How Much Lactose Is In That?
Dairy, by the numbers
How Much Lactose Is In That?
Some dairy feels fine and some doesn't, and the amount of lactose in a normal serving is a big part of why. Here are 33 common foods ranked from least to most lactose per typical serving, using USDA FoodData Central and a peer-reviewed food table. Every row lists its serving size and its source.
Before you scroll: tolerance varies from person to person, and portion matters as much as the food. Many people with lactose malabsorption can handle up to about 5 g of lactose at one time (roughly 100 mL of milk), and the threshold tends to go up when lactose is eaten with other food. [2] Fermentation breaks down much of the lactose in cheese and yogurt, which is one reason they're often easier to tolerate. [3] These are reference values. Brands and recipes vary, so check the label for a specific product.
The ranking: grams of lactose per serving, low to high
| Food | Serving | Lactose per serving (g) | g per 100 g | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parmesan, grated | 1 oz (28 g) | 0 | 0 | Aged long enough that USDA lists zero. The patience paid off. [1] |
| Swiss cheese | 1 oz (28 g) | 0 | 0 | The holes are not where the lactose went, but it's gone either way. [1] |
| Pecorino Romano | 1 oz (28 g) | <0.01 | <0.01 | Sheep's-milk, aged, and nearly lactose-free on paper. [2] |
| Lactose-free milk | 1 cup (244 g) | 0.02–0.24 | 0.01–0.1 | Lactase already did the work in the carton. [2] |
| Gruyère PDO | 1 oz (28 g) | <0.03 | <0.1 | Alpine cheese with a lactose number that rounds to a shrug. [2] |
| Gorgonzola PDO | 1 oz (28 g) | <0.03 | <0.1 | Blue, bold, and very low. [2] |
| Cheddar | 1 oz (28 g) | 0.04 | 0.16 | Sharp flavor, small lactose number. [1] |
| Butter, salted | 1 tbsp (14 g) | 0.08 | 0.58 | Mostly fat. Spread with confidence. [1] |
| Buffalo mozzarella | 1 oz (28 g) | 0.1 | 0.4 | Fresh, but still low. [2] |
| Feta, whole milk | 1 oz (28 g) | 0.2 | 0.61 | Salty, crumbly, low. [1] |
| Mozzarella, low-moisture part-skim | 1 oz (28 g) | 0.2 | 0.66 | The shredded-pizza-bag classic. [1] |
| Fontina | 1 oz (28 g) | 0.2 | 0.8 | A melter with a modest number. [2] |
| Cheese pizza, regular crust (pizza-chain 14") | 100 g (roughly one slice) | 0.4 | 0.42 | Pizza night is less lactose than people expect. [1] |
| Dark chocolate, 45–59% cacao | 1 oz (28 g) | 0.5 | 1.65 | Some dark chocolate contains milk; this one counts it. [1] |
| American cheese, pasteurized process | 1 slice (21 g) | 0.5 | 2.5 | Processed cheese keeps more lactose than aged cheese. [1] |
| Sour cream | 2 tbsp (24 g) | 0.8 | 3.41 | A dollop is a dollop. [1] |
| Heavy whipping cream | 2 tbsp (30 g) | 0.9 | 2.92 | More fat, less room for lactose. [1] |
| Cream cheese | 2 tbsp (29 g) | 1.1 | 3.76 | Bagel-sized portions stay low. [1] |
| Half-and-half | 2 tbsp (30 g) | 1.2 | 4.13 | Small pour, small number. [1] |
| Chocolate pudding, ready-to-eat | 1 snack cup (113 g) | 1.9 | 1.7 | Dessert that lands in the low-middle. [1] |
| Ice cream, strawberry | ½ cup (66 g) | 2.9 | 4.43 | One scoop. Nobody stops at one scoop. [1] |
| Sweetened condensed milk | 2 tbsp (38 g) | 3.5 | 9.23 | Concentrated milk is concentrated lactose. [1] |
| Ricotta | ½ cup (124 g) | 4.3 | 3.5 | Fresh cheese made from whey-rich curds. Higher than aged cheese. [2] |
| Greek yogurt, plain, whole milk | 6 oz (170 g) | 4.4 | 2.61 | Straining removes some of the whey. [1] |
| Cottage cheese, 2% | ½ cup (113 g) | 4.5 | 3.98 | Fresh cheese, more lactose than its reputation suggests. [1] |
| Soft-serve, light vanilla, with cone | 100 g | 5.6 | 5.59 | Soft-serve tends to carry more milk solids. [1] |
| Yogurt, plain, whole milk | 6 oz (170 g) | 5.7 | 3.35 | Live cultures can help some people with this one. [1] |
| Buttermilk, low fat | 1 cup (245 g) | 9.0 | 3.66 | Cultured, but still a full glass. [1] |
| Kefir, lowfat, plain | 1 cup (243 g) | 9.0 | 3.7 | Cultured drink, glass-sized portion. [1] |
| Chocolate milk, reduced fat | 1 cup (250 g) | 9.6 | 3.83 | Chocolate doesn't cancel the milk. [1] |
| Goat milk | 1 cup (244 g) | 11.5 | 4.7 | Not lactose-free. Similar ballpark to cow's milk. [2] |
| Whole milk (3.25%) | 1 cup (244 g) | 11.7 | 4.81 | The benchmark everyone means. [1] |
| 2% milk | 1 cup (244 g) | 11.9 | 4.89 | Less fat, not less lactose. [1] |
| Skim milk | 1 cup (245 g) | 12.4 | 5.05 | Removing fat nudges lactose per gram up a hair. [1] |
How we got these numbers: per-serving grams = the source's lactose value per 100 g × the serving weight shown. Values marked [1] come from the linked USDA FoodData Central entry. Values marked [2] come from Table 1 of Facioni et al. (2020). Where a source gives an upper limit (for example, "<0.1 g per 100 g"), the per-serving figure is an upper limit too.
What the pattern says
- Aged and hard cheeses sit at the bottom. Most lactose leaves with the whey during cheesemaking, and aging and fermentation break down much of what's left. [2][3]
- Fresh cheeses sit in the middle. Ricotta and cottage cheese keep more of the milky, whey-rich part.
- A glass of milk sits at the top. One cup of whole, 2%, skim or goat milk carries roughly 11–12 g.
- Portion beats category. Two tablespoons of half-and-half are a very different dose than a glass of milk.
Want the longer version? Read why milk and cheese can feel so different, or take the long view with the history of lactose intolerance.
What the research found
65% lower combined daily symptom scores with the studied strain versus placebo over two weeks.*
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of 21 lactose maldigesters (Ramakrishnan et al., 2025). [4] The study tested the strain, not the finished Holy Cow! product.
One capsule a day to support lactose digestion*
Holy Cow! is a once-daily probiotic + prebiotic. Take once daily in the morning, ideally on an empty stomach, with water. Keep your regular lactase routine for the first 21 days. We recommend continued daily use for best results.
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Sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central (SR Legacy and Foundation Foods). Lactose (g per 100 g) from the entry linked on each row. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- Facioni MS, Raspini B, Pivari F, Dogliotti E, Cena H. Nutritional management of lactose intolerance: the importance of diet and food labelling. J Transl Med. 2020;18:260. Table 1. PMC7318541
- MedlinePlus Genetics. Lactose intolerance. U.S. National Library of Medicine. medlineplus.gov
- Ramakrishnan M, et al. Gut Microbes Reports. 2025. doi:10.1080/29933935.2025.2508199. PMC12940102
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
This page is general information, not medical advice. Lactose intolerance is not the same as a milk allergy; if you have a milk allergy, talk to your doctor. Lactaid® is a registered trademark of its owner. Holy Cow! is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Lactaid or its owner.