What oil does Shake Shack fry in?
Shake Shack cooks with Soybean oil for crinkle fries and all fried chicken; ShackSauce is a soybean-oil mayo. Burgers are griddled beef (low PUFA) but most come with ShackSauce..
The 5 cleanest things to order at Shake Shack
Learn this once: a salad with grilled protein and the dressing left off is nearly always the lowest seed oil order anywhere. So the list below sticks to real meals, salads included, never just a water.
| Item | PUFA |
|---|---|
| Vanilla Custard Cup | 0.8g |
| Chocolate Custard Cup | 1.0g |
| Hamburger | 2.5g |
| Cheese Dog | 2.6g |
| ShackBurger (no ShackSauce) | 2.9g |
Lower PUFA is cleaner. These are estimates from published nutrition data and disclosed oils; preparation varies by location.
Why the frying oil matters
Most fast-food chains fry in seed oils like soybean, canola, corn, or a blend of them, which are high in polyunsaturated fat (PUFA). A handful still use beef tallow or other stable fats, which are far lower in PUFA. The oil a kitchen fries in is the single biggest driver of how much seed oil ends up on your plate. See the full breakdown on the Shake Shack report card, or where it lands on the Seed Oil Index.
Frequently asked
Does Shake Shack use beef tallow?
No. Shake Shack cooks with Soybean oil for crinkle fries and all fried chicken; ShackSauce is a soybean-oil mayo. Burgers are griddled beef (low PUFA) but most come with ShackSauce., not beef tallow. See which chains fry in real fats on Tallow Watch.