isithalal.food

Is Shortening Halal?

It depends on what the label says.

Halal if verified
Medium confidence About this ruling

About this ruling

Condition
Verify the product or supplier in hand
Evidence confidence
Medium means the sources are named, but they do not pin the evidence to a specific market or product. Use this page as orientation, then read the pack in your hand.
How we score High, Medium, and Low

Reviewed

Shortening is a solid cooking fat for baking and frying.

Next step Read what the shortening is made from. All-vegetable shortening such as Crisco or Trex lists plant oils; shortening made from lard is Haram, and tallow-based shortening needs Halal slaughter. How to verify
Scan a label

Photo: DanielPenfield · CC BY-SA 4.0

How to verify

  1. Read the fats: soybean, palm, rapeseed or cottonseed oil are plant; lard is pork; tallow or beef fat is cattle.
  2. Look for mono- and diglycerides (E471): fine in an all-vegetable product, a question in a blend.
  3. "Shortening" in a bakery or packaged-cake ingredient list without a source is unverified.
  4. A Halal mark settles it.

What decides the answer

  • All-vegetable shortening (Crisco All-Vegetable, Trex)

    Halal if verified: plant oils, not Halal-certified

  • Shortening made with tallow or beef fat

    Halal only from Halal-slaughtered cattle

  • "Shortening" listed in a bakery product with no source

    unverified; ask or look for a Halal mark

  • Shortening made with lard

    Haram

Why this ruling

Shortening is a solid cooking fat used for pastry, biscuits, icing and frying. Unlike butter or margarine, it is all fat. Its Halal status depends entirely on which fat it is made from.

Vegetable shortening

The best-known brands are plant-based. Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening, sold in the US, lists soybean oil, fully hydrogenated palm oil, palm oil, mono- and diglycerides, and TBHQ and citric acid as antioxidants.[1] In the UK, Trex lists only palm and rapeseed oil and is labelled 100% vegetable.[2]

Neither is Halal-certified. Crisco's own FAQ covers baking and storage but says nothing about Halal or ingredient sources.[4] Crisco's mono- and diglycerides (E471) are the one ingredient that can come from animal fat, but the product is sold as all-vegetable. On their listed ingredients, both are Halal for most Muslims.

Animal shortening

Shortening can also be made from animal fat. If it is lard, it is Haram. If it is beef tallow, it is Halal only when the cattle were slaughtered Islamically. IFANCA's shopper guide lists animal fat in shortening, and mono- and diglycerides, as doubtful until the source is confirmed.[3]

Shortening as an ingredient

The word often appears in packaged cakes, pastries and biscuits without saying which fat it is. In that case it is unverified: look for "vegetable shortening" with the oils named, a vegetarian or vegan label, or a Halal mark.

Where you'll find it

  • Pie crusts, biscuits and cookies
  • Cake and icing (buttercream-style frostings)
  • Deep-frying
  • An ingredient in packaged cakes and pastries

Frequently asked questions

Is shortening Halal?
It depends on the fat. Vegetable shortening made from plant oils, such as Crisco All-Vegetable or Trex, has nothing from an animal. Shortening made from lard is Haram, and shortening from tallow is Halal only if the cattle were slaughtered Islamically.
Is Crisco Halal?
Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening lists soybean oil, palm oil, fully hydrogenated palm oil, mono- and diglycerides, TBHQ and citric acid. The product is sold as all-vegetable, so nothing on it should come from an animal. We found no Halal statement from its maker, J.M. Smucker, so it is Halal if verified.
Is Trex Halal?
UK Trex lists only palm oil and rapeseed oil and is labelled 100% vegetable. Nothing in it comes from an animal. It is not marketed as Halal-certified.
What is the difference between shortening and margarine?
Shortening is pure fat. Margarine is a spread made from fat and water, often with milk, emulsifiers and vitamins, so it has more ingredients to check. See the margarine page.
What does "animal shortening" mean?
Shortening made from animal fat, usually lard (pork) or tallow (cattle). Lard makes it Haram; tallow makes it a slaughter question. Labels that just say "animal shortening" don't say which, so avoid them unless certified.

Scholarly view

Shortening raises no issue of its own; its ruling follows what it is made from. Plant oils are Halal. Pork fat is Haram in every school. Fat from cattle or sheep follows the slaughter, as on the beef tallow page.

Mono- and diglycerides follow their source fat, which is why certifiers such as IFANCA list them, and animal fat in shortening, as doubtful until confirmed.

Sources

Named Islamic, certifier, manufacturer, and regulatory sources used on this page. Inline markers like [1] jump here. Retrieval dates show when we last checked the live URL. Editorial methodology.

Certifier / jurisdiction

  1. IFANCA Halal Shopper’s Quick Reference Guide

    IFANCA Retrieved

    Certifier: IFANCA · Jurisdiction: United States / international

    Lists mono/diglycerides, animal fat in shortening, gelatin, flavourings, and some vitamin carriers as mashbooh until confirmed with the manufacturer or a Halal mark.

Manufacturer / product

  1. Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening (barcode 0196005242504)

    Open Food Facts (ingredient list transcribed from pack photos) Retrieved

    Jurisdiction: United States

    Soybean oil, fully hydrogenated palm oil, palm oil, mono and diglycerides, TBHQ and citric acid (antioxidants). Butter-flavour sticks (0051500251959) add natural and artificial flavour and beta-carotene.

  2. Trex (barcode 5000232879363)

    Open Food Facts (ingredient list transcribed from pack photos) Retrieved

    Jurisdiction: United Kingdom

    Palm oil, rapeseed oil (in varying proportions). Labelled 100% vegetable.

  3. Frequently asked questions

    Crisco (The J.M. Smucker Company) Retrieved

    Jurisdiction: United States

    Covers storage, substitutions and baking; no statement on Halal, kosher or ingredient sources.

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