6 Restaurant Chains That Use Beef Tallow For Their French Fries

The restaurant industry is a wild and varied place, but we like to think of french fries as the great equalizer. Variations of this splendidly salty, simple side pop up everywhere from burger joints to Japanese cuisine. The basic steps typically involve slicing up potatoes, submerging them in a fryer, and waiting for them to crisp. What exactly goes into this fryer, however, can vary. The go-to for many restaurants was previously beef tallow — and recent industry developments suggest it could be coming back into fashion.

Beef tallow is made from beef fat trimmings and is essentially just rendered fat. The reason why some restaurants previously ditched tallow from their kitchens is that this fat is too, well, fatty. As concerns grew about the nutritional values of our food — particularly fast food — several companies, such as McDonald's, decided to stop using beef tallow to cook their fries and instead embraced the likes of vegetable oil. Today, however, it seems like the tide is turning on beef tallow, with many restaurants opting to reintroduce it to their kitchens.

Not all experts are overly convinced of its nutritional superiority versus seed oils, but beef tallow does offer fries a list of tasty perks. For one thing, it lends a unique umami flavor while also leaving fries crispy and golden on the outside and fluffy on the inside. If that describes your side of choice, check out these restaurant chains that use beef tallow to cook their fries.

Steak 'n Shake is a relative newcomer to the beef tallow scene. The Midwestern fast food chain — which is best known for its steakburgers — made headlines in January 2025 when it announced plans to ditch vegetable oil and instead start cooking its iconic shoestring fries in the fat. "Our fries will now be cooked in an authentic way, 100% beef tallow, in order to achieve the highest quality and best taste," explained Chief Supply Chain Officer Chris Ward in a statement, (via PR Newswire).

By the beginning of March, every Steak 'n Shake location had made the switch to beef tallow. The move sparked praise from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long advocated for beef tallow over seed oils. Steak 'n Shake didn't shy away from the endorsement. On the day that it completed its transition to beef tallow-only fries, the chain took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to celebrate under Kennedy's name. "Some suppliers have even tried to stop us from implementing beef tallow. Nothing will stop our crusade to lead in the MAHA [Make America Healthy Again] movement!" it claimed, referencing Kennedy's own tagline. It also held a classic car party in which anyone who rocked up to a restaurant with a vintage vehicle could secure a portion of fries to celebrate the equally vintage cooking technique.

There are a handful of different fries on offer at Smashburger, including standard french fries, Scorchin' Hot Fries, and Smashfries. Aside from adopting the restaurant's name, the latter sets itself apart by tossing the spuds in rosemary, olive oil, and garlic. Regardless of which fries you choose, you're guaranteed a taste of beef tallow with Smashburger using a blend of the fat and canola oil.

Unlike some of the other chains on this list, Smashburger doesn't use this blend as a catch-all for all of its products. Anything that's cooked in its fryers relies on beef tallow and canola oil, while butter is used on the grill. Once again, that means that vegetarians are pretty limited in choice at Smashburger, with the likes of the Tots, Sweet Potato Waffle Fries, Smash Tots, and even the Crispy Brussels Sprouts cooked in the beefy fat. In fact, the only section of the Smashburger menu that's totally available to vegetarians without any kind of alterations is the hand-spun shakes. Vegetarians, you may want to look elsewhere for lunch.

A lot goes into making Popeyes' fried chicken so tasty, and that includes beef tallow. As per the restaurant itself, it uses the fat because it not only boosts flavor but also improves heat stability. Beef tallow also helps to prevent the chicken from becoming too soggy. This isn't limited to the chicken but extends to the fries, too. It goes without saying, but that means that, sadly, yes, even the fries are off limits to the vegetarians and vegans out there hoping to find a meat-free option at the chicken chain.

While the chain is best known for said chicken, its fries also have their own fans. Coated in a Cajun seasoning, they're flavorful and crispy, and while they're not quite on par with the actual chicken, they do a solid job in a supporting role. They are notably high in saturated fat, with 5 grams in a regular portion and a whopping 15 grams in a large. However, that's the price you pay for beef tallow unleashing its umami goodness.

Despite its name, Outback Steakhouse was founded thousands of miles away from the Australian outback in Tampa, Florida. The chain is known for offering its own take on Australian cuisine, with the likes of steak, burgers, ribs, and, of course, fries bulking out its menu. Its Aussie Fries are cooked in beef tallow, just like the rest of its fried foods. That means that, yes, the iconic Bloomin' Onion is cooked in beef tallow, too.

Outback Steakhouse is one of the beef tallow old hats, having used the fat for frying purposes since 1988. Ironically, it doesn't use beef tallow to cook its actual beef. As Efrem Cutler — the Vice President of Research and Development for Outback Steakhouse's parent company, Bloomin' Brands — previously clarified to Tasting Table, the chain actually uses butter to cook its famous steaks. While it may seem logical to cook steak with beef fat, the reasoning against it is that the meat, unlike fries, already holds plenty of beefy flavor. Butter, on the other hand, can bring something different (and delicious) to the table.

Portillo's may have started out as a humble hot dog stand, but today it has lofty goals of opening 900 stores in the next two decades. Presumably, each of these stores will follow the same protocol for its crinkle-cut fries, with Portillo's currently relying on a mix of vegetable oil and beef tallow to cook its potatoes.

These fries are wonderfully salty and served with a pot of melted cheese, which deserves as much credit as the beef tallow for its role in their overall flavor. They're not the only item on Portillo's menu that gets the beef tallow treatment; the Portillo's nutrition guide also states that the onion rings are cooked in a mix of oil and fat. While that may mean they're not vegetarian-friendly, the good news is that Portillo's has branched out into the plant-based space in recent years, having launched its Garden Dog (a hot dog made with pea protein instead of pork) in 2022.

Buffalo Wild Wings is a slightly different entry on this list as its french fries are actually cooked in beef shortening, not beef tallow. They're not the only menu item, either. Its Buffalo Chicken Tots, Asian Zing Cauliflower Wings, Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwich, Cheddar Cheese Curds, and even its eponymous wings are just some of the many menu items checked as containing the ingredient on the chain's allergens guide.

We didn't just go rogue by mentioning Buffalo Wild Wings here. Beef shortening is basically just a more processed version of beef tallow, padded out with additions such as hydrogenated vegetable oils or other animal fats. It doesn't tend to taste quite as meaty as beef tallow, but it can still go a long way in enhancing flavor, which is why we assume Buffalo Wild Wings chooses to use it to fry its fries, wings, and other dishes.

Static Media owns and operates The Takeout and Tasting Table.