Can I Substitute Beef Tallow for Butter? Best Uses & Ratios
Interest in beef tallow as a butter alternative is based on the resurgence of traditional cooking fats.
Is the beef tallow an alternative to the butter? The answer is ambiguous and depends on the recipe, method of cooking, and your personal preferences.
Both are fats with vastly differing properties, and while tallow works in a lot of recipes, there are some instances where butter is still used.
So, here’s how to use beef tallow in comparison to butter, a guide to how to make these substitutions, and the best ways to use the two across your kitchen.
What Is Beef Tallow?
Pure rendered fat from cattle is beef tallow.
Over the centuries, it has been used for cooking, frying, and other things. It has also been used as part of skincare because it has to remain very stable and have lots of nutrients.
Tallow is almost entirely fat, so it is an excellent high-heat cooking oil, unlike butter, which contains water and milk solids.
Beef tallow was a staple in American kitchens up until vegetable oils and margarine became more popular (1).
But tallow is back now, and more folks are abandoning processed seed oils.
How Does Beef Tallow Compare to Butter?
Dairy is in the butter, and beef tallow has a mild, slightly beefy flavor.
Tallow spreads less at room temperature than butter, but it is better for cooking and frying.
Butter replacement for spreads or pastries may not be the best tallow to look for if what you want is a direct replacement.
It is very good for frying but works well for roasting, baking, and, undoubtedly, sautéing as well.
Beef Tallow vs. Butter Nutritional Comparison
Both are unsaturated fats, but butter and tallow are different (2)
Beef tallow is high in CLA and stearic acid, which could promote metabolic health (3), while butter contains essential fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K, two of which include conjugated linoleic acid.
A quick nutrition comparison per tablespoon is as follows:
| Nutrient | Beef Tallow | Butter |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 115 | 102 |
| Total Fat | 13g | 12g |
| Saturated Fat | 6g | 7g |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 6g | 3g |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.5g | 0.5g |
| Cholesterol | 0mg | 31mg |
| Vitamin A | 0% | 11% DV |
Buttery, though it is, contains fewer vitamins, and tallow is without any dairy, making it a good choice for those intolerant of dairy (4).
Smoke Point & Stability, Cooking Properties
Butter has a smoke point (around 350 °F, but scope it for a rather low range), whereas beef tallow has a higher smoke point (about 400 °F). Thus, the former is the better choice for frying and roasting (5).
Tallow is pure fat without any water or milk solids and will not burn as fast as butter at high temperatures.
However, butter is known to give baked goods richness and earthiness that tallow cannot, and that’s why it’s used.
Is it possible to replace beef tallow with butter?
In these cases, you can substitute butter with beef tallow using a 1:1 ratio.
Despite that, some recipes might require minor changes because of a different texture or moisture.
In cooking methods like frying, roasting, or sautéing, tallow will work well. However, it may not be the best choice in baking.
Recipes that use butter for flavor and to keep a cake or pastry moist could not come out the same if they used tallow in place of butter.
Cooking with Beef Tallow Instead of Butter in Different Recipes
Is beef tallow a substitute for butter in baking?
While it is possible to bake with beef tallow instead of butter, some adjustments are needed in the process.
Because tallow has less water content than butter, baked goods made with tallow can be more dense and less tender.
Tallow can be used well for cookies and biscuits, giving them a crispier texture.
Adding a little extra liquid (milk, eggs) for cakes and pastries will help balance the difference.
For making bread, butter may be replaced with tallow for a soft, chewy crumb.
Can You Substitute Beef Tallow for Butter for Cooking?
Beef tallow works well as a butter substitute for cooking.
When it comes to frying, it works very well with foods to give them a crisp golden appearance without burning.
Tallow works great for:
- Frying potatoes, vegetables, and meats
- Vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, or more popular knowledge roasted
- Seal and crisp steaks and meats for a good, luscious crust
It has a higher smoke point and stability than butter for heating.
Beef Tallow versus Butter: Is It Ok To Replace Butter with Beef Tallow in Pasta, Bread, & More?
For example, that finishing touch of butter that a recipe may mention as an addition, such as in pasta or mashed potatoes, works for tallow, but it doesn’t taste quite as creamy.
A rich, flavorful alternative to sauce is tallow and olive oil or herbs mixed together to make pasta.
Tallow can be used as a replacement for butter in bread dough, although the tallow may yield a slightly different texture.
Butter is still the better choice in a spread; it is soft and creamy.
Advantages of Substituting Tallow for Butter
- Ideal frying and roasting: higher smoke point
- Long shelf life: more stable than butter, less prone to rancidity
- Dairy-free: Great for those with lactose intolerance
It is high in beneficial fats, comprised of stearic acid and CLA, which may help support health.
Disadvantages of Substituting Tallow for Butter
- Lacks butter’s flavor—no creamy, dairy-like taste
- Different texture: firmer at room temperature, not spreadable
It was not ideal for all baked goods—it caused my cakes and pastries to get denser.
Final Thoughts
But, still, beef tallow is a versatile and nutritious alternative to butter, and here is when it is appropriate to use it or not.
Tallow outperforms butter in terms of its stability and crisping ability for frying, roasting, and sautéing.
It hasn’t been channeled appropriately to make butter suitable for baking and spreading. For baking and spreading, butter remains the better choice for texture and flavor.
For those interested in using tallow in cooking, begin with small swaps of tallow for other fats, making their way into savory foods and frying.
Trying out tallow can bring new ways of cooking to the kitchen while rediscovering a tried and true traditional fat.
🔥💪 Give Your Body What It Needs! Support brain, skin, and metabolic health with the power of beef tallow—pure, simple, effective! 🌟
FAQs
Is beef tallow a substitute for butter in cookies?
However, it may make them a little bit crisper. The texture might require moisture amount adjustment.
In terms of replacing butter, what is the right ratio of beef tallow to butter to substitute with?
It is rare that you need a 1:1 ratio, but if you are baking, you might need to change it for moisture difference.
What is more healthy: beef tallow or butter?
Both have unique benefits. Vitamins are in butter, and tallow is dairy-free and filled with stearic acid.
Is it possible to use beef tallow instead of butter for steak?
Not that tallow is bad, but tallow is excellent for searing steak and creating a lovely beefy crust.
Why did people stop using beef tallow in cooking?
Being health conscious, tallow was replaced slowly with vegetable oils, but they are even coming back into use as a natural fat replacement.
Related Studies
1. Title: The Effect of Partial Substitution of Beef Tallow on Burgers
This research investigates how replacing beef tallows with various oils alters the fatty acid profile and affects oxidation stability in beef burgers.
Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35804801/
2. Title: Effects of fats high in stearic acid on lipid and lipoprotein concentrations
This research compares the impact of beef tallow, rich in stearic acid, on lowering LDL cholesterol levels compared to other fats like butter and olive oil.
Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1845606/
3. Title: Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) versus saturated fats/cholesterol
This study discusses the beneficial effects of CLA, including its potential to decrease body fat storage and promote cardiovascular health when derived from beef.
Link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC201014/
4. Title: Dietary fatty acids and metabolic health
This editorial highlights how different types of dietary saturated fats can influence metabolic health, emphasizing the negative effects of long-chain saturated fatty acids.
Link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10242416/
5. Title: Analysis of the Generation of Harmful Aldehydes in Edible Oils
This study examines how cooking oils, including tallow, degrade under high heat, leading to the formation of harmful compounds that affect food stability.
Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11816481/
