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Comparison of fresh milk from cows versus goats, including important nutritional differences that could affect your personal choice.
I am fortunate where I live to have convenient access to high quality, farm fresh milk from both cows and goats for reasonable prices.
While my children prefer cow milk, I do buy goat milk now and then for variety.
One of my kids asked me the other day about goat milk versus cow milk and which was better than the other.
Great question!
Goat Milk Advantages
The most significant difference between goat milk and cow milk is that fresh, unpasteurized cow milk forms a distinct creamline at the top and goat milk does not.
The reason is that goat milk is naturally homogenized, which means the fat molecules are smaller than in cow milk and so remain evenly dispersed throughout the milk. Incidentally, sheep milk is also naturally homogenized.
The smaller size of the fat globules seems to make goat milk more digestible for some people but not all. I personally find no difference in digestibility between the two.
While the protein structure of cow and goat milk is fairly similar, goat milk is missing an alpha casein present in cow’s milk.
In addition, when you drink a glass of goat milk, and it reacts with the acid in your stomach, the protein curds that precipitate are smaller in size and a bit softer than the ones that form with cow’s milk.
This is another reason some folks find goat milk to be more easily digested than cow milk.
Cow Milk Advantages
Cow milk is higher in Vitamin B12, which many people are severely deficient in.
Goat milk also lacks folate, which makes cow milk more suitable for homemade infant formula in the event the mother cannot breastfeed.
If homemade goat milk baby formula is preferred due to local dairy availability, it is best to add a bit of desiccated liver powder or grated fresh liver (see specifics below) to compensate for this important nutritional difference.
Cow milk is also higher in Vitamin B6, making it a better choice for pregnant mothers who have morning sickness.
I myself suffered from B6 deficiency morning sickness and so found sipping fresh cow milk during the first trimester to bring immediate and welcome relief.
Incidentally, B6 is destroyed by pasteurization, so any sort of heat-treated or pasteurized milk will not help in this regard. The milk must be farm fresh and preferably grassfed.
The Weston A. Price Foundation recommends adding 2 teaspoons organic raw chicken liver, frozen for 14 days, finely grated to each batch of the goat milk-based formula if goat milk is used and encourages egg yolk feeding for babies to begin no later than four months old.
If cow milk is used, egg yolk feeding can be started later at 6 months.
Cow milk is usually more readily available than goat milk and is typically a lower cost per gallon making it more suitable for tighter budgets.
Sometimes I’ve heard folks say that they prefer the taste of cow milk because goat milk tastes goat-y, but in my experience, goat-y tasting goat milk is more a result of quality than anything.
The goat milk I buy doesn’t taste goat-y unless it is more than a week old and is generally very similar in taste to cow milk.
Goat vs Cow Milk? Which is the Best Choice?
Ultimately, the choice of whether to drink fresh cow or goat milk is a personal preference. The exception would be homemade formula, where cow milk should be the first choice due to the lack of vitamin B12 and folate in goat milk.
For straight drinking, my husband prefers goat milk as the naturally homogenized fat molecules make it a bit more digestible for him. However, he loves homemade kefir “ice cream” made with 50-50 heavy cow cream and milk.
My children prefer cow milk, although my oldest doesn’t mind a glass of goat milk when it is really fresh.
So what did I answer my child when he asked whether one milk was better than the other?
I told him that it was kind of like the difference between turkey and chicken or beef and lamb.
They are both yummy and healthy, and it’s perfectly okay to prefer one over the other or even drink both if you want to!
Hi Sarah,
I just wanted to thank you for doing all that you do to get this information out to people. I have added so many changes to my diet/lifestyle as well as my husbands, and we both feel the benefits from doing so. We still have work to do, but we are getting there. I did have a ? regarding raw milk and fertility? My husband and I have been trying to concieve for about 2 years. I have been drinking two to four glasses of raw milk a day for the last year or so and feel great. I have read in some circles that milk can be congesting and create inflammation,etc…..causing issues with concieving. Is there any truth to this? As I have been trying to follow WAPF guidelines for pregnancy/breastfeeding. I am not doing everything on the list yet, but have used it as a resource as I continue to fine tune my diet. Many people I talk to first say to stay away from raw milk period and second say to minimize dairy as a tool to help one concieve. I have been a bit confused over this and thought you may be able to shed some light on this topic. Thanks again.
p.s.
Your recent article on giving up caffeine urged me to once again try to kick the addiction. I have now been caffeine free for almost 8 weeks and so incredibly thankful for the positive changes I am experiencing. Thanks again.
I can’t tolerate cow’s milk – even raw, so goat is better for me. I am lucky to have access to a dairy where I can get both raw and fresh. I just don’t really drink milk anymore but I do love goat cheese and have on my list to experiment with making goat’s milk cottage cheese.
I prefer cow, but I pay a ridiculous $14 per gallon for it!!! I can’t find it any cheaper in the part of So Cal I live in. Raw goat milk is even more.
@Allyson McQuinn I want your article! That sounds awesome
We have dairy goats and a Brown Swiss milk cow. Our goat’s milk has always tasted fine, but I still prefer the cow’s milk for all the cream… It’s a bummer to be milking the goats 2x/day and still be having to buy butter/cream!
I had nubian goats for years and we drank mostly raw goat. Now drink both raw goat or cow from friends. The major factor in taste for either is the feed/grasses taste, cleanliness and quick milk chilling. I can’t tolerate any pasturized milk. I switched to more cow due to nutrient defiencies and it has helped along with alot of other changes.
Raw cows milk! Yummy
I say goat milk, because we have goats! 🙂
Goats milk is the closest to human therefore more easily digested. I just started experimenting with goats milk cheese and my children loved it!
I want to like goat milk, I really do. But it just has that grassy taste that I can’t get past. Our dairy share cow (just one old girl) has the best tasting milk, I’ll stick with her for now.