Lactose in cheese isn’t all-or-nothing
Some cheeses contain almost none, while others can trigger symptoms with just a few bites. This database shows the lab-tested lactose content of common cheeses, so you can make informed choices without giving up the cheeses you love.
As a general guide, highly lactose-intolerant people may react to as little as 1–3 g of lactose, while those with moderate intolerance often tolerate up to 6–12 g, especially when eaten with other foods. Aged cheeses usually fall well below these thresholds, while fresh cheeses sit at the higher end.
Disclaimer
This information is a general guide only and should not replace personalised medical advice. Lactose tolerance varies widely between individuals, and your own response may differ depending on portion size, food combinations, and gut health. If you have ongoing or severe symptoms, speak with a qualified healthcare professional.
Lactose content in cheese (& other dairy products)
All the lactose content numbers in the table below is in mg per 100 g of cheese or cheese product.
| Cheese | Type | Lactose (mg/100 g) |
|---|---|---|
| Appenzeller | Pressed | <2.4 |
| Asiago | Pressed | <1 |
| Bitto | Pressed | <1 |
| Bocconcini | Pasta Filata | <1 |
| Brie | Soft White Mould | <1 |
| Brunost | Whey Product | 46000 |
| Caciocavallo | Pasta Filata (Aged) | <1 |
| Camembert | Soft White Mould | <2.4 |
| Castelmagno | Pressed | <1 |
| Cheddar | Pressed | <1 |
| Cheddar, Reduced Fat | Pressed | <1 |
| Cheese Curds | Fresh | 3000 |
| Chèvre | Fresh | 900 |
| Colby | Pressed | <1 |
| Colby Jack | Pressed | <1 |
| Comté | Pressed | <1 |
| Cotija | Pressed | <1 |
| Cottage Cheese | Fresh | 1824 |
| Cream, Thickened (Heavy) | Dairy | 2500 |
| Cream, Sour | Dairy | 2000 |
| Cream Cheese | Fresh | 3618 |
| Double Cream Brie | Soft White Mould | <2.4 |
| Edam | Pressed | <1 |
| Emmentaler | Pressed | <1 |
| Feta | Brined | 400 |
| Fior di Latte | Pasta Filata | 743 |
| Fiore Sardo | Pressed | <1 |
| Fontina | Pressed | <1 |
| Goat Gouda | Pressed | <1 |
| Gorgonzola Dolce | Blue | <1 |
| Gorgonzola Piccante | Blue | <1 |
| Gouda | Pressed | <1 |
| Grana Padano 9 mth | Pressed | <1 |
| Halloumi | Brined | 1800 |
| Havarti | Pressed | <1 |
| Jarlsberg | Pressed | <1 |
| Kraft Singles | Processed Cheese Product | 1500 |
| Kraft Singles Light | Processed Cheese Product | 4900 |
| Le Gruyère Classic | Pressed | <1 |
| Le Gruyère Alpage | Pressed | <1 |
| Limburger | Soft Washed Rind | <2.4 |
| Manchego | Pressed | <1 |
| Mascarpone | Fresh | 3000 |
| Mimolette | Pressed | <1 |
| Mont d’Or | Soft Washed Rind | <2.4 |
| Montasio Fresco | Pressed | <1 |
| Monterey Jack | Pressed | <1 |
| Mozzarella (Commercial) | Pasta Filata | 743 |
| Mozzarella di Bufala | Pasta Filata | 354 |
| Muenster (Deli) | Processed Cheese | <2.4 |
| Paneer | Fresh (Acid-Set) | 2 |
| Parmesan | Pressed | <1 |
| Parmigiano Reggiano 12 mth | Pressed | <1 |
| Pecorino Romano | Pressed | <1 |
| Pecorino Sardo Maturo | Pressed | <1 |
| Pecorino Toscano 20 days | Pressed | 33.7 |
| Pecorino Toscano 60 days | Pressed | 2.8 |
| Pecorino Toscano 4 mth | Pressed | <1 |
| Pepper Jack | Pressed | <1 |
| Piave Fresco | Pressed | <1 |
| Provolone Dolce | Pasta Filata | <1 |
| Provolone Piccante | Pasta Filata (Aged) | <1 |
| Raclette | Pressed | <2.4 |
| Ricotta | Whey | 2750 |
| Romano | Pressed | <1 |
| Roquefort | Blue | <2.4 |
| Sbrinz | Pressed | <2.4 |
| Scamorza (Smoked) | Pasta Filata | 354 |
| Skyr | Fresh Cheese | 2500 |
| St. Paulin | Soft Washed Rind | 300 |
| Stelvio | Pressed | <1 |
| Stilton | Blue | <1 |
| Stracciatella | Pasta Filata/Cream | 1800 |
| Swiss Cheese (Deli) | Processed Cheese | <2.4 |
| Taleggio | Soft Washed Rind | <1 |
| Tasty Cheese | Pressed | <1 |
| Tête de Moine | Pressed | <2.4 |
| Tilsiter | Pressed | <2.4 |
| Toma Piemontese | Pressed | <1 |
| Vacherin Fribourgeois | Pressed | <2.4 |
| Yoghurt, Natural | Dairy | 5100 |
References
¹ Lactose residual content in PDO cheeses
² Detection of lactose in products with low lactose content
³ The analysis of lactose in milk and cheese products by HPLC
Thanks, this is very useful. There are some odd omissions, though, common types in any grocery store deli and/or dairy case: what about Swiss? Havarti? Monterey Jack?
Hi Diane, thank you for reading our post on the lactose content in cheese and leaving a comment. We’ve added more cheeses to our database and you will now find the three that you requested. Please let us know if there are any other cheeses that we can add.
The name “Swiss” cheese is used in the US. In Europe and Asia it is known as Emmentaler. It has less than 1mg per 100g of cheese. Havarti is listed. It also is rated as <1mg.
Thank you, keep wondering if I can risk the lowest <1 maybe when I know I'll be home alone for weekend 😀
You’re very welcome. My advice would be to try a small amount on a day that you will spend at home. Small amount would be about 25 g.
In my experience there’s a difference between fresh mozzarrella (safe) and “dry” mozzarrella (not necessarily safe). Also, while I am very lactose intolerant I have no problem with (goat milk-based) chevre.
Interesting to see mozzarella has such a high lactose content!! It tends to be the cheese recommended for people with lactose sensitivities. Personally, depending on the amount and how much dairy products (with lactaid) I consumed the past 24-36 hours, mozzarella (without lactaid) either has no adverse effects or causes bloating/icky feeling at worst.
Thank you for reading our post and leaving a comment. It’s always interesting to hear first-hand experiences of lactose intolerant cheese lovers. It is true that Mozzarella is higher in lactose than many cheeses. But those amounts are usually well within what most people can safely eat. And this would probably explain your own personal experience. We’d love to hear how you’ve gone with other types of cheese.
Thank you for the list! I’ve been assuming that I needed to avoid “all dairy”. This list really makes so much sense to how my body reacts to certain cheeses! Such good info! I’m such a pizza lover … now I understand why my body doesn’t love it back! And goodbye to cottage cheese!
Are “American” cheeses other than Kraft also high in lactose?
If by American cheese you mean commercial pre-sliced process cheeses, then unfortunately yes. It comes down to the manufacturing processes involved in making those products. You can read more here: https://cheesescientist.com/rants/processed-cheeses/
This is amazing and so useful. Please can you add scamorza (smoked mozzarella)? Thanks so much.
This is extremely helpful. I’m going to share it with all my fellow lactose intolerants.
Can you add Jarlsberg? It’s very common at the grocery stores down the east coast.
Hey Bryan, thank you for reading this post and leaving a comment. Jarlsberg is inspired by the traditional Swiss recipe for Emmentaler. As such, it is essentially lactose-free as well. Please let me know if there are any other cheeses that you’d like to know about. Cheers, Sabine.
Another hard Italian cheese that I suspect, based on aging, is less than 1 g is Romano. Please confirm and add this great cheese to your database. Some hard Italian cheeses have lactose-free claims in European markets.
Thank you for this helpful resource.
Hey Barry, yes. Romano would fall under the same category as Pecorino Romano, under 1 mg of lactose per 100 g serving.
Thank you for this list. It is very helpful now that I seem to have lactose issues. I can’t even drink lactose free milk or eat lactose free yoghurt, but I am fine with Ricotta cheese, butter, sour and heavy cream. I am missing Marscapone on this list. Could you please add this? Thank you.
Hey Kristina, thank you for reading my post and leaving a comment. That sounds really frustrating. Have you considered milk protein intolerance instead of lactose intolerance? I’ve got a post on this topic here. On a side note, regular Mascarpone contains on average over 3000 mg of lactose per 100 g serve. This can be very harsh if you’re lactose intolerant
3000mg of lactose = 3 grams of lactose in a 3oz. or 100g serving.
A 1 oz serving is only 1g of lactose.
To put into another perspective, 1 cup of lowfat milk contains 12g lactose.
As far as Mozzarella is concerned, I think there’s a detail missing. It’s true that Mozzarella is a fresh milk product, so it has a lot of lactose at first. If it comes from a high quality company, however, it is is squeezed by hand, like a sponge, and they remove almost all of the water. The lactose dissolves in the water and is removed by this squeezing. Meanwhile, cheaply made mozzarella is either not squeezed or is minimally squeezed (by a machine), and so much lactose remains. Boar’s Head for example has < 1% lactose, and the actual Italian brands also have basically no lactose.
Great list, thank you, could you add Pavé d’affinois? Thanks
Thanks for pulling this together. Have you considered adding some more of the Mexican cheeses? I see that you have manchego. Maybe more common Mexican cheeses like Queso Fresco and Cotija. I’ve been curious about cotija, but I’ve been hesitant to try.
Hey Kim, thank you for reading this article and leaving a comment. Cotija is similar to Parmesan in production. As such, it should be virtually lactose free. On the other hand, Queso Fresco is likely to contain a bit more lactose. If you’re wanting to give it a try, I would suggest trying a small portion (1 ounce or about 30 g)
Hello, this is so interesting, thank you! Do you know how much lactose burratta contains please?
There is no information in the food databases for Burratta; but there is for fresh mozzarella, which may be similar. In 1 ounce serving of fresh mozzarella there is 14g of carbohydrate, and since the primary carb.in milk is lactose, you can assume that there is 14g of lactose in fresh mozzarella cheese. Compared to fluid milk: 8 ounces or 1 cup of milk has 12g of lactose. So the fresh cheeses are quite concentrated.
I am unable to sort the table – I’ve tried clicking on the column labels, and in the space above them, to no avail. Tried in incognito/private windows on both chrome and firefox.
My lactose intolerance got suddenly worse in summer of ’24 when I ate entirely too many skittles one night (appetite fatigue is a problem when eating low-fodmap). It took me 6-7 months to figure out it was the dang “lactose-free” milk that was setting me off! No allergy symptoms, just a few upper and really bad lower GI symptoms, same as when I had when I first had my lactose tolerance nuked by what I suspect was a parasite infection – it went on for months until I figured that out too; by the time I made it to a doc’s office, whatever caused this was not showing up on tests.
Now, where I used to be able to consume any amount of “lactose-free” milk, I cannot drink any without symptoms, even if I take 3x extra-strength lactase. Same with consuming an ounce of grocery store block mozzarella – chewed and swallowed 3x extra-strength lactase, then I bloated about 30 minutes later, this goes on for an hour or three, then really bad d* the next day.
Hence, why I wanted to sort this table by lactose content. Guess I’ll copy-paste the content into a spreadsheet and go from there.
Many new lactose free products are now available. Green Valley makes a wonderful line, i.e. sour cream, butter, cream cheese, and yogurt. I prefer Lactaid’s cottage cheese but Green Valley makes it as well. Rumiano makes a good mozzarella and others that are lactose free. The choices are expanding so keep asking to expand our choices.
What about cheese flavourings for example packets of macaroni cheese mixes and the orange coloured cheese flavouring in and on snacks like cheetos?
This is a fantastic resource!
Can you add Caerphilly?
And low-moisture mozzarella? I’ve heard that’s lower in lactose, especially low-moisture part-skim. I’d love to see how that compares.
I’ve found I’m able to eat lactose-free cottage cheese and some hard cheese like aged cheddars without a problem, which is wild because I was totally off of dairy for almost a decade after discovering that was a major pain point for my digestive system.
Thanks for the article, I’ve been wanting something like this for some time–name a cheese, indicate how much. So many others would just name a few cheeses that are ok, which doesn’t help when reviewing menu items.
However, perhaps it’s worth nothing that some items like yogurt and cottage cheese *might* have active acidophilus cultures, which can make a big difference.
I am a Registered Dietitian, and I get this question often. First I like to explain that on a food label, the seving size of all cheese in the US is 1 ounce or about 30 grams; this is equal to a 1″ x 1.5″ chunk of “hard” cheese. Most websites discuss the amout of lactose per 100g, or about 3 ounces, because that is the standard amount of a food ingredient that is used in food analysis. The amount of lactose in 30g or 1 ounce of hard cheese is about 0.5grams, which is very very low. Lactose is a carbohydrate, and specifically a sugar. The amount of carbohydrate/sugar in 1 oz. of cheese is “0” on most hard cheeses. This list includes cheddar, jack, gouda, muenster, provolone, parmesan, blue, swiss, colby, and aged mozzarella. The cheeses that provide any significant amount of lactose are the soft cheeses, that are not aged: fresh mozzarella, buratta, ricotta, feta, and American.
But even if you are eating more than 1 ounce of hard or aged cheese at a time, for example 2 ounces, your intake of lactose is still very minimal. If you have a reaction to a food that contains a hard, aged cheese, see if a smaller portion makes a difference or consider other ingredients that may be a problem in the food that contains the cheese.
Please could you add Paneer to the list.
Thank you