What Exactly Does Goat Milk Taste Like?
Goat milk is popular in many cultures. During a summer trip to Greece or Turkey, you might find yourself trying out a wide range of goat milk products, including cheese, yogurt, and sour cream.
Surely, most of us have tried some goat milk products throughout our lives, whether it was marinated goat cheese on a cheese board or a tangy, creamy pizza topping. But, what does goat milk taste like? While there's a difference between store-bought and fresh goat milk (as there is with all types of milk), it's always rich, creamy, and quite thick. In addition to being a protein and vitamin bomb, it tastes kind of "goaty" — duh, obviously. But, "goaty" is actually a thing. Goat milk's special flavor comes from the milk's unique fatty acids.
Pros and cons of fresh vs store-bought goat milk
Goat milk is naturally sweet and has about 4.5 grams of lactose –- a natural milk sugar -– per 100 milliliters. This makes it similar to cow's milk, which contains around 5 grams of lactose per the same amount. Goat milk boasts a mild, clean taste, and it's slightly earthier than cow's milk. Most of the time, it doesn't come with a strong aftertaste, but this could vary depending on whether it's fresh or store-bought.
Before store-bought milk was a thing, there was the milkman, but he has long since moved on to greener pastures. That's why we mostly rely on processed goat milk today. However, this type of goat milk tends to have a stronger taste due to the necessary heat treatment of pasteurization. While this method prolongs the milk's shelf life, eliminates harmful bacteria, and even adds subtle caramel or vanilla notes, it can greatly impact the milk's fresh, natural taste. Pasteurization is the reason behind processed goat milk's goaty taste, as it amplifies the milk's natural fatty acids, including capric, caprylic, and caproic.
How to make the most out of goat milk
Goat milk is a great alternative to cow's milk and might even be better for heart health and digestion. This is because it has smaller fat globules than other types of milk, making it easier to digest (via Small Ruminant Research).
Additionally, goat milk is often interchangeable with other kinds of milk, so it fits into many recipes — especially those that don't require cooking. Whether you're making a creamy ranch dressing, using goat milk as the base for a pumpkin spice iced latte, or adding it to your piña colada, there's really no way to go wrong with it.
That said, you might want to avoid goat milk if you're lactose intolerant. Even though it contains less lactose than cow's milk, it still has enough to keep you feeling bloated for days. Last but not least, goat milk has more to offer than just its use in recipes – it actually makes a great addition to skin lotions, too.