Top 10 Foods Highest in Lactose
Lactose is a sugar created by the combination of galactose and glucose. Lactose is found primarily in milk (dairy) foods.
At an early age almost everyone has the ability to digest lactose since it is an important source of energy from nursing milk. Later on in life some people lose the ability to digest lactose and suffer from lactose intolerance. (1)
Symptoms of lactose intolerance include gas, diarrhea, and stomach swelling. (1)
Foods high in lactose are those which contain milk. These include ice-cream, milk puddings, hot chocolate, egg nog, macaroni and cheese, yogurt, pancakes, milk chocolate, cottage cheese, and mashed potatoes. (2) Below are the top 10 foods highest in lactose.
List of Foods High in Lactose
#1: Milk
| Lactose per 16oz Glass | Lactose per 100g |
|---|---|
| 25.4g (6.3 tsp) | 5.2g (1.3 tsp) |
#2: Soft Serve Ice-Cream Smoothie
| Lactose per 12oz Cup | Lactose per 100g |
|---|---|
| 21.7g (5.4 tsp) | 6.2g (1.6 tsp) |
-19g in a McDonald's McFlurry with Oreos
-10.5g in a McDonald's hot fudge sunday
-10.5g in a McDonald's hot fudge sunday
#3: Dulce De Leche
| Lactose per Cup | Lactose per 100g |
|---|---|
| 15g (3.7 tsp) | 4.9g (1.2 tsp) |
-10.2 grams per 10oz serving of rice pudding
-6.5g per 1/2 cup of egg custard
-6.5g per 1/2 cup of egg custard
#4: Hot Cocoa
| Lactose per Cup | Lactose per 100g |
|---|---|
| 11.6g (2.9 tsp) | 4.6g (1.2 tsp) |
-19.9g per cup of eggnog
-7.3g in an iced mocha
-7.3g in an iced mocha
#5: Macaroni and Cheese
| Lactose per Serving (6oz) | Lactose per 100g |
|---|---|
| 7.3g (1.8 tsp) | 4.1g (1 tsp) |
4.7g per sering of Cracker Barrel Mac n Cheese
#6: Low-Fat Greek Yogurt
| Lactose per 7oz Container | Lactose per 100g |
|---|---|
| 5.8g (1.5 tsp) | 2.9g (0.7 tsp) |
#7: Pancakes (Hot Cakes)
| Lactose per 3 Pancakes | Lactose per 100g |
|---|---|
| 5.3g (1.3 tsp) | 2.4g (0.6 tsp) |
Amount of lactose will depend on the amount of milk used in the recipe.
#8: Milk Chocolate (Kit-Kat Bar)
| Lactose per 1.5oz Bar | Lactose per 100g |
|---|---|
| 3.4g (0.9 tsp) | 8.2g (2.1 tsp) |
#9: Cottage Cheese
| Lactose per 1/4cup (4oz) | Lactose per 100g |
|---|---|
| 1.8g (0.4 tsp) | 1.6g (0.4 tsp) |
Most other cheeses only contain 0.5g of lactose per 1 oz slice. (1oz = 28g of cheese)
#10: Mashed Potatoes (With Milk)
| Lactose per Cup | Lactose per 100g |
|---|---|
| 1.5g (0.4 tsp) | 0.7g (0.2 tsp) |
Amount of lactose will depend on the amount of milk used in the recipe.
See All 111 Foods High in Lactose
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From the Nutrient Ranking Tool
- Foods High in Lactose
- Foods Low in Lactose
- Vegetarian Foods High in Lactose
- Dairy High in Lactose
- Fast Foods High in Lactose
View more food groups with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.