Is Lard Halal?

The one clear no on this whole list

Most ingredients on this site come with nuance. Lard does not. It is rendered fat from pigs, and because pork and everything derived from it is explicitly forbidden in the Qur'an, lard is haram with no exceptions and no school-based disagreement.

Where lard hides

You will not always see the word 'lard'. Watch for it — and its disguises — in:

• Pastry, pie crusts and biscuits, and some breads and tortillas.
• Refried beans, tamales and some Latin-American dishes.
• Dim sum, char siu bao and some Asian pastries.
• Fried foods cooked in animal shortening.
• Labels reading 'lard', 'pork fat', 'manteca', 'bacon fat', or an unspecified 'animal shortening'.

Do not confuse it with these

• 'Manteca vegetal' is *vegetable* shortening — fine.
• Schmaltz is rendered chicken or goose fat, not pork — a different question (halal if the bird was halal-slaughtered).
• Tallow is beef fat — halal only if zabiha (see our beef tallow page).

The simple swaps

• Vegetable shortening, butter, or named plant oils replace lard directly.
• 'Vegetable' or vegan baked goods avoid it entirely.

Common questions

Is lard always haram?

Yes — it is pork fat, explicitly prohibited; there is no permissible version.

Is 'manteca' lard?

Often yes — manteca is Spanish for lard (pork fat). 'Manteca vegetal' is the vegetable version; check which.

Are flour tortillas or refried beans made with lard?

Traditional recipes often are — check the label or ask; vegetable-shortening versions are common and fine.

Can lard be purified into something halal?

No — its prohibition is based on being a pork derivative, which purification does not remove.

The bottom line

Lard is not halal, full stop — it is pork fat, explicitly forbidden. Avoid products listing lard, pork fat, manteca or unspecified animal shortening, and do not confuse it with chicken schmaltz or beef tallow, which are separate questions.