Is lactose-free milk dairy-free?

No, lactose-free milk and milk drinks are not dairy-free. Even when the lactose has been removed, they are still dairy products.

The difference between lactose-free and dairy-free plant-based drinks and milk drinks

The primary distinction between lactose-free and dairy-free hinges on whether a product contains lactose or dairy. And most importantly, these terms are not interchangeable.

A lactose-free milk drink is regular mammal milk with the lactose removed. But even without lactose, it is still dairy. Dairy encompasses foods made from mammalian milk, such as that from cows, goats, sheep, and buffalo.

So, the term 'dairy-free milk' is contradictory as it typically refers to plant-based beverages derived from seeds, nuts, and plants like hemp, almonds, soy, coconut, and oats. Since these are not made from traditional milk, they are marketed as dairy-free. And, for this reason, they are not milk. You can read more about this below where we talk about lactose and dairy in different types of milk and drinks.

To summarise, a lactose-free milk drink is dairy without lactose, while dairy-free drinks generally denote plant-based alternatives, which inherently lack lactose as well as dairy.

If you want to know more about the differences between lactose-free and dairy-free products, dive into our detailed article 'Is lactose-free dairy-free?'.

How to make a lactose-free milk drink?

Typically, lactose-free milk is created by adding the enzyme lactase, which breaks down lactose. At Arla, we make lactose-free milk and add a step before the enzymatic treatment. This step involves running the milk through specialised ultrafiltration filters. These filters ensure a recognisable flavour profile, as hydrolysing the full amount of lactose would result in a much sweeter profile. This gives you a delicious lactose-free milk with the same good flavour and texture that you know from regular milk. Read more about lactose-free milk.

What milk is dairy-free and lactose-free?

No milk is both dairy-free and lactose-free. ‘Lactose-free’ denotes that lactose has been removed, and for that to happen, the original product needs to contain lactose. Lactose is found in dairy products, and therefore it is not possible to have a product that is both dairy-free and lactose-free.

However, plant-based drinks are non-dairy and thus do not contain lactose as they are not made from dairy to begin with. Instead, they are made with different ingredients like nutty oats or sweet almonds. These products are not milk, but rather alternatives to milk, i.e. beverages crafted from plant-based sources. Although they do not contain any lactose, this does not give them the label ‘lactose-free’, which implies that lactose has been present and removed during the production.