How to Make Suet for Birds – Easy Homemade Recipe Using Kitchen Scraps

How to Make Suet for Birds – A Simple Homemade Winter Treat

Feeding the birds is one of those small, quiet joys that brighten the colder months. With just a few ingredients and a bit of kitchen time, you can make suet cakes that nourish backyard birds and give you a front-row seat to their cheerful comings and goings.

While store-bought suet is available, making your own can be an easy, rewarding, and sometimes economical project, especially if you already have raw fat to use.

What Is Suet?

Suet is a high-fat bird food made by melting and straining animal fat, often mixed with seeds, oats, or fruit. It provides birds with much-needed calories, especially in late fall and winter when natural food sources are scarce.

Traditional suet is made from raw beef fat, particularly from around the kidneys, but raw pork fat (unsalted) can also be used.

A Note on Using Pan Drippings

In the past, many of us saved bacon or ham drippings to make bird treats. It seemed like a frugal and caring way to avoid waste, but today, we know more.

If you’re making suet for birds, be sure to start with raw, unseasoned fat, either from the butcher or trimmed from meat before cooking.

Fat left in the pan after cooking (like bacon or ham grease) is not ideal for birds.
It often contains added salt, spices, and seasonings that may harm their health. Even if strained, the salt content alone makes it unsuitable.

Why Make Your Own Suet?

• Supports birds during cold weather
• Reduces waste when you already have fat to use
• Easy to customize with seeds or fruit
• A hands-on project that connects you to nature

How to Render Suet (Step-by-Step for Beginners)

Rendering is the process of slowly melting raw fat to remove any meat or tissue, resulting in a clean, bird-safe fat base.

You’ll need:

• Raw beef suet or pork fat (unsalted)
• Sharp knife and cutting board
• Heavy-bottomed pot
• Fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth
• Heat-safe bowl

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Chop fat into small pieces.
2. Melt slowly over low heat, stirring occasionally. Do not let it sizzle or brown.
3. Watch for solids (called cracklings) to rise and turn golden.
4. Strain hot liquid through a mesh strainer or cheesecloth.
5. Cool slightly before mixing in seeds or grains. Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer.

As the fat melts, you’ll notice small brown bits, called cracklings, begin to separate from the liquid. This is completely normal. Straining the rendered fat removes these particles, resulting in a cleaner, longer-lasting suet base that’s safer for birds.

Mixing in Seeds and Add-Ins

Once your rendered suet is cooled but still pourable, you can stir in a variety of healthy mix-ins:

• Black oil sunflower seeds
• Nyjer seed
• Oats
• Unsweetened dried fruit
• Unsalted chopped nuts
• Cornmeal

Start with a ratio of about 2 parts fat to 1 part dry ingredients.

How to Mold and Serve Homemade Suet

Once your suet mixture is blended and still pourable, you can shape it using a variety of household items, no fancy equipment needed! Below are several easy options:

Hanging Suet Cups

This is an easy and accessible way to offer suet.

You’ll need:

• Small plastic or paper cups (yogurt cups, Dixie cups, etc.)
• Kitchen twine or jute string
• Wooden skewer or sharp knife

Instructions:

1. Poke or cut two holes near the top rim of the cup and thread string through for hanging.
2. Pour in warm suet mixture and add seeds, oats, or fruit.
3. Chill until firm.
4. Hang from a tree branch, hook, or shepherd’s pole.

Tip: To make it easier for birds to perch, set a small stick or dowel into the cup while the suet is still soft—it’ll firm up as the suet cools.

Muffin Tin Suet Cakes

Use a standard or mini muffin pan.

• Spoon suet mixture into greased tins.
• Chill until firm.
• Pop out and place on a flat tray feeder or inside a wire suet cage.

Silicone Molds or Ice Cube Trays

This gives you decorative shapes like stars, hearts, or rounds—great for giftable treats or blog photography.

• Fill molds and freeze.
• Pop out and store until needed.

Pinecone Suet Feeders

Great craft for kids or grandchildren!

• Choose large, open pinecones.
• Press soft suet mixture into the crevices.
• Tie string around the top and hang outside.

Bird Perch Tips

Adding a perch to any hanging suet helps smaller birds feel comfortable feeding.
Try:

• Inserting a small twig across the mold
• Using a bamboo skewer before chilling
• Hanging suet near a natural branch

Important Tips for Bird Safety

Do:

• Use plain, unsalted fat
• Add only bird-safe ingredients
• Store extras in the freezer
• Offer suet only in cool or cold weather

Don’t:

• Use salted or seasoned fats (like bacon or ham grease)
• Offer suet during warm months (it can spoil)
• Include bread, sugar, or processed snacks

What Birds Might Visit?

Homemade suet may attract:

• Woodpeckers
• Chickadees
• Nuthatches
• Wrens
• Titmice
• Blue Jays

Free Printable: Bird Log + Coloring Pages

To make your birdwatching even more meaningful, I’ve created a free printable Bird Log you can download and use throughout the season. It’s a fun way to keep track of the birds you see and the suet blends that work best.

This printable set includes:

• A Bird Log page to record dates, bird species, weather, and suet types

• Two calming coloring pages featuring detailed bird illustrations — perfect for quiet moments with a cup of tea

Whether you’re an avid bird lover or just beginning to notice the winged visitors outside your window, this printable offers a simple way to slow down and savor the beauty around you.

👉 Click here to download your free Bird Log + Coloring Pages.

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Matthew 6:26 (NIV)

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