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If you are looking for duck fat substitutes there is a good chance you are about to roast some potatoes – as this is by far the most popular recipe calling for duck fat.
What makes duck fat so special that people are willing to pay the hefty price charged by gourmet shops to get their hands on a tub? In one word: flavor.
Duck meat has a rich flavor and some of it carries over to the fat collected from the skin and fat of ducks during roasting.
It is also very rich in saturated fat and has a high smoke point making is especially suited for crisping up roasted foods such as potatoes and other root vegetables.
Substitutes for Duck Fat
If you don’t have duck fat at home, you can use these alternatives instead:
- Goose fat
Goose fat will provide the closest flavor to duck fat, but it might be equally difficult – and expensive – to source.
If price is not an issue, and you can find goose fat in your deli you can substitute duck fat almost perfectly with it.
- Turkey fat or chicken fat
While you most likely won’t find these sold in supermarkets you can collect the fat from any poultry you roast in the oven.
You can then use the collected fat for your roast potatoes or any other recipes calling for duck fat.
While the flavor will not be as rich, these fats will have a similarly high level of saturated fat and help with crispiness just fine.
- Lard
This rendered pork fat also has lots of saturated fat content and will still be more flavorful than oils, although not at the level of duck fat.
- Olive oil
If you can’t get your hand on animal derived fats – or prefer not to use them – extra virgin olive oil will do the job.
They have the same level of calories but olive oil have about half the amount of saturated fat so expect both less flavor and crispiness when used for roasting food.
Related questions
Is duck fat healthier than olive oil?
Duck fat has a high amount of saturated fat but also a high amount of unsaturated fats which are good for you.
When comparing it with olive oil though, duck fat is the less healthy – but more flavorful – option.
Can duck fat replace butter?
You can replace some of the butter in your recipe with duck fat for extra flavor and more crispiness in baked goods such as pie crusts. Substitute 30-40% of the butter with duck fat for best results.
Does duck fat go rancid?
When stored in a cool place, duck fat lasts quite long, somewhere between 6 months to 1 year.
You need to make sure it’s pure though, as any remaining pieces of meat will go off much faster and can ruin the duck fat too.
What do duck fat fries taste like?
You can expect extra rich flavor and crispy texture from duck fat roast potatoes. There is a good reason many restaurants prefer to use duck fat when preparing for Sunday roasts.