What Does Goat Milk Taste Like?

In the world of dairy products, cow's milk reigns supreme, but alternatives like goat milk have garnered solid followings among consumers. From cold cartons in the dairy case to powdered, canned, and even baby formula varieties, goat milk can be purchased right alongside its bovine counterparts in major retail stores like Walmart and Kroger. Despite its increased availability, if you're a Nubian newbie (that's a goat joke), you may feel hesitant about trying it. Perhaps you're wondering: What does it taste like?

As a longtime consumer of goat milk and other products like goat cheese, butter, and yogurt, I find its flavor to be a tad richer than cow dairy — pleasantly so. Texturally, it's just as smoothly refreshing. If I handed you a glass of cold goat milk, you likely wouldn't detect anything amiss — you'd think you were drinking an especially tasty cow's milk. If I made you a dish like creamy macaroni and cheese or a comforting soup recipe using goat milk and butter in place of cow's milk, you'd eat it without suspecting I'd added anything out of the ordinary. How do I know? Because I've done it many times to unsuspecting friends and family (mischievous smile).

Goat milk has a cream cheese-esque flavor boost that the bovine product lacks. Liquid cream cheese? Yes, please! It does generally cost more — unless you're buying a higher-grade organic cow's milk, in which case the two are closer in price. Still, there are various reasons people opt for the goat product.

One reason people abandon cows and turn to goat milk is that the latter is easier to digest for many. It also boasts anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and has been linked to actively improving digestive problems.

In babies, goat milk consumption has been shown to prevent allergic diseases. Statistically, as many as 3% of kids under age 3 are allergic to cow-derived dairy products (per American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology). That's how I personally first became acquainted with the liquid goodness that comes from goats.

When I was a small child, my mom literally borrowed a goat from a friend's farm and milked it twice a day so I could have fresh milk that didn't trigger my milk sensitivity. While I resumed consumption of ordinary bovine products in my older years, I found in my 30s that cow dairy products were still negatively affecting me, so back to goat milk I went (and have stayed ever since).

From drinking it plain to pouring it on cereal and using it in smoothies, goat milk — and its associated dairy goodies — has become something I always stay stocked up on. Eating a peanut butter sandwich — regardless of which jarred peanut butter brand it features — without a cold glass of goat milk to wash it down literally saddens my heart. Bottom line: If you've never tried goat milk, let your eyes wander around the dairy case next time you're at the supermarket. Find that goat carton and give it a try!