I’m Spotting This “Retro” Cooking Oil on Grocery Shelves Everywhere
Over the past year, an unexpected cooking oil — beef tallow — has reentered the culinary conversation in a big way. As debates around seed oils continue to swirl, the once-traditional fat known for its waste-free approach to cooking, high smoke point, and savory beefy flavor has returned to home and professional kitchens.
Related: Homemade Mac and Cheese
And while nutritionists have largely debunked claims that seed oils are inherently less healthy, the renewed enthusiasm for this fat can be traced to Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr., the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services and proponent of the “Make America Healthy Again” (or MAHA) movement, and a wave of “wellness” influencers who champion traditional fats and nose-to-tail cooking, among other things, on social media. Even Whole Foods Market’s Trends Council, which includes dozens of local foragers, regional and global buyers, and culinary experts, deemed beef tallow as one of the biggest culinary trends of 2026.
It’s rebranded as a modern, multitasking cooking fat with an impressive range. I’m genuinely curious to see how this cooking fat will evolve in the coming years as it continues to become more mainstream.
Jar After Jar of Beef Tallow
As the name suggests, beef tallow is beef fat that has been slowly heated and strained into a cooking fat with a naturally high smoke-point of 420°F (olive oil has a smoke point between 350°F and 400°F). This cooking fat, historically made at home or by local butchers, is now readily available at big-box stores. You’ll find jars from both heritage meat companies and newcomers like Epic Provisions Beef Tallow, Real Good Foods Beef Tallow, and Kettle & Fire Beef Tallow. (It gives steaks an incredibly savory flavor.)
Much like the trajectory of other popular cooking oils, beef tallow is now also in cooking spray form. South Chicago Packing’s Wagyu Beef Tallow Cooking Spray is available nationwide (my dad really loves it for frying his eggs in the morning). And I expect even more cans to pop up in the months ahead.
Frozen Foods and Snacks Touting “Fried in Beef Tallow”
Restaurants and brands are leaning into the trend by offering potato chips, tortilla chips, and fries that embrace beef tallow not only for its high heat point, but also for the rich, meaty flavor that it imparts. Restaurant chains like Popeyes, Outback Steakhouse, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Steak ‘n Shake have added beef-tallow fried fries and chicken.
Meanwhile in grocery store freezers across the country, Feel Good Foods’ new Lightly Breaded Chicken Strips and Jesse & Ben’s french fries proudly highlight beef tallow as a the key ingredient (the fries go great with a burger). Masa Tortilla Chips and Vanderbilt Potato Chips are also using beef tallow for frying their delicious snacks.
It’s in Our Skincare, Too
The recent tallow renaissance isn’t just limited to cooking and eating. Many brands are also using beef tallow in lotions, soaps, and candles (like Aware House’s Fig Strawberry Melange Candle). Its popularity stems from how closely tallow’s fatty-acid profile resembles human skin’s natural oils; it’s rich and nourishing.
I haven’t quite yet embraced the idea of whipped tallow on my face for moisturizer, but my mom has! She’s tried the Primally Pure Everything Balm, and although her face broke out, she really liked its moisturizing properties on the rest of body — especially elbows and hands.
What’s your favorite way to use beef tallow? Tell us about it in the comments below.
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