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Kelli Foster
Kelli FosterSenior Contributing Food Editor
Kelli is a Senior Contributing Food Editor for Kitchn. She's a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and author of the cookbooks, Plant-Based Buddha Bowls, The Probiotic Kitchen, Buddha Bowls, and Everyday Freekeh Meals. She lives in New Jersey.
published Apr 8, 2022
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Even if you’ve never cooked with it, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve at least heard of lard. Perhaps you even know about its ability to make the most incredibly flaky pie crust and ultra-tender johnny cakes, or that it’s a key ingredient for really great batch of biscochitos and used regularly for making tamales. But what exactly is lard?
Lard has been used in kitchens around the world for centuries, and here we’re answering all of the most common question about lard — like what is it used for? And what is lard made of? Plus, are there substitutes for lard? And where’s the best place to buy lard?
What Is Lard Used For?
Lard has been used for hundreds and hundreds of years as a fat for cooking and baking. It’s an incredibly versatile ingredient and can be used just as you’d use other cooking fats, like oil or butter. Lard can be used for frying, roasting, sautéing, and baking. You can even spread lard on a piece of toast just as you would butter. It can be used on its own, or in combination with butter, shortening, or cooking oil.
Lard is a beloved ingredient in baked goods, like biscuits and pie crust, for its ability to yield a flakier result than butter, and it lends an ultra-tender, delicate crumb to cookies, breads, donuts, and cakes. It’s also widely used in the dough for empanadas, masa for tamales, as well as for finishing off a pot of rice, refried beans, or bean stew.
What Is Lard Made Of?
Lard is a cooking fat made from melted pork fat. It’s white in color with a smooth, semi-soft, solid texture at room temperature, and naturally melts to a liquid somewhere around 95°F to 115° F.
There are a few different varieties of lard, and depending on the type and how it’s rendered, lard can be tasteless and odorless or have a slightly savory, porky taste and smell. Three common types of lard include the following: rendered lard, leaf lard, and processed lard.
Types of Lard
Rendered Lard
Rendered lard is fat from the pig that’s been melted and filtered without any further processing. It has a white color, especially creamy texture, and you can expect it to have a neutral to mild porky flavor. You’re most likely to find rendered fat at a local butcher or perhaps even the farmers market. Or if you have pork fat, you can try your hand at rendering it at home.
Leaf Lard
Leaf lard is considered by many to be the highest-quality of lard, and is made from the leaf-shaped portion of fat around the pig’s kidneys. Leaf lard is nearly tasteless and odorless, with a soft, creamy texture making it a good choice for baked goods.
Processed Lard
Processed lard is the shelf-stable lard you’ll find in the grocery store. This type of lard is pork fat that’s been melted and filtered, then hydrogenated, so it’s shelf-stable. It’s the most heavily processed type of lard. Processed lard has a slightly firmer texture than rendered lard and leaf lard.
Lard Substitutes
There are several substitutes that can be used in place of lard, including neutral cooking oil, butter, and shortening. Choosing the best option all depends on how you plan to use it. Here’s some help in narrowing it down.
- Frying: Stick with a neutral cooking oil, like vegetable oil, which has a high smoke point and a mild flavor.
- Sautéing: Use a cooking oil like olive oil or canola, butter, or shortening.
- Baking: Use butter or shortening.
Lard vs. Crisco
The difference between lard and Crisco is that lard is made from animal fat, while Crisco is shortening made from vegetable oil.
What Does Lard Taste Like?
Lard can be tasteless and odorless or it can have a mild porky taste and smell. Factors like the breed of pig, where on the body the fat comes from, and how the fat is rendered can all affect the taste of lard.
Where to Buy Lard
Two common places to buy lard is at the supermarket or butcher shop.
- Supermarkets: Processed, or shelf-stable, lard is available at most large grocers. Look for it in the baking aisle, near the shortening. You’re most likely to find it in paper-wrapped blocks or in buckets.
- Local butcher: This is your best option for finding rendered lard, maybe even leaf lard. You may also be able to pick up pork fat, which you can render at home.
- Farmers market: If your farmers market has a meat purveyor, you maybe be able to buy pork fat, which you can render at home. Some farmers markets also sell rendered and leaf lard.
Storing Lard
The best place to store lard is in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator or freezer. This is a must for rendered lard and also a good idea for processed lard, to be on the safe side.
Processed lard is shelf-stable, so theoretically it can be stored in your pantry or a kitchen cabinet. You’ll want to watch out for the temperature in those location, though. As a rule of thumb, processed lard should be stored somewhere where it’s less than 75°F, otherwise it’s likely to become rancid. So if your kitchen tends to run on the warm side, it’s a good idea to store it in the fridge or freezer, rather than the pantry.
Recipes with Lard
- Biscochitos
- Johnny Cakes
- Churrasca con Chanchito, Pebre y Mayo al Ajo (The Ultimate Chilean Grilled Sandwich)
- Edna Lewis’ Corn Bread
- Southern Greens and Biscuits
- Portuguese-Style Mint Rice
- Chicken Empanadas
- Mushroom and Goat Cheese Tamales with Mole Verde
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