicate the flavor, performance, or texture.

Animal-Based Alternatives

Lard

Lard is rendered pork fat and is a very common and accessible substitute for tallow, especially in cooking and baking.

For Frying: Lard has a similar high smoke point to tallow and delivers incredibly crispy results, though its flavor is slightly different. It's perfect for frying chicken or potatoes.
For Baking: It produces flaky pie crusts and biscuits, a texture that is difficult to achieve with many plant-based oils.

Ghee

Ghee, or clarified butter, is another excellent dairy-based alternative with a high smoke point and rich, nutty flavor.

For Frying and Sautéing: Ghee is an ideal choice, especially in Indian and other cuisines where its distinct taste is welcome. It lacks the beefy flavor of tallow but provides a rich, buttery depth.
For Baking: It can be used in baking, but the nutty flavor should be considered. Since the milk solids are removed, it's also a good option for those with lactose sensitivity.

Duck Fat

Duck fat is a gourmet alternative with a rich, savory flavor profile, making it a fantastic substitute for roasting potatoes or other vegetables. It shares many characteristics with tallow in terms of flavor and performance, making it a luxurious option for special occasions.

Butter

While it has a lower smoke point, butter can be used as a substitute for tallow in recipes where its flavor is desired and high heat isn't a factor. For sautéing at lower temperatures or adding flavor to sauces, it's a suitable option.

Plant-Based and Vegan Substitutes

Coconut Oil

For those seeking a vegan or plant-based option, coconut oil is one of the most versatile choices. Unrefined coconut oil offers a distinct coconut aroma, while refined versions are more neutral.

Solid at Room Temperature: Like tallow, it is solid at room temperature, making it excellent for baking applications that require a semi-solid fat.
High-Heat Cooking: It holds up well to high heat, and its ability to create a crisp exterior makes it great for frying.

Avocado Oil

With one of the highest smoke points of any cooking oil, avocado oil is a fantastic option for high-heat frying and searing. Its neutral flavor won't overpower the natural taste of your food, making it a clean and healthy alternative for many cooking tasks.

Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil is a healthy and flavorful fat for sautéing and roasting but is not ideal for high-heat applications due to its lower smoke point. However, it can work for medium-heat recipes and adds a distinct fruity flavor.

Vegetable Shortening

Crisco and similar products were originally created as a substitute for lard and can be used in recipes that require a solid fat. While it is a suitable alternative for certain baking applications, it doesn't offer the same flavor benefits and is often made from hydrogenated fats.

For Soap Making and Skincare

When it comes to non-culinary applications like soap making, beef tallow is prized for creating a hard, long-lasting bar with a creamy lather. Excellent plant-based alternatives include:

Cocoa Butter: Provides hardness and moisturizing properties.
Shea Butter: A softer butter that adds moisturizing benefits.
Coconut Oil: A popular choice that provides excellent lather and hardness, but note that it can be drying if used in very high percentages.
Palm Oil: Creates a hard, long-lasting bar, but some prefer to avoid it due to environmental concerns.
Jojoba Oil: Known for its similarity to human sebum, making it an excellent moisturizing ingredient in balms and lotions.

Comparison Table


Substitute	Source	Best For	Smoke Point	Flavor	Best for Frying?	Best for Baking?
Lard	Pork Fat	Frying, Baking	~370°F (188°C)	Mild, slightly porky	Yes	Yes (flaky crusts)
Ghee	Clarified Butter	Sautéing, Baking	~485°F (252°C)	Nutty, buttery	Yes	Yes (rich flavor)
Duck Fat	Duck Fat	Roasting, Frying	~375°F (190°C)	Rich, savory	Yes	No
Coconut Oil	Coconut	Frying, Baking, Skincare	~350°F (177°C) (unrefined)	Distinctly coconut (refined is neutral)	Yes	Yes (solid fat)
Avocado Oil	Avocado	High-Heat Frying	~520°F (271°C)	Neutral	Yes	Yes (neutral flavor)
Olive Oil	Olives	Low-Med Sautéing	~375°F (190°C)	Fruity, peppery	No	No
Vegetable Shortening	Plant Oils	Baking	~360°F (182°C)	Neutral	Yes	Yes (flaky textures)

Making Your Choice

When selecting a beef tallow alternative, the best option depends on your specific goals. If you're after a similar savory flavor and high smoke point for frying, lard or duck fat are top choices. For a plant-based alternative that mimics tallow's solid state for baking, coconut oil is a great pick. If a neutral, high-heat option is needed for deep frying, avocado oil is an excellent contender. For non-culinary uses like soap making, cocoa butter or a blend of other plant oils will provide a quality vegan result. By evaluating your recipe's needs, you can find a substitute that delivers great results without compromising flavor or performance.

Conclusion

While beef tallow has enjoyed a revival in recent years for its unique flavor and high-heat stability, a wide array of alternatives exists to suit every purpose, dietary need, and preference. From animal-based fats like lard and ghee to versatile plant-based options like coconut and avocado oil, cooks and crafters have a wealth of choices. The key is understanding how each substitute performs under heat and what flavor profile it brings to the final product. With this knowledge, you can confidently replace beef tallow and still achieve delicious results in your cooking, baking, or crafting projects. For deeper information on sourcing ethical and sustainable alternatives, including considerations around palm oil, resources like Humblebee & Me can be a great starting point.

Frequently Asked Questions

For an all-purpose cooking substitute, avocado oil is a strong contender due to its very high smoke point and neutral flavor, making it versatile for frying, sautéing, and roasting without overpowering other ingredients. For flavor replication, lard is often the best choice.

Yes, you can use butter as a replacement, but it has a lower smoke point and contains milk solids and water, so it will burn more easily. It is best for lower-heat sautéing or for recipes where its flavor is a key component.

For achieving crispy, flavorful fried potatoes, lard or duck fat are excellent choices that provide a rich, savory taste similar to tallow. Avocado oil is also a great option for a more neutral flavor and very high-heat performance.

Refined coconut oil is one of the best vegan substitutes for baking, especially in recipes that require a solid fat, as it behaves similarly to tallow and has a neutral flavor.

Yes, ghee has a very high smoke point, even higher than tallow in many cases, and is an excellent fat for deep frying. It adds a delicious, nutty flavor that is distinct from the savory taste of beef tallow.

For soap making, plant-based alternatives like cocoa butter, shea butter, and coconut oil work well. They provide the hardness and creamy lather characteristic of tallow soap, with palm oil also being a common, though controversial, option.

Lard is milder and has a slightly porky flavor, while beef tallow has a more pronounced savory, beef-forward taste. While similar in performance for frying and baking, the flavor difference is a key consideration.