Quick Answer
🛡️ 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.
Download the App →
No, Siete does not use beef tallow in their potato chips. Despite being one of the few major chip brands that avoids seed oils, Siete cooks their chips in avocado oil instead of traditional animal fats like beef tallow. While avocado oil is a massive improvement over the canola and soybean oils used by most chip manufacturers, beef tallow would be the superior choice for both flavor and health benefits.
If you're looking for chips actually cooked in beef tallow, Boulder Canyon offers tallow-fried potato chips exclusively at Costco, making them the gold standard for traditional fat-cooked chips.
Does Siete Actually Use Beef Tallow?
Siete Family Foods has never used beef tallow in their chip production. The Texas-based company, which was
acquired by PepsiCo for $1.2 billion in 2024, built their brand around grain-free, allergen-friendly snacks that avoid conventional seed oils.
Founded by the Garza family in 2014, Siete emerged from a need to create chips that accommodated various dietary restrictions while still tasting great. Their approach was revolutionary in the snack industry, but they chose plant-based oils over traditional animal fats from the beginning.
This decision likely stems from several factors: shelf stability concerns, broader market appeal (including vegetarian and vegan consumers), and the logistics of sourcing and processing animal fats at scale. While understandable from a business perspective, it means Siete chips miss out on the superior nutritional and culinary benefits that beef tallow provides.
What Oil Does Siete Use?
Siete cooks their potato chips exclusively in avocado oil, making them one of the cleanest mass-market chip options available. Avocado oil has several advantages over the seed oils (canola, soybean, sunflower) that dominate the chip aisle:
**Higher smoke point**: Avocado oil can withstand temperatures up to 520°F without breaking down, making it more stable during the high-heat frying process than most seed oils.
**Better fatty acid profile**: Unlike seed oils that are loaded with inflammatory omega-6 linoleic acid, avocado oil is predominantly monounsaturated fat (similar to olive oil), with minimal polyunsaturated fat content.
**Minimal processing**: Quality avocado oil undergoes less chemical processing than heavily refined seed oils, which often involve hexane extraction and chemical deodorizing.
This commitment to avocado oil across their entire chip line (potato, tortilla, and grain-free varieties) sets Siete apart from virtually every other major chip brand. Most mainstream manufacturers use canola oil, soybean oil, or oil blends that are up to 60% omega-6 linoleic acid.
Why Beef Tallow Is Better for Chips
While Siete's avocado oil is commendable,
beef tallow would be the superior choice for potato chips from both nutritional and culinary standpoints.
**Unmatched heat stability**: Beef tallow is almost entirely saturated and monounsaturated fat, making it extremely resistant to oxidation even at high frying temperatures. This stability means fewer harmful compounds form during cooking compared to any plant oil.
**Traditional preparation method**: For most of human history, potatoes were fried in animal fats. McDonald's famously used beef tallow for their legendary fries until 1990, when they switched to seed oils under pressure from activists concerned about saturated fat.
**Superior fatty acid composition**:
Beef tallow contains virtually no omega-6 linoleic acid, the inflammatory fatty acid that makes up 50-60% of most seed oils. Instead, it provides stable saturated fats and beneficial compounds like conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).
**Enhanced flavor**: Tallow imparts a rich, savory depth that plant oils simply cannot match. Anyone who remembers McDonald's original fries can attest to the superior taste that beef tallow delivers.
**Nutrient density**: Unlike highly processed plant oils, beef tallow contains fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and other bioactive compounds that support metabolic health.
The main barriers to widespread tallow use in chips are shelf stability (animal fats can go rancid faster than processed plant oils) and consumer perceptions shaped by decades of anti-saturated fat messaging.
Where to Find Tallow Chips
For chip lovers seeking the gold standard of traditional frying fats, Boulder Canyon offers the only mainstream beef tallow potato chips available in the United States. These chips are sold exclusively at Costco warehouses, typically in the snack aisle alongside other premium chip options.
Boulder Canyon's tallow chips deliver the rich, savory flavor profile that made McDonald's original fries legendary, while avoiding the seed oils that dominate 99% of the chip market. The company sources grass-fed beef tallow, further enhancing the nutritional profile with higher levels of beneficial compounds like CLA and vitamin K2.
If you can't find Boulder Canyon's tallow chips or don't have a Costco membership, your next best options are:
**Jackson's Honest**: Uses coconut oil for frying, providing excellent heat stability and minimal polyunsaturated fat content. Available at many grocery stores and online.
**Siete**: As discussed, their avocado oil chips are far superior to seed oil alternatives, even if they don't reach the tallow gold standard.
**Kettle Brand Organic**: Some varieties use safflower oil or other oils with better fatty acid profiles than conventional canola/soybean blends, though they're still not ideal.
For the most comprehensive approach to avoiding seed oils in all your food choices, consider using an app that can scan products and identify problematic ingredients across thousands of brands and restaurants.
The Bottom Line
Siete does not use beef tallow in their chips, but they deserve recognition for being one of the few major brands that completely avoids seed oils. Their avocado oil-fried chips represent a massive upgrade over the canola and soybean oil products that fill most grocery store shelves.
However, if you're seeking chips fried in traditional animal fats, Boulder Canyon's beef tallow chips at Costco remain your best option. These deliver the superior flavor and nutritional profile that only comes from cooking potatoes the way humans did for centuries before the industrial food system took over.
The fact that PepsiCo paid $1.2 billion for Siete signals growing consumer demand for cleaner ingredients. While we can hope this acquisition might eventually lead to tallow experimentation, for now Siete remains committed to their avocado oil approach.
Whether you choose Siete's avocado oil chips or upgrade to Boulder Canyon's tallow version, you'll be avoiding the inflammatory seed oils that dominate the snack aisle and supporting your metabolic health in the process.
Ready to navigate the complex world of cooking oils and ingredients?
Seed Oil Scout helps you find seed oil free restaurants AND scan grocery products with our barcode scanner. Download the app to discover clean eating options wherever you go. 🫡
