🫒 Oils & Fats

Best Lard Substitutes for Biscuits: Flaky, Tender & Perfect

Discover the best lard substitutes for making perfect biscuits with flaky layers and tender texture. Learn which fats work best and how to achieve professional results.

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Quick Answer

The best lard substitutes for biscuits are butter, vegetable shortening, and coconut oil. Use 1:1 ratio and keep ingredients cold for flaky results. Butter adds flavor, shortening provides flakiness, and coconut oil offers a plant-based option.

Best Substitutes

Butter

1:1

Butter is the most popular lard substitute for biscuits. It provides excellent flavor and creates tender, flaky biscuits. The water content in butter creates steam during baking, which helps create flaky layers.

Best for:

when you want rich flavortender biscuitstraditional bakingwhen you want dairy flavorflaky layers

Keep butter very cold and work quickly. The water content helps create flaky layers but may make dough slightly more difficult to work with. Use high-quality butter for best results.

Vegetable Shortening

1:1

Vegetable shortening is the closest substitute to lard for biscuits. It's 100% fat with no water content, making it easy to work with and creating very flaky results. It has a neutral flavor that won't interfere with other ingredients.

Best for:

maximum flakinesswhen you want neutral flavoreasy handlingwhen you want consistent resultsbeginner bakers

Shortening creates the flakiest biscuits but has a neutral flavor. It's easier to work with than butter because it doesn't melt as quickly. Keep it cold for best results.

Coconut Oil

1:1

Coconut oil works well as a lard substitute in biscuits, especially for vegan versions. It's solid at room temperature and creates tender biscuits with a subtle coconut flavor that works well with many recipes.

Best for:

vegan biscuitswhen you want plant-based optiontropical-flavored biscuitshealthier alternativedairy-free biscuits

Use refined coconut oil for neutral flavor. Keep it solid and cold for best results. The subtle coconut flavor can enhance certain biscuit recipes.

Beef Tallow

1:1

Beef tallow is another animal fat that works similarly to lard in biscuits. It has a high melting point and creates flaky biscuits with a slightly different flavor profile than lard.

Best for:

traditional biscuitswhen you want animal fatsavory biscuitswhen lard isn't availablehigh-heat baking

Beef tallow has a slightly different flavor than lard but similar baking properties. It's less common in stores but works well in most biscuit recipes.

Duck Fat

1:1

Duck fat creates incredibly rich and flavorful biscuits. It has excellent baking properties and adds a luxurious depth of flavor that works especially well with savory biscuits.

Best for:

premium biscuitswhen you want rich flavorsavory biscuitsspecial occasionsluxury baking

Duck fat is more expensive but creates exceptional biscuits. It adds incredible flavor depth and creates very flaky, tender biscuits.

Cooking Tips

  • 💡Keep all fat substitutes very cold before using - this is crucial for flaky results
  • 💡Work quickly with cold ingredients to prevent the fat from melting
  • 💡For the flakiest biscuits, use a combination of butter and shortening
  • 💡If using butter, add it in small pieces and work it in quickly
  • 💡Chill your dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling for best results
  • 💡Use the fraisage technique: smear the fat into the flour with the heel of your hand
  • 💡Don't overwork the dough - mix just until it comes together
  • 💡Use ice water when making the dough to keep everything cold

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best lard substitute for biscuits?

Butter is the best lard substitute for biscuits because it adds rich flavor and creates tender, flaky results. For the flakiest biscuits, use a combination of 50% butter and 50% shortening.

Can I use vegetable shortening instead of lard in biscuits?

Yes, vegetable shortening works well as a lard substitute in biscuits. It creates very flaky results and has a neutral flavor. It's easier to work with than butter because it doesn't melt as quickly.

Why is lard good for biscuits?

Lard is excellent for biscuits because it's 100% fat with no water content, making it easy to work with and creating very flaky results. It has a high melting point and neutral flavor that doesn't interfere with other ingredients.

Can I use coconut oil instead of lard?

Yes, coconut oil works as a lard substitute in biscuits. Use refined coconut oil for neutral flavor and keep it solid and cold. It's a great plant-based option that creates tender biscuits.

How do I make flaky biscuits without lard?

To make flaky biscuits without lard, use cold butter or vegetable shortening. Keep all ingredients cold, work quickly, and use techniques like fraisage to create flaky layers.

Summary

Discover the best lard substitutes for making perfect biscuits with flaky layers and tender texture. Learn which fats work best and how to achieve professional results.