How to Render Tallow for Soapmaking

Turn raw beef fat into premium soapmaking oil

Why Use Tallow in Soap?

Tallow has been used in soapmaking for centuries — not because of tradition or nostalgia, but because it works. It produces hard, long-lasting bars with a stable, creamy lather and excellent moisturizing properties. Tallow is also a sustainable choice: it's a byproduct of meat production that would otherwise go to waste.

Where to Find Raw Fat

Raw fat for rendering is not hard to find and doesn't have to be expensive.

• Butcher shops: Ask for beef suet or trim fat. Most butchers sell it cheaply or give it away. Be specific: "I need fat for rendering" is enough to start the conversation.
• Grocery stores: Look for packages of beef fat or beef suet in the meat section. Selection is more limited, but quality is usually fine.
• Farmers and ranchers: If you buy meat directly from a farm, ask if they sell the fat separately. Often very affordable.

Types of Fat: Suet vs. Trim

Not all fat is the same. Knowing the difference helps you understand what you're working with.

• Suet: The hard fat found around the kidneys. It's firm, dense, and relatively clean — less connective tissue mixed in. Renders very cleanly and produces mild-smelling tallow. If you can get suet, it's a great choice.
• Trim fat: The softer fat trimmed off meat cuts during butchering. More available and usually cheaper than suet. May have more connective tissue and bits of meat, so you'll need to do more trimming before rendering. But it renders into perfectly good tallow.

Either one works. Once properly rendered, the finished tallow performs the same way in your products.

What You'll Need

• 3-5 pounds raw beef fat (suet or trim)
• Heavy-bottomed pot or slow cooker
• Kitchen thermometer
• Fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth (coarse filtration)
• Coffee filters or food-grade filter paper (fine filtration)
• Clean, dry glass jars for storage (Mason jars work perfectly)

Preparing the Fat

Before you render, prep your raw fat. This step makes a real difference in how cleanly and quickly your tallow renders.

1. 1. Trim: Cut away any visible meat or connective tissue. You don't need to be surgical — just get the obvious stuff off. The cleaner your fat going in, the cleaner your tallow coming out.
2. 2. Cut: Chop the fat into small, roughly even pieces (about 1 inch). Smaller pieces render faster and more evenly than big chunks. Some people grind their fat through a meat grinder first, which speeds up the process significantly.

Method 1: Stovetop Rendering

The most hands-on method, but gives you the most control.

1. 1. Add Fat: Place your prepped fat in a heavy-bottomed pot. You don't need to add anything else — the fat releases its own liquid as it heats.
2. 2. Heat Low: Put the pot on low to medium-low heat. This is important: slow and steady, not fast and hot. High heat will scorch the fat and give your tallow an unpleasant smell and color.
3. 3. Stir Occasionally: As the fat melts, you'll see it release liquid — that's your tallow. The solid bits that don't melt (cracklings) will get strained out later.
4. 4. Watch and Wait: This takes 1-3 hours depending on how much fat you're rendering. Check periodically, give it a stir, and keep the heat low.
5. 5. Know When It's Done: The cracklings have shrunk significantly, they're starting to brown lightly, and the liquid tallow is clear and golden. Don't let cracklings get dark brown or black — that means your heat was too high.

Method 2: Slow Cooker Rendering

Same result with less babysitting. Great for beginners.

1. 1. Add Fat: Place your prepped fat in the slow cooker. Set it to LOW. Put the lid on.
2. 2. Check Hourly: Check every hour or so and give it a stir. The fat melts, cracklings shrink, liquid tallow collects.
3. 3. Wait: On low, expect 3-4 hours depending on amount. Some people leave it overnight — the slow cooker keeps temperature gentle enough that scorching isn't a concern.
4. 4. Done When: Cracklings are lightly golden and shrunken, liquid is clear and golden.

Method 3: Wet Rendering

Particularly useful for larger batches, frozen fat, or fat that isn't perfectly fresh. The water helps conduct heat evenly, reduces browning risk, and often produces lighter-colored, milder-smelling tallow.

1. 1. Add Fat and Water: Place prepped fat in a large pot. Add distilled water to about half the depth of the fat. (Use distilled water — tap water has minerals you don't want.)
2. 2. Simmer: Bring to a gentle simmer and maintain for 2-4 hours. The water prevents scorching and helps remove impurities.
3. 3. Strain: Strain the mixture while hot to remove solids.
4. 4. Separate: Refrigerate overnight. The tallow floats and solidifies on top of the water. Remove the solid tallow disc and scrape any gelatinous material from the bottom.
5. 5. Repeat if Needed: For cleaner tallow, repeat the water process 2-3 times until the water runs clear.

Straining and Filtration

Good filtration will do more for your tallow than any number of extra renderings. It removes particles and protein fragments that cause cloudiness, off-odors, and instability.

1. Stage 1 - Coarse: Pour through cheesecloth or fine-mesh strainer to remove cracklings and solid bits. This just separates liquid from chunks.
2. Stage 2 - Fine: Pour through coffee filters. They're inexpensive and do a surprisingly good job of pulling out tiny particles that cause cloudiness and short shelf life. For larger batches, food-grade filter paper works well too.
3. Cool: Let filtered tallow cool in clean, dry glass jars. Don't put lids on until it reaches room temperature — sealing hot tallow traps steam as it cools, and that condensation is moisture you don't want.

As it cools, it will solidify and shift from golden to off-white or pale yellow. That's normal — color varies depending on the animal, diet, and rendering process.

Signs of Good Quality Tallow

• Color: White to off-white or pale cream when solid
• Smell: Very mild or no scent — barely there
• Texture: Firm and smooth when cold
• Clarity: Melts to a clear golden liquid

Storage Guidelines

Proper storage is crucial for maintaining tallow quality. What matters more than hitting a specific temperature is consistency.

• Temperature: Keep at stable room temperature (60-85°F). A steady 72°F is better than swinging between 60°F and 85°F. Temperature swings cause condensation — and condensation is where mold starts.
• Don't default to refrigeration: Pulling tallow in and out of the fridge creates temperature swings. A jar on a cool pantry shelf will do better than one that goes back and forth.
• Freezing: Makes sense only if you rendered a huge batch and won't use most of it for months. Let it thaw gradually and wipe the lid dry before opening.

Troubleshooting

Keeping Batch Records

Even if you're just making products for yourself, keep batch records. This isn't busywork — it's how you learn. When a batch comes out perfectly, you'll want to know exactly what you did. When something goes wrong, records help you troubleshoot.

Simple batch numbering: YYMMDD-XX (date + batch number). Example: 260203-01 = first batch on February 3rd, 2026.

Using Tallow in Soap Recipes

Tallow can be used at high percentages in soap formulas. It's often used as a base oil alongside other fats:

Try our Soap Calculator with the Help Me Pick % button to generate balanced recipes using tallow. See our Selecting Oils for Soapmaking guide for more on building balanced recipes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Resources

• → How to Make Cold Process Soap
• → Selecting Oils for Soapmaking
• → Water Replacements for Soap
• → Soap Additives Guide
• → Understanding SAP Values