What Nutrition Experts Want You to Know About Beef Tallow Vs. Seed Oil

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Nutrition experts explain the nutrition of beef tallow after RFK Jr. says that beef tallow is healthier than seed oil.
Kennedy called seed oils “one of the driving causes of the obesity epidemic.”
Nutrition experts say beef tallow has its benefits, but so do seed oils.

President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has turned a microscope on the politician’s views on a range of health issues. In a recent Instagram post, RFK Jr. talked up the importance of using beef tallow instead of seed oils, suggesting that seed oils are to blame for obesity in the U.S. But, is beef tallow healthy?

“Did you know that McDonald’s used to use beef tallow to make their fries from 1940 until phasing it out in favor of seed oils in 1990?” he wrote. “This switch was made because saturated animal fats were thought to be unhealthy, but we have since discovered that seed oils are one of the driving causes of the obesity epidemic.” He added, “Interestingly enough, this began to drastically rise around the same time fast food restaurants switched from beef tallow to seed oils in their fryers.”

Kennedy ended on this note: “People who enjoy a burger with fries on a night out aren’t to blame, and Americans should have every right to eat out at a restaurant without being unknowingly poisoned by heavily subsidized seed oils.”

Meet the experts: Keri Gans, R.D., author of The Small Change Diet; Jessica Cording, M.S., R.D., author of The Little Book of Game-Changers: 50 Healthy Habits For Managing Stress & Anxiety; Kimberly Prado, D.N.P., a clinical associate professor and integrative health specialist at Rutger Health School of Nursing.

Kennedy’s post makes some big claims—and has raised a lot of questions about beef tallow, including whether it’s healthy or not. Here’s what dietitians want you to know.

What is beef tallow?

Beef tallow is another word for beef drippings or rendered fat. “It’s a type of animal-based cooking fat,” says Jessica Cording, M.S., R.D., author of The Little Book of Game-Changers: 50 Healthy Habits For Managing Stress & Anxiety. Beef tallow is made by heating and clarifying the fatty tissue around a cow’s organs.

“This fat is gradually melted and separated from any leftover meat and connective tissue,” says Keri Gans, R.D., author of The Small Change Diet. “The remaining liquid is then strained and cooled, resulting in a white or light yellow substance at room temperature known as beef tallow.”

Beef tallow is solid at room temperature. “Traditionally, it was used for high-temperature cooking like deep frying and roasting, but it’s kind of fallen out of favor,” Cording says. Still, Cording says there’s been a resurgence in interest in using beef tallow for cooking, especially in people on Paleo and keto diets.

Beef tallow nutrition

Here’s what you can expect for nutrition when you have a tablespoon of beef tallow, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA):

Calories: 115
Protein: 0 g
Fat: 12.8 g
Saturated fat: 6.37 g
Cholesterol: 14 mg

Is beef tallow healthy?

Experts stop short of calling beef tallow a health food. “As with many foods, it really depends on how much someone is using and what the rest of their diet is like,” Cording says. “It’s all about frequency and having the right variety of foods in our diet.”

But Gans says the saturated fat content in beef tallow is concerning. “Beef tallow has around 50% saturated fat which, due to its inflammatory properties, has been linked to an increase in heart disease, high total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, and other chronic diseases,” she says.

Benefits of beef tallow

There are a few potential perks to using beef tallow for cooking. “The benefits are its high smoke point, rich in fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, which support the immune system and bone health, and Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), which is beneficial to skin health,” says Kimberly Prado, D.N.P., a clinical associate professor and integrative health specialist at Rutger Health School of Nursing.

Beef tallow also contains choline, which your brain and nervous system use to regulate memory, mood, muscle control, and more, Cording says.

Is beef tallow healthier than oils and seed oils?

Not necessarily. The American Heart Association stresses that seed oils can be a beneficial—and heart-healthy—addition to your diet.

But Cording says it’s difficult to compare beef tallow with seed oils. “Certain oils have certain health benefits that beef tallow doesn’t provide, and beef tallow provides some health benefits that some oils don’t provide,” she says. But Cording says she recommends extra-virgin olive oil and avocado more often due to research that links both to positive health benefits.

Gans agrees. “The best option is extra virgin olive oil,” she says. “Packed with powerful antioxidants such as polyphenols, extensive research will support its numerous health benefits that include decreased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.”

Seed oils are rich in omega-6 fatty acids, “which are essential in the right balance compared to other fats, for overall health,” Gans says. “Unfortunately, since many of these oils are less expensive, they are used in ultra-processed foods,” she continues. “But it is not the seed oil in itself that causes the health risk.”

Cording also says it’s difficult to pin the obesity epidemic on seed oil—or any one food. “Demonizing one specific food is not going to solve the issue of obesity,” she says. “Our whole food system needs work.”

Is beef tallow healthier than butter?

Beef tallow and butter are different, but have a few similar qualities. “From a saturated fat perspective, they are almost equal, and both should be consumed moderately,” Gans says.

But Cording says you’re fine to use beef tallow “or good, high-quality butter” over a lot of margarine, which is heavily processed. “I wouldn’t tell someone to convert all of their cooking to beef tallow, though,” Cording says. “I don’t think that would have nutritional benefit.”

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