What is the Difference Between Lard and Crisco? (2024)

FAQs

What is the Difference Between Lard and Crisco? ›

Lard is rendered pig fat, while Crisco is a brand of vegetable shortening made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Lard has a higher saturated fat content and adds a savory flavor to dishes, while Crisco is lower in saturated fats and is often used for achieving a flaky texture in baked goods.

Choosing between shortening and lard comes down to personal preference. Both create a flaky, tender crust, are semi-solid, and are 100% fat. Swap one for the other in recipes. If you want to add additional flavor to the dish, lard is the right choice.

How to choose between Crisco and lard. Despite their differences, Crisco and lard are mostly interchangeable when it comes to cooking and baking, though if you want to bake with lard, we don't recommend using the fat leftover from cooking bacon or pork shoulder.

Similar to the shortening crust, the lard also produced a flat, crumbly pastry with noticeable greasiness. This one fared slightly better in the test because the lard provided more flavor than the shortening, with just a hint more richness.

The main description of Crisco's all-vegetable shortening is that it does not contain any animal fat but simply soybean oil, fully hydrogenated palm oil, palm oil, TBHQ, mono, and diglycerides antioxidants. Since there are no animal sources, there is no reason for Crisco not to be vegan, right?

The pros: Butter has the best flavor. A butter pie crust forms light, lofty, flaky layers while it bakes. The flakiness comes partially from the water content of butter, which evaporates as the pie bakes and turns to steam, separating and puffing up the layers in dough.

While they come from the same animal, bacon fat and lard differ in taste and function. Bacon fat has a smoky taste, while lard—rendered fat from the pig—has a neutral flavor. You can use bacon fat to add flavor to baked goods, gravies, and sautés, but lard primarily adds texture to fried or baked foods.

By the late 20th century lard began to be considered less healthy than vegetable oils (such as olive and sunflower oil) because of its high content of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol.

Crisco, you may recall, was made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, a process that turned cottonseed oil (and later, soybean oil) from a liquid into a solid, like lard, that was perfect for baking and frying.

The two main types of lard you can buy are fresh lard and shelf-stable lard. Fresh lard is usually just the rendered pork fat, while shelf-stable lard usually contains some amount of hydrogenated fat to preserve freshness. The fresh, refrigerated lard is the healthiest option.

Is there a healthy substitute for Crisco? ›

Vegetable Oil

Vegetable oils like canola and olive oil may be a healthier alternative to shortening because they're lower in saturated fats.

This shortening can be used instead of butter or margarine in cooking and baking, or it can be combined with either one (or both). Among other things, it's known for making good pies with a flaky crust, cakes and cookies soft, and frosting fluffy.

The highest grade of lard, known as leaf lard, is obtained from the "flare" visceral fat deposit surrounding the kidneys and inside the loin. Leaf lard has little pork flavor, making it ideal for use in baked goods, where it is valued for its ability to produce flaky, moist pie crusts.

Rich in antioxidants and monounsaturated fats, olive oil can give your recipes a heart-healthy twist when used in place of lard ( 4 ). It can also be used instead of lard at a 1:1 ratio, making it one of the most simple substitutes available.