What's the best cheese for people on a lactose-free diet?
There are a number of lactose-free cheese brands that are made by using the enzyme lactase to break down any lactose, however there are also a number of hard cheese varieties (e.g. Swiss, Cheddar, Parmesan) that naturally contain almost zero lactose.
Last updated 31/01/2025
According to the Australian Dietary Guidelines, people with lactose intolerance can generally eat cheese, as many types of cheese, specifically harder mature cheeses, are very low in lactose. These cheese types usually have a lower lactose content than softer cheese because lactose is lost when whey is removed (lowering the moisture content of the cheese) and the maturation process also uses up lactose.
The following table lists various cheese types that contain negligible amounts of lactose. The amount of lactose described below is per 40g serve.
|
Cheese |
Lactose Content (g) per serve (40g) |
|
Parmesan |
0 |
|
Cheddar cheese |
0.04 |
|
Swiss cheese |
0.04 |
|
Camembert |
0.04 |
|
Brie |
0.04 |
Source: Food Standards Australia New Zealand. (2011). NUTTAB 2010 – Australian Food Composition Tables.
References
- National Health and Medical Research Council. Australian Dietary Guidelines Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia; 2013.
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