Homemade suet is generally more appreciated than pre-made suet, although there are some great pre-made suets and even ones that do not melt during the summer.

Suet is enjoyed by woodpeckers, flickers, nuthatches, chickadees, cardinals, and stellar jays. Use an upside down feeder to discourage Starlings.

When you purchase suet at the store, save the forms so that you can make suet at home. In this article, I will cover some very easy to use recipes. There is another article that discusses Fresh Ground Suet Recipes.

Recipe #1

Melt together 2 cups chunky peanut butter and 2 cups of lard. Add 4 cups oatmeal, 4 cups cornmeal, 1/3 cup flour, and 1 Tablespoon sugar. Mix everything together. Place in forms. Freeze. It’s that easy. Pull out of freezer when ready to use.

Lard might not be available at every grocery store. You might need to shop around. Lard sometimes is also called Manteca.

This recipe makes about 6-7 forms worth of suet.

Suet Recipe #2

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup vegetable shortening (like Crisco)
1/2 cup shelled peanuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup cracked corn

Mix all of the above ingredients together. Not all ingredients need to be used (use whatever you have on hand), as long as the mixture will stick together. Feel free to add in a little bit of bird seed as an added bonus!

Suet Recipe #3

1 cup Crunchy Peanut Butter
1 cup Lard
2 cups Oats
2 cups Cornmeal
1 cup Flour
1/3 Cup Sugar
Melt the Peanut Butter and the Lard. Combine remaining ingredients and place in suet forms to cool.

Suet Recipe #4

1 Cup Peanut Butter (Crunchy is best!)
1 Cup Shortening
1 Cup Flour
3 Cups Cornmeal
1 Cup Cracked Corn

You might have noticed that there are a variety of different ways to make suet. Feel free to experiment with your own recipes. Some items that can be added or substituted for all recipes include: Dried and Chopped Fruit (currants, raisins, or berries), millet, various kinds of bird seeds, and the list goes on and on – anything that birds would like to eat!

Be sure to check out our Fresh Ground Suet Recipes.