Lard vs Beef Tallow
Beef Tallow wins on seed oil PUFA: about 5% of its fat versus roughly 21% for Lard, around 4x less per spoonful.
Per tablespoon that is an estimated 0.7g of PUFA against 2.9g. The shares are the ones our estimates use (how we estimate).
| Lard | Beef Tallow | |
|---|---|---|
| PUFA share of fat | ~21% | ~5% |
| Est. PUFA per tablespoon | ~2.9g | ~0.7g |
| Type | animal fat | animal fat |
| Seed oil? | no | no |
Lard
Rendered pork fat. Modern US lard runs about 21% PUFA, higher than tallow because pigs store the fats they eat. Traditional for pastry and Mexican cooking.
Traditional tamale and carnitas kitchens. See the tamales answer page.
Beef Tallow
Rendered beef fat, the classic American fry medium before the 1990s. Mostly saturated and monounsaturated fat, very stable at fryer heat.
A short list of chains discloses tallow fryers. See Tallow Watch.
Restaurants that cook with beef tallow
49 restaurant chains we track name beef tallow in their cooking oil information.
Frequently asked
Which has less PUFA, lard or beef tallow?
Beef Tallow carries less polyunsaturated fat: an estimated 5% of its fat versus about 21% for lard, by the shares our estimates use.
How much PUFA is in a tablespoon of lard?
Roughly 2.9g of PUFA per tablespoon, since a tablespoon of oil carries about 14g of fat and lard runs about 21% PUFA.
Which is more stable for frying, lard or beef tallow?
Beef Tallow is more stable: about 5% of its fat is polyunsaturated, against about 21% for lard, and polyunsaturated fat is the part that breaks down fastest under heat.
Is lard or beef tallow a seed oil?
Lard is not a seed oil. Beef Tallow is not a seed oil.
More matchups
Or work out any amount with the PUFA calculator.