Top 10 Foods Highest in Lactose

Lactose is a disaccharide sugar, which is a sugar made up of two smaller sugars linked together. Lactose is made up of a combination of galactose and glucose. Lactose is found primarily in milk (dairy) foods.

Later on in life, however, some people lose the ability to digest lactose, because their bodies stop producing the enzyme that breaks it down in the digestive tract. This is known as lactose intolerance. (1)

Symptoms of lactose intolerance include gas, diarrhea, and bloating after consuming foods containing lactose. (1) Some people with this condition only have trouble digesting lactose, while others also have trouble digesting certain other types of sugars. (2)

Foods high in lactose are generally those which contain milk or a milk product (such as cheese or yogurt). These include ice-cream, milk puddings, hot chocolate, eggnog, macaroni and cheese, yogurt, pancakes, milk chocolate, cottage cheese, and mashed potatoes. Below are the top 10 foods highest in lactose.

• 1. Milk
  Up to 5.2% Lactose

  Lactose per 16oz Glass	Lactose per 100g
  25.4g (6 tsp)	5.2g (1.3 tsp)

  Nutrition Facts for Low Fat Milk 1%. (Source)
• 2. Soft Serve Ice-Cream Smoothie
  Up to 6.2% Lactose

  Lactose per 12oz Cup	Lactose per 100g
  21.7g (5 tsp)	6.2g (1.6 tsp)

  Nutrition Facts for Soft Serve Blended With Chocolate Candy. (Source)
  • 19g in a McDonald's McFlurry with Oreos
  • 10.5g in a McDonald's hot fudge sundae
• 3. Dulce De Leche
  Up to 4.9% Lactose

  Lactose per Cup	Lactose per 100g
  15g (3.7 tsp)	4.9g (1.2 tsp)

  Nutrition Facts for Dulce de Leche. (Source)
  • 10.2g per 10oz serving of rice pudding
  • 6.5g per 1/2 cup of egg custard
• 4. Hot Cocoa
  Up to 4.6% Lactose

  Lactose per Cup	Lactose per 100g
  11.6g (2.9 tsp)	4.6g (1.2 tsp)

  Nutrition Facts for Hot Cocoa. (Source)
  • 19.9g per cup of eggnog
  • 7.3g in an iced mocha
• 5. Macaroni and Cheese
  Up to 4.1% Lactose

  Lactose per Serving (6oz)	Lactose per 100g
  7.3g (1.8 tsp)	4.1g (1 tsp)

  Nutrition Facts for DENNY'S, macaroni & cheese, from kid's menu. (Source)
  • 4.7g per serving of Cracker Barrel Mac n' Cheese
• 6. Low-Fat Greek Yogurt
  Up to 2.9% Lactose

  Lactose per 7oz Container	Lactose per 100g
  5.8g (1.5 tsp)	2.9g (0.7 tsp)

  Nutrition Facts for Low Fat Greek Yogurt. (Source)
• 7. Pancakes (Hot Cakes)
  Up to 2.4% Lactose

  Lactose per 3 Pancakes	Lactose per 100g
  5.3g (1.3 tsp)	2.4g (0.6 tsp)

  Nutrition Facts for McDONALD'S, Hotcakes (with 2 pats margarine & syrup). (Source)

  The amount of lactose will depend on the amount of milk used in the recipe.

• 8. Milk Chocolate (Kit-Kat Bar)
  Up to 8.2% Lactose

  Lactose per 1.5oz Bar	Lactose per 100g
  3.4g (0.9 tsp)	8.2g (2.1 tsp)

  Nutrition Facts for Candies, KIT KAT Wafer Bar. (Source)
• 9. Cottage Cheese
  Up to 1.6% Lactose

  Lactose per 1/4cup (4oz)	Lactose per 100g
  1.8g (0.4 tsp)	1.6g (0.4 tsp)

  Nutrition Facts for Nonfat Cottage Cheese. (Source)

  Most other cheeses only contain 0.5g of lactose per 1 oz slice. (1oz = 28g of cheese)

• 10. Mashed Potatoes (With Milk)
  Up to 0.7% Lactose

  Lactose per Cup	Lactose per 100g
  1.5g (0.4 tsp)	0.7g (0.2 tsp)

  Nutrition Facts for Homemade Mashed Potatoes With Milk And Butter. (Source)

  The amount of lactose will depend on the amount of milk used in the recipe.

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• Foods High in Lactose
• Foods Low in Lactose
• Vegetarian Foods High in Lactose
• Dairy High in Lactose
• Fast Foods High in Lactose

View more nutrients with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

Related

• High Galactose Foods
• High Glucose Foods
• High Maltose Foods
• High Fructose Foods
• High Sugar Foods
• High Sugar Fruits
• High Carbohydrate Foods
• Low Sugar Fruits
• Fruits Low in Net-Carbs

Data Sources and References

1. Sieber R, Stransky M, de Vrese M. Lactose Intolerance Z Ernahrungswiss. 1997 Dec;36(4):375-93. doi: 10.1007/BF01617834. 9467238
2. Di Rienzo T, D'Angelo G, D'Aversa F, Campanale MC, Cesario V, Montalto M, Gasbarrini A, Ojetti V. Lactose Intolerance in Adults: Biological Mechanism and Dietary Management Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2013;17 Suppl 2:18-25. 24443063