Beef Tallow Is The Butter Alternative That Adds A Savory Twist To Pie Crust

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Beef tallow is one of those ingredients that was seldom discussed outside of restaurant circles — until suddenly, it was everywhere. One of the trendiest ingredients of 2025, the demand for this seed oil substitute is so high that it's actually outpacing supply in some places. And while it's most commonly associated with adding extra richness to french fries, searing steaks, or seasoning cast iron pans, one of beef tallow's best uses is one you might not expect: as a butter alternative in pie crusts.

We spoke to Greg Hozinsky, corporate chef at Coast Packing Company, who offered his insight into this unconventional but delicious ingredient swap. "Beef tallow produces a flakier crust than butter," he offers as one benefit. "Additionally, tallow adds a subtle richness that enhances both sweet and savory pies without overpowering their flavors."

Beyond its flavor-enhancing qualities, tallow offers other distinct advantages over butter in baking. "While butter must be kept cold and handled carefully to avoid overworking, tallow is more forgiving and easier to work with," Hozinsky continues. "It's a firmer fat, which helps maintain the integrity of the dough during the cutting-in process, kneading, and baking."

Beef tallow is a natural choice for savory pie crusts, such as homemade chicken pot pie or poulet en croûte. The richness of the fat makes it a natural partner for poultry, leading some fast food chains to fry their chicken in beef tallow. But according to Greg Hozinsky, tallow has plenty of uses in sweet pies as well, as long as you use a more refined tallow.

"The key is to consider the type of tallow that will best suit the filling," he says. "If you're aiming for a rustic crust, a less refined tallow is an excellent choice. The full flavor of rendered beef tallow adds complexity without overpowering the filling." Also worthy of consideration is whether you're using tallow from grass-fed cows or grain-fed. Grass-fed tallow generally has a more pronounced beefy flavor, while the savory notes of grain-fed tallow are slightly more subtle and muted, making it a good choice for baking sweet dishes.

While you can buy this trendy ingredient online, such as the one offered by Wagyu Republic (via Amazon), those interested in how to cook with beef tallow can even make it themselves by saving scraps of beef fat in the freezer and then simmering it with water over low heat until the fat is rendered. This will likely take several hours, but once it's done, remove any remaining chunks of meat and strain the liquid through a coffee filter.