No Tallow Fries at Raising Cane's
Raising Cane's crinkle-cut fries are not cooked in tallow. The chain uses soybean oil for frying, which applies to both their chicken fingers and their fries. If you are looking for tallow fries at a fast food restaurant, Raising Cane's is not the place to find them.
🛡️ Trying to avoid seed oils? Seed Oil Scout has you covered.
2M+ downloads. 23K+ five-star reviews. Verified restaurant and grocery data so you always know what you're eating.
What Oil Are Raising Cane's Fries Cooked In?
Raising Cane's fries are cooked in soybean oil. This is the same oil used for their signature chicken fingers. The entire fryer operation runs on seed oils, with no animal fats involved.
Soybean oil is a polyunsaturated fat that is prone to oxidation at high frying temperatures. When heated repeatedly in commercial fryers, it can produce harmful compounds including aldehydes, polar compounds, and oxidized lipids.
Why Tallow Fries Are Making a Comeback
Beef tallow was the standard frying fat in American fast food for decades. McDonald's famously used beef tallow for their french fries until 1990, when they switched to vegetable oil under pressure from health advocacy groups. Many longtime customers still say the fries have never tasted the same.
Today, a growing number of restaurants are returning to tallow. The science has shifted: saturated fats like tallow are now understood to be more stable at frying temperatures than polyunsaturated seed oils. Tallow produces fewer toxic byproducts when heated and gives fries a richer, more satisfying flavor.
The Seed Oil Problem with Fast Food Fries
Most fast food chains, including Raising Cane's, use seed oils because they are cheap and widely available. A gallon of soybean oil costs a fraction of what beef tallow would cost, which matters when you are frying thousands of orders per day.
The downside is nutritional. Seed oils are extremely high in omega-6 fatty acids. A single serving of fries cooked in soybean oil can contain several grams of omega-6, contributing to the inflammatory imbalance that many health researchers now link to chronic disease.
Where to Find Tallow Fries
While Raising Cane's does not offer tallow fries, some restaurants do. Independent burger joints, craft fast-casual concepts, and a few forward-thinking chains have started advertising tallow-fried options.
The easiest way to find restaurants near you that cook with tallow or other traditional fats is to check the Seed Oil Scout app. You can filter by cooking oil type and see verified data from other users who have checked with restaurant staff. 🫡