Turkey Fat

Turkey Fat: Nutrition and Cooking Guide

Turkey fat — rendered from the abundant fat deposits of domestic turkey, particularly around the cavity and neck — is closely related to chicken fat in composition and flavour character, with a slightly milder, less intense flavour. It was historically used in traditional American Thanksgiving cooking contexts, where the abundant fat from a roasting turkey was collected from the roasting pan as dripping. Turkey dripping has a good flavour and high smoke point, making it suitable for roasting vegetables, particularly potatoes. It is significantly less commercially available than chicken fat or goose fat and rarely sold as a standalone product in Britain; most home cooks who use it collect it from their own roasting tin. The fat composition and nutritional profile is very close to chicken fat.

Nutritional Value and Uses

Turkey fat provides 900 kcal and 99.8 g of fat per 100 g, with 29.4 g of saturated fat — essentially identical to chicken fat. The monounsaturated fat content is high, making it one of the less saturated animal cooking fats. Collect turkey dripping from the roasting tin after cooking turkey, strain it, and store refrigerated. Use to roast potatoes and other root vegetables. Use as the base fat in Thanksgiving stuffing and turkey gravy. Spread on turkey sandwiches as a flavouring. The mild turkey character makes it versatile for any savoury application.