Is Beef Tallow Halal? What to Check Before You Buy

Tallow is rendered animal fat, mostly made of triglycerides ^[3]. It can come from beef, mutton or even pork, which is why the word "beef" on the label matters ^[3]. Because it handles high heat well, it was long used for deep frying ^[3]. McDonald's fried its fries in a mix that was 93% beef tallow until 1990 ^[3]. Today it's used in shortening, soap, animal feed and, lately, home cooking ^[3].

Tallow has made a comeback with home cooks and some restaurants. That makes it worth knowing where yours comes from.

Cattle are halal animals. But the Qur'an forbids carrion, blood, pork, and animals dedicated to other than God, or killed by strangling or a blow ^[1]. Fat is part of the animal, so it follows the same rule as the meat.

That means tallow from a cow slaughtered Islamically is halal. Tallow from a cow that was not slaughtered properly takes the ruling of that meat. One interesting note: the Qur'an mentions that certain animal fats were forbidden to the Jews as a consequence of their wrongdoing ^[6]. Muslims did not inherit that restriction; for Muslims, the question is the slaughter.

An animal that died from a blow, strangling or a fall is forbidden in every view ^[1]. Meat killed by electrocution or shooting is also treated as carrion ^[5]. Its fat takes the same ruling.

The Qur'an permits the food of Jews and Christians ^[2]. Scholars apply this to modern meat differently.

• One widely read view allows such meat unless it is known to be killed improperly, and treats unknown cases as permissible ^[5].
• A Hanafi answer from SeekersGuidance requires that God's name be consciously said and that the throat be cut properly. If you can't confirm this, it advises avoiding the meat ^[4].

Most US beef tallow sold in jars or used by restaurants carries no halal claim. Which way you go depends on the view you follow. See our beef page for more on US slaughter.

• Look for a halal certifier on the label, not just the word "halal." Halal Monitoring Services (HMS), for example, certifies only hand-slaughtered meat and checks the supply chain from slaughterhouse to store ^[7].
• Render your own. Buy beef fat or suet from a halal butcher you trust and melt it down at home.
• Ask restaurants that advertise tallow-fried food where the tallow comes from.
• Make sure it's beef, since tallow can also come from pork ^[3].

Animal fat is also a raw material for other ingredients. Glycerin and mono- and diglycerides can be made from tallow or from plant oils. See our pages on glycerin and mono- and diglycerides. If you're comparing cooking fats, see butter.