Does goat’s milk taste bad, or even….er…goaty?
Well, the answer is….most likely no, but possibly yes.
Let me explain.
Why people think goat’s milk is goaty
I honestly can’t figure out who is telling everybody that goat’s milk tastes bad! (probably some disgruntled cow) I used to have the same negative thoughts about goat’s milk, but I can’t pinpoint where I learned this “fact” or even who told me. Most people you meet will turn up their nose when you mention goat’s milk, and yet, these same people have never even tried it. Sure, maybe they’ve sampled the pungent, aged goat cheese that is popular in artisan dishes, but fresh milk? Odds are they’ve never tasted the wonderful stuff.
Why goat’s milk isn’t goaty
Within minutes of being freshly milked, most goat’s milk is inherently sweet and clean tasting, with no strong aftertaste. The tendency for it to taste strong or goaty is a result of how it is handled. Goat’s milk has a high amount of lactic acid, and this lactic acid can multiply fast in warm temperatures over the course of 3-4 days. If goat’s milk is stored at a temperature higher than 38 degrees (most fridges hang out around 45 degrees), then the lactic acid has the advantage. The lactic acid will increase and your result (over the course of a week in that environment), will be a stronger & more goaty tasting goat’s milk.
On the other hand, if you filter the milk, get it cold within 15 minutes of milking, and store at a temperature less than 38 degrees, you’ll have sweet tasting milk waiting for you for up to a month! Pretty cool trick, eh?
Filtering the milk is an important step. If you’ve ever milked a goat (or any other animal for that matter), then you know the pail of milk isn’t too appetizing to look at, am I right? Flecks of dirt, a few bugs, some alfalfa leaves, and a good sampling of goat hair is what you’ll find in that lovely pail of milk. Before you start to gag on me, just know that this is impossible to avoid! Thank goodness for milk filters! Milk filters are designed specifically for filtering milk and provide a fast flow while removing every last speck of anything from the milk. They look similar to coffee filters, but for some reason coffee filters don’t work on milk. (Ask me how I know.)
Why it could be goaty
There are a few reasons why your goat’s milk could taste goaty right after milking. Goats produce strong pheramones and when kept in close quarters with bucks (male goats), the does (female goats) can be so affected by the buck’s odor, that the female hormones actually change the taste of the milk! In our experience, this doesn’t happen 100% of the time, but it’s still enough of a concern that we try to keep them apart. We’ve had bucks in the very same pen as our does and our does have still produced very clean & fresh-tasting milk. We’ve also had does that put off a strong musky flavor in their milk anytime they’re around a buck. It really just depends on the goat.
Finally, there are certain breeds of goats who are known for their pungent milk. Toggenburg & Oberhasi are the two breeds of goats who tend to have a very strong flavor from the second the stream of milk hits the pail. There isn’t a real explanation as to why this is, other than the fact that most people avoid these breeds unless they prefer the pungent flavor.
Goat breeds like Nubian, La Mancha, Alpine, & Nigerian are the most popular milking breeds. Nigerians are known for the sweetest tasting milk, so if you are on the lookout for a milking goat and are nervous about the taste of the milk, go Nigerian. You’ll get sweet, fresh-tasting milk every single time.
Where to buy goat’s milk
Did you know that 65% of the world’s population drinks goat’s milk? In the US, more and more people are turning to backyard farming and realizing how easy it is to care for a few goats! We love our milking goats, and we only spend about 20 minutes a day with them. Correction: My kids spend about 20 minutes a day with them. My 11 & 9 year old take full responsibility of the goats, from feeding & watering, to milking twice a day. Want to learn more about how to care for & milk goats? Read my article, A Simple Guide to Raising & Milking Goats
If you’re not ready to buy a goat, toss it in your backyard, and milk it everyday, there are definitely still some options. Your best option for the freshest milk is going to be from a local source. Visit the Real Milk Finder to find local dairies in your area. You can also search in your local ads or on craigslist, but I would urge you to make sure that the farm is kept clean, the animals are kept in pastures, fed quality feed & the milk is stored cold right after milking. As long as the milk is cared for properly, you’ll have fresh goat’s milk every time!
Hello, my boys “2&5” and I have been watching your show for a few yrs now and we love you guys. I was wondering if you have ever seen a connection to goaty milk from milking into a mental pail vs glass? I have been milking and have never had goaty milk till I bought a stainless steel metal milking pail. I did some testing and as soon as I went back to glass it was immediately better..
Hi Sara-
Nope, no issues with the stainless steel, but you use whichever is better for you.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
This is so informative, thank you for sharing your wisdom. Both my sons thrived on goat’s milk formula that I made for them when I couldn’t breastfeed and didn’t want to give them store bought formula. I was put off by the smell but I’m encouraged to learn how to best avoid that when I get my own goats. I’ve been reading up on the Nigerian Dwarf goat breed and they sound like a fairly easy breed to handle.
I buy fresh raw goat milk from a farmer and she makes her own ricotta, kefir, etc for sale too. No “goaty” smell nor taste.
Each time I get my supply, I would smell and taste it first……..no “goaty” smell nor taste.
The moment I make kefir with it, the result smell and taste tart and “goaty”.
This didnt happen with the cow milk kefir.
Any idea what had happened?
Do you think I can mix both cow and goat milk to make kefir?
Thanks for your help and insight.
Hi Ci-
Yes you can mix the milks but it may not help.
I’m guessing the kefir you make takes goaty because the processing affects the taste of the milk. Goat’s milk contains the enzyme caproic acid, which causes it to taste goaty the longer it sits. So fresh raw milk properly processed is recommended for drinking and making dairy products so you don’t end up with a goaty taste.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
What type of forage plants affect the flavor of goat’s milk? I recently heard that poison ivy can make it taste bad, but I’d never heard that before. I’ll be milking for the first time in a couple of weeks and really want it to be a good experience.
Hi Monica-
Plants such as onions, garlic, mustard, chamomile, fennel, sneezeweed, and ragweed are what typically make a goat’s milk taste off or bad. Other plants such as elder-flower, mint, Fools’ parsley, Birdsfoot trefoil, Shepherd’s purse, ivy leaves, oak, cress, sweet clover, wood sorrel, and plants in the Brassicas Genus (cabbage, kale, turnips, etc.) are not as strong in changing the flavor, but do affect the flavor.
Note that the ivy listed above is no relation to poison ivy. They are not even in the same Order, Family, etc.
So, no I do not believe poison ivy affects the taste of a goat’s milk, at least I have never had an issue with myself.
I hope that helps!
Good luck milking!
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Thank you for your article it was very good. I have Nigerian dwarf goats and you are correct about their milk. It is delicious, not goatee. I feed a will balanced diet, do not have a buck, filter and chill right after milking.
Hey Mary you might try having some feed grain pellets with you such as sweet feed. Be sure to put some in the stand bucket as well. This might be able to coax her.
This may sound weird, but I wish our goat milk DID taste goaty. Well, that’s not exactly true. We have mini-nubians and their milk is sweet, creamy and fantastic. The thing is, I absolutely ADORE goat cheese. None of the cheese we make from our goats’ milk has that familiar goat cheese taste. I don’t know if it’s the variety of goat of the freshness of the milk or what. We don’t have any bucks to ‘help’ in that regard. I do find that there is a distinct taste to our cheese that is noticeable no matter what type of cheese we make, but it doesn’t taste like what you think of as goat cheese. Ideas?
Hi Jenny-
The taste of a goat’s milk is dependent upon breed, diet, and proper handling.
Nubians typically have higher butterfat and a less goaty tasting milk. There’s not much you can change there unless you get a different breed of goat.
As for handling of the milk, I wouldn’t alter much on the standard recommendations due to safety. However, you may let your cheese ripen longer or use different cultures to make your cheese. This can change the flavor.
The biggest thing you can do to change up the flavor of your goats milk, is change it’s diet. You may want to try more pungent grasses and different hays, or different minerals and supplements and see how that affects the taste of the milk. But only change their diet if it still meets their nutritional requirements. Also note though that while some fescues are pungent, they are not recommended due to their possible toxicity.
I hope that helps.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hi! Love your site! A few weeks ago I bought a Saanen Nubian mix.. she gives us a gallon a day!! BUT I can’t figure out why the goat milk has a sliiight goaty flavor. I have a stainless milk funnel and milk filters. I believe i wash her udder and teats well and am clean during the milking. I bring it straight to the kitchen after milking, filter it into a half gallon jar and rapid cool for an hour or so in the freezer. Still goaty flavor. So I milked her outside this morning to see if it’s a possibility that the garage could be causing it? It’s starting to smell like a goat in there for some reason ? Advice?
Hi Cecilia-
Lots of things can affect the taste of the goat’s milk. Being too close to a smelly buck can negatively impact the taste, as can any illness or infection (especially mastitis) the doe may have. Many times the doe’s diet will change the taste of her milk. Certain wild forage and grasses can make the milk taste “goaty”, oniony, or sour. Check to see if any of those things could be the cause and if you can rule out all those, then it just may be your goat. Sometimes the goat has a family history of goaty tasting milk and that is something you cannot change.
I hope this helps.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Thank you for that info. So I tried the milk fresh this morning after milking and it didn’t have any off flavor, but I am milking outside now.
Great! Hopefully that fixes it!
Thank you for saying that. Goat milk anything taste like goat. Why? The person didn’t move the male goat 20 miles away from the female. Only once in my life did goat milk not taste like a goat.
Bad goat milk taste like goat. Very good goat milk does not taste like a goat.
I live in AZ and want to know if u can recommend a place to find a quality milk goat. I’d prefer a lamancha. I currently have a lamancha I stumbled across but she cannot milk anymore as her last kidding ended with a prolapse.
Hi Dawn,
I’ve had a lot of success with craigslist in finding home dairies that have good lines:)
I am starting a herd of Nubians and want to milk. When setting up my pen layout how far apart should I keep my bucks?
Hi Chris, I’ve seen people keep bucks away from their does at only 10 feet apart, but if it was me, I’d keep them 50ft or more apart.
I have Nubians and I love thom but they’re very talkative and they sound like human children!??But they’re also very cuddling?I also have Alpine’s
Hi Leslie-
I couldn’t say anything more true about Nubians! Alpines are fantastic too! Thank you for reading and posting! Happy Goating! -Bobbi
I have found that Saanen milk tastes the most like cow milk compared to the Alpine milk that I have had.
Hope you dont mind me asking a question on an old post, but taste is my biggest reservation in getting goats. So with refrigerators being in the 40s, does this mean you store your goat milk in a separate refrigerator or turn down your refrigerator to keep the goats milk?
Yes, absolutely! We store ours in a mini fridge in the kitchen that we keep at 35-38.
So now i know why it could be a lil bit goaty at times. Thanx for the explanation.
🙂
We have Saanens and ours tastes goaty while the does live with Barry, our buck, in the fall to breed for a month. It also tastes goaty if I keep it for more than three days in our kitchen fridge instead of the super cold shop beer fridge. All of the info in this site matches our real farmstead experience with food, goats and autoimmunity. Glad it is not just our farm family!
I raised my son on goat milk when he developed an allergy to cow milk [about 34 years ago]. I bought it fresh frozen at a local farm. The milk was the most wonderful stuff I had ever had!! And it is easier for humans to digest,. The people I gave it to [before telling them it was goat] didn’t taste anything wrong with it either. There was NO smell associated with it. I’d still be using it if I could get to the farm.
I tried goats milk for the first time this weekend, and it does taste extremely “goaty”. I bought the leading supermarket brand so I doubt it is a case of picking a bad source. I found it really off putting on my cereal and I could still taste the “goat” flavor in my coffee. I bought whole milk could this be the issue is the flavor less intense in half fat?
I’m fairly open minded but my first taste doesn’t make me ever want to buy it again….
Hi Richard. It’s not the fat that makes the milk taste like that, I would definitely try to find fresh goat’s milk from a farm for the best taste!
My husband and I also bought store bought goats milk the first time we tried it and we HATED it!!!! I, on a whim, decided to try it again, 5 years later, but purchased from our local heard share. We have been getting raw cows milk and an organic eggs from this farm for 2 years and they recently started offering raw goats milk as well. I decided to buy a quart to try again. I opened it up once home, sniffed it…didn’t smell anything at all…poured some in a cup…tasted it…tasted amazing! Tasted just like store bought cows milk to me and even better yet, no after tasted like with the raw cows milk…the after tasted with the raw cows milk has kept me from fully embracing raw milk till now. I’m in love with the goats milk! The downer…$8.50 per half gallon!!! Soon as we move or get our new house built I’m totally talking hubby into a few goats. Now I just wish I could have the flavor of the goats milk with the folate and b12 of the cows…my son has MTHFR mutation and thus needs the natural folate and b12 since he doesn’t process the synthetics well due to the mutation…booger!!! Guess I’m buying both for now?!
So many people will tell you the store-bought stuff is awful. It goes through a lot on its way to the store. Fresh will always be better.
my oberhasli has super sweet tasting milk. Maybe she’s an oddity. I personally love goats milk it’s so much sweeter than cows milk. I cook with it even and it seems to cook better than cows milk as well. Adds a sweeter flavor to everything.
Having a diabetic in the family found that it’s good to have something sweet around that wont hurt anyone to have.
I have a milking question. I have recently adopted a mom and her two young kids. We have just started to TRY and milk her but we can’t get her to get in the milking stand. When we do get her up there it’s a pretty simple task but are struggling. This morning we simply gave up after 45 min of trying to entice her. I could sure use some advice. If anyone can help email or rewind here [email protected] thanks
While handling could play a role in the milk tasting “off” or goaty, I have found minerals to play a much bigger role in taste. I used to have issues with the goat milk tasting off, especially during heat cycles. However, since using a premium, loose, free choice mineral and free choice kelp I have NO taste issues. My handling has not changed…if anything I am less careful. And the milk keeps longer in the fridge as well. There is also no issue from the buck being with the does.
We set milk out on the counter to separate (for several days) to make sour cream and still no off, or goaty taste.
Mastitis can also make the milk taste off.
Happy herding!
Ooh, that’s a great point! Minerals are very important!
I’m sooo glad to read your article, I want to like goats milk because we have just over an acre in the country. It is to small for a cow but we could sustain a goat or two. My mom had goats whhe my girls were little and I kept trying to like it, but I found it violently distasteful most of the time. Once I tasted the very fresh milk and it was fine, and another time I had some very cold and it was fine but for the rest of the 3 years we had goats I could not get past the smell of it to taste it. We had 2 LaMancha females and one female kid. My mom insisted the milk must settle at room temperature and cool it slowly for the best milk, after reading your article I see that is probably what made the flavor so strong, but mom loved the strong flavor so I just did without. Their mainstay diet was “SweetFeed” from the feed store which was another culprit to the flavor. The sweetfeed had the same scent as the flavor I found so intrusive from the milk, I always wondered if free ranging goats might have a more mild milk (depending on their grazing source)
Good article, but I have to say not everyone allows “stuff” to fall into the milk. I clean the goat well and then for added protection I have a screen over the milk bucket. Nothing falls in the milk! Then I strain with a milk filter. It is all about handling from beginning to end. I used to be VERY sensitive to goatyness in the milk, but now a slight taste is not offensive to me. Store bought goat cheese…..no thanks!
People generally have their first experience with goat milk from a carton….and cartoned goatmilk is actually horrible…no ifs buts or maybes! The other reason is a lot of people who get a goat, aren’t old housecow/housegoat people, and don’t know the basic rule of milking in the morning after a night of resting chewing cud, as legumes esp clover and Lucerne, make fresh milk taste horrible. Do a morning and afternoon milk and taste the difference. The afternoon milk will taste like whatever is eaten throughout the day. And, unlike cows milk, goats milk does taste its best on day one and two, and by day 3, I prefer to use it for cooking only, as it does tend to taste a bit goaty.
I have found pint cartons of goat’s milk at Walmart. And it taste a little goaty but not bad 🙂
I used to raise good quality Alpines years ago. There was only one doe whose milk had a slightly different flavor to it – but it didn’t taste bad. Years later, just out of curiosity, I tried a can of goat milk from the store. It was the most AWFUL stuff I have ever tasted. No wonder people have a bad impression of goat milk. The can promptly got poured down the drain. I can’t believe they sell that stuff and get away with it. How it gets that “taste” I have no idea, but I know that it is NOTHING like fresh goat milk.
When my son was little, I’d let him take the first three quarts up to the house for me. One day I happened to look out the barn window and there he was walking very slow, being careful not to spill any, but taking sips of warm goat milk while he was walking. To this day, he still prefers warm milk – and he’s going to be 30 yrs. old.
We had our first experience with “goaty” milk a couple weeks ago. I made rice pudding for breakfast. I took a couple of bites and couldn’t get that taste out of my mouth! If I had never had boy goats I would not have recognized it. (My 2 pygmy bucks/billies were in the same pen as my doe). That day my sons moved their own to the other side of the property. Her milk is back to being glorious! Boy, do them boys smell strong now! Lol. So my lady is susceptible to a male in rut! 😉
Oh man, a buck in rut is even worse! Glad you were able to get back to good tasting milk 🙂
I grew up NEVER having had any sort of raw milk, so as an adult it was a bit scary to me. BUT since my husband and I have been transitioning to a healthier, more real food lifestyle we’ve decided we have to get raw milk whenever possible. Over the past year, we’ve had raw cow’s milk AND raw goat’s milk– depending on our location, and now it is hard for me to drink anything else! I actually thought the raw goat’s milk was the best milk I’ve ever had! I didn’t know what “goaty taste” meant until this summer we went to drink some of our raw milk, and it, well, tasted like goat! After talking to the family who we get the milk from about it, they found out that their refrigerator was going bad. Whew! Back to good tasting milk! I feel very blessed to have a family who provides us with as much raw goat’s milk as we want for a very low price. And the best part is that they have been doing this for 10 years, so they are good at what they do:) If you have raw goat’s milk available– try it already!
I grew up with goats and so did my best friend. I can pick goat milk or cheese out of a line up and so can my friend. We think it’s because we grew up with goats, including the lovely experience of smelling male goats. Our husbands can drink goat milk and eat goat cheese without knowing the difference and neither one of them had any male goat experience growing up.
Interesting!
I got started drinking goat’s milk about 6 months ago (health reasons) and I have to say I think it is even better than cow milk…especially if the cow is a Holstein! 😉 I get my milk from a local farmer who is very reputable and clean. I’ve since purchased a cream separator and now make my own butter, as well as cheese all…from goat milk! I want very badly to invest in a couple of my own, but worry at present, with working full time, that I couldn’t give them my full attention. So until that day comes, I’ll keep just buying it.
I agree!
Very nice article and great explanation – I only take issue with one statement. I’m an Oberhasli breeder and have never, ever had strong tasting milk from any of my does. In fact, Oberhasli’s are known for higher butterfat content, less overall production (as compared to say, Alpines) and mild tasting milk.
Good to know!
I agree about the Oberhaslis! No goaty flavor here!
Chelsea, I’m super sensitive to the goaty taste, but I can tell you that definitely not all goats milk tastes goaty. We got fresh goat milk from a local farm for a couple of years (until we moved away) and most of the time it was delicious and not at all goaty, but every once in a while we’d get a batch that tasted a bit off. Also, try cold goat milk – no matter how fresh it is, I never could use our goat milk in anything heated because to me, warm goat milk ALWAYS tastes gamey.
I love, love, love goat milk! This is our first year with goats (we have Nigerians) and I just started milking them a few months ago. I had never even tried goat milk before we got goats and I started milking them myself. I took a leap of faith and I’m glad I did. Not only do I love keeping goats, but the milk is crazy delicious.
I have a question- how far should the bucks be from the does to avoid the milk from being affected?
As long as they’re not rubbing up against each other, they should be fine:)
I grew up with goats, my grandfather raised Nubians and I learned how to milk them at a very young age. I’ve sampled the milk when it was fresh and still warm. It always tasted gaoty to me, though only faintly. I recently tried a piece of goats cheese from the farmers market that was fresh and not aged. It tasted goaty to me. I keep trying, because goats seem like such a fantastic way to have fresh milk for the family, but it always tastes goaty to me. Its not just goats, I find sheeps milk and cheese has a BO taste to it. My husband, who loves all milk and cheese no mater what kind of animal it came from, doesn’t taste it. He and I just came to the conclusion that I must have a sensitive tastebuds or something.
Sheep’s milk is my favorite milk in the world! It’s so sweet and creamy! I think you definitely need to taste milk that has been filtered and chilled immediately after milking:)
I have my first dairy goat (Saanen) less than 3 weeks. Before her I had never even tasted it. Now, except for my husband and one of my 17 year old sons (who both refuse to “try” it straight up), we wouldn’t go back! Her milk tastes just like cow milk. My 10 year old daughter is now the queen of milking :). It is much less scary than the Jersey cow I had for a few months. I fully plan on getting 2-3 more of these lovely ladies before too long!
Awesome!
I would totally replace the remaining cow’s milk in the jug with goat’s milk at the first opportunity 😉 Or swap glasses when they’re not looking and watch them take an unknowing sip. lol