My diet:

Vegetable shortening

No E-numberFats & oilsOrigin: Plant
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Every diet

VeganYes

Vegetable shortening is made from plant oils. Lard and tallow are named separately.

Gluten-freeYes
HalalYes
KosherYes
KetoYes

Vegetable shortening is fat with no starch.

Low-FODMAPYes
The short answer
Vegetable shortening is a vegan baking fat sold to replace lard and butter in crusts. It is gluten-free. The ingredient line matters, because one tub is palm and another is hydrogenated soybean.
Use in moderation

Safe in small amounts; may bother some people or raise blood sugar.

E-numberNone
Comes fromPlant
What it doesFats & oils
Glycemic index—
Daily limitNot set
Also calledVegetable shortening, Shortening

Rules by country

🇺🇸 US FDANot evaluated as an additive
🇪🇺 European UnionNot evaluated as an additive
🇨🇦 Health CanadaNot evaluated as an additive
CaliforniaNo extra rules

Vegetable shortening is a food, not an E-number. Older shortenings were partially hydrogenated and carried trans fat. A current US label should show 0 grams of trans fat per serving, with fully hydrogenated or palm fat doing the structural work.

Daily limit: Experts haven’t set a number because normal food amounts are far below any level of concern.

What is it?

The white color comes from whipping nitrogen or air into the fat, plus bleaching during refining. There is no water, which is why pie crusts use it when they want flakes without steam from butter.

Where it comes from: Vegetable shortening is a solid baking fat made from plant oils. Modern formulas blend liquid oil with fully hydrogenated oil, palm fat, or an interesterified fat so the tub stays solid without the old industrial trans fat.

Why it’s in food

  • Flakes a pie crust
  • Creams a cookie
  • Fries chicken
  • Greases a pan

Often found in

Pie crustBiscuitsFrostingFried chickenCookiesCake

Also listed as: Vegetable shortening, Shortening, Vegetable baking fat

Health & gut impact

Trans fat left the formulaBenefit

The shortenings that made industrial trans fat were partially hydrogenated. Current vegetable shortening uses other ways to stay solid.

FDA removal of partially hydrogenated oils from human food

Read the oil under the nameUnder study

One brand's shortening is palm oil. Another's is soybean oil plus a fully hydrogenated fraction. The nutrition is the oils, not the word shortening.

Typical ingredient lines of US vegetable shortenings

What can I use instead?

Cocoa butter

Ratio: A plant fat for confectionery, not for flaky pie

Best for: Candy

Palm oil

Ratio: Often the actual fat inside a modern shortening

Best for: Bakery fats

Related

More fats & oils:

Beef tallowBeef tallow is cattle fat. It is not vegan. It is gluten-free and used for high-heat frying. Halal and kosher versions exist only when the animal and the plant are certified.Use in moderationButterButter is a dairy fat. It is not vegan. It is gluten-free, and a normal pat is low enough in lactose that many low-FODMAP plans allow it. Peanut butter and cocoa butter are not this food.Use in moderationCanola oilCanola oil is a neutral cooking oil from low-erucic rapeseed. Canola oil is vegan and gluten-free. The old worry about erucic acid applies to industrial rapeseed, not to the canola sold as food.Generally safeCocoa butterCocoa butter is the vegan fat of the cocoa bean. It is what makes chocolate snap and then melt. It is gluten-free and keto-friendly, and it is not a dairy butter.Generally safe

Common questions

Is vegetable shortening vegan?

The vegetable kind is. A tub that says only shortening, or that lists lard or tallow, is not this ingredient.

Is Crisco-style shortening still a trans fat?

The classic partially hydrogenated formula was changed. Check the ingredient line for partially hydrogenated oil. Fully hydrogenated oil is a different process.

Is Vegetable shortening safe?

Use in moderation (66/100). Vegetable shortening is a food, not an E-number. Older shortenings were partially hydrogenated and carried trans fat. A current US label should show 0 grams of trans fat per serving, with fully hydrogenated or palm fat doing the structural work.

Is Vegetable shortening vegan?

Yes. Vegetable shortening is made from plant oils. Lard and tallow are named separately.

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Scientific sources & regulatory citations
  • FDA removal of partially hydrogenated oils from human food
  • Typical ingredient lines of US vegetable shortenings