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Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
5 min
05/01/2026
A resurgence in its use as a fat for flavouring foods, its versatility with cooking at high temperatures, its support from influencers and chefs nationwide — as well as some backlash for having high levels of saturated fat — that’s prompting many people to take another look at the usefulness of some common cooking oils and products we’ve used in our kitchens over the past several decades. For some, this trend has been partially nostalgic; for others, it has been in response to the growing concern around seed oils.
In this article, we will discuss a few of the reasons why this resurgence of beef tallow has been gaining in popularity over the years, why people are once again considering adding beef tallow back into their kitchens, what the functional aspects of beef tallow are, and what has been said regarding the use and benefits of saturated fat. Additionally, we will provide an overview of the various contributors to the mild resurgence and downward pressures against using beef tallow, including influencers, celebrities in the food and restaurant industry, and fast-food chains’ involvement, and why you may want to consider taking a nuanced approach to this trend and approach it with moderation.
People have been drawn back to cooking with fat, and tallow has recently been revived thanks to the popularity of the "ancestral" or "paleo" diets. The growing trend of using animal fat instead of highly processed vegetable oils has also been promoted by many celebrities and politicians, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The reason that tallow has become popular for people who enjoy cooking at high temperatures is due to the high level of fat in tallow. For example, tallow has a higher smoke point than most vegetable oils, which makes it an attractive ingredient for frying, roasting, and searing meat.
Tallow is made up of nearly 100% fat, and as a result, it is very stable at high temperatures, so it doesn't break down as quickly as many vegetable oils. This stability has caused many users of deep fryers and cast-iron skillets to become enthusiastic supporters of tallow.
In addition to the fat in tallow, tallow also contains fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Furthermore, tallow contains a specific type of fat called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which, based on some research, is believed to have anti-inflammatory properties (although there is not yet enough research to establish the efficacy of CLA).
Tallow has a somewhat different flavour profile from the other oils. The primary taste difference between tallow and other cooking oils is that tallow is richer and provides a more savoury taste to foods compared to other cooking oils. Tallow provides an earthier and richer flavour to foods compared to olive oil or vegetable oil. When frying potatoes, searing meats and roasting vegetables, using tallow will give the food a slight beefy flavour.
Despite the rise in popularity of tallow, many health experts are not very optimistic about the possible health risks associated with consuming tallow. Most experts consider tallow to be extremely high in saturated fats. Historically, there has always been a correlation between a diet high in saturated fat and an increase in LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), which is considered a major risk factor for cardiovascular problems.
Nonetheless, all saturated fats are not the same. According to the Mayo Clinic, several of the saturated fats present in tallow (such as stearic acid) do not increase our LDL cholesterol levels as some other types of saturated fats do. In addition to stearic acid, tallow also contains healthy amounts of mono- and polyunsaturated fats (like conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)).
Still, health professionals recommend limiting consumption of tallow to no more than 10% of your daily caloric intake. Dr Janna McKenzie, the medical director at Noom, has stated that although tallow can provide healthy fat, it should only be used in small amounts as a replacement for other cooking oils.
Tallow's resurgence isn't limited to use in food. The beauty community on TikTok has been touting tallow as "nature's retinol" and "liquid gold" for the skin because they claim it provides deep hydration by mimicking the lipid structure of human skin. Dermatologists, however, caution against using it for those reasons: While tallow contains fats with similar fatty acid profiles to the lipids in human skin, it is also highly comedogenic. This means that it can clog pores and cause breakouts. Some users on Reddit reported significant breakouts after applying tallow to their faces, saying "it completely ruined my face...cystic acne everywhere" and "I have experienced discomfort and oiliness." Overall, evidence suggests that while tallow may have some benefits for the skin, these benefits are likely overstated, and everyone experiences different results.
Home chefs are also incorporating tallow into their everyday cooking routines by using it to fry eggs, sear steak, roast vegetables, and grease pans for pie crusts. Tallow has grown in popularity among followers of the Keto and Paleo diets because of its energy-dense characteristics, as well as its high levels of fat. Several restaurants are also starting to utilise tallow in response to consumer backlash against the use of refined seed oils. Some chefs and fast-food chains are returning to using tallow due to its stable cooking performance at high temperatures, as well as its intense flavour profile.
The return of tallow appears to be indicative of a larger change in current dietary trends rather than being just another trend. Consumers increasingly question the healthfulness of ultra-processed foods and have become interested in exploring so-called "ancestral foods" or traditional cooking practices. Additionally, consumers now have less interest in trade-offs for convenience against taste and heritage. In fact, tallow has both a functional (high smoke point, high levels of fat-soluble vitamins, etc.) and cultural (nostalgic, authentic) aspect, which makes it uniquely suited to thrive in today's culinary atmosphere.
That said, the same rules apply when cooking with anything that has a high fat content; moderation is key. Therefore, if using tallow, it may be best used on meats and in specific subject areas (eg, frying), not as a general cooking oil.
