Breast Milk Cheese: The Truth About Human Cheese

Breast milk is powerful stuff. It’s packed with nutrients, antibodies, and all the good things your baby needs. But every once in a while, someone asks a question that feels a little out there: Can you make cheese from human breast milk?

Yes—you can. And a few people have tried. But before you grab a pump and a cheesecloth, there’s a lot worth understanding about how human milk behaves, why breast milk cheese hasn’t gone mainstream, and what this whole thing says about how we see food, bodies, and boundaries.

Let’s walk through it together.

Can You Actually Make Cheese From Breast Milk?

Technically, yes. Cheese is made by separating milk into solids (curds) and liquid (whey), usually by adding an acid or an enzyme like rennet. Human milk can curdle this way too, but the process and the results are a little different.

• Human milk is lower in protein than cow milk, which means you’ll get less cheese from the same amount of liquid.
• The flavor tends to be mild and slightly sweet, thanks to the natural sugars (lactose).
• The texture is usually soft, more like a spreadable cheese than a firm block.

Some moms have shared their own recipes online, including one guide that walks through the exact steps for heating, culturing, and draining breast milk curds—just like traditional cheese, but scaled down for the kitchen curious.

While most people have never tried it, breast milk cheese has attracted interest from fringe foodies and sustainability-minded eaters. For some, it’s not about taste—it’s about challenging food norms and experimenting with what’s possible.

If you’re curious, here’s what some people use when experimenting:

Human Breast Milk Cheese (Experimental Recipe)

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts of fresh or thawed breast milk
• 1/4 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
• Rennet (per package instructions)
• Salt, to taste

Steps:

1. Warm milk to 86°F over low heat.
2. Stir in yogurt or buttermilk, then add rennet.
3. Let sit undisturbed for 30–45 minutes until curds form.
4. Cut the curds gently and stir to release whey.
5. Heat to firm the curds, then drain through cheesecloth.
6. Salt and refrigerate for a day or two.

Keep in mind: this is an informal, home-based experiment—not a recommended food prep method for anyone but the curious and cautious.

How Human Milk Is Different From Cow Milk

Scientific studies have shown that the fat molecules in human milk are arranged in a unique way that makes them easier for babies to digest—but this same structure doesn’t lend itself well to cheese-making or aging.

Compared to cow milk, breast milk has:

• Less casein (a milk protein that helps cheese hold its shape)
• More whey, which keeps the texture soft and loose
• A fat structure meant for easy digestion, not aging or fermentation
• Higher lactose, which adds sweetness but doesn’t help with firming up curds

These differences explain why human breast milk cheese doesn’t look—or behave—like the dairy cheese you’re used to.

Is Breast Milk Cheese Safe to Eat?

This is where things get serious. Breast milk, like any bodily fluid, can carry viruses or bacteria, including HIV and hepatitis. For your own baby, that’s typically not an issue. But serving breast milk to other adults? That’s another matter.

In regulated milk banks, all donated milk is screened and pasteurized to kill pathogens. Homemade breast milk cheese usually isn’t. That’s why public health officials discourage sharing or selling it. The risk may be small, but it’s not zero.

Newer methods like high-pressure processing (HPP) have shown promise in making human milk safer without damaging its beneficial nutrients. Still, this kind of treatment isn’t available in home kitchens.

Bottom line: If you’re making it for yourself and you’re healthy, it’s your call. But serving it to others raises red flags for health and safety.

What Does Breast Milk Cheese Taste Like?

People who’ve tried it say it’s mild, creamy, and just a little sweet. Some compare it to a fresh goat cheese with a slightly vanilla-like finish. Because breast milk changes with your diet, hydration, and time of day, the flavor can vary from batch to batch. That’s part of the curiosity—and the unpredictability.

Why It Weirds People Out (And Why That’s Okay)

Most of us are used to the idea of cow or goat milk in cheese. But human breast milk? That feels… different. There’s nothing wrong about it in principle, but it bumps into cultural taboos around bodily fluids and how we view the human body.

For some, it’s about boundaries—what’s considered personal versus public. For others, it’s discomfort with women’s bodies being seen as sources of food beyond infancy. And for some, it’s just food aversion. We grow up with certain food norms, and breast milk cheese falls way outside them.

Feeling weird about it? Totally normal.

Is It Legal to Sell Breast Milk Cheese?

There aren’t specific federal laws banning breast milk cheese, but health departments can and do intervene. In 2010, New York chef Daniel Angerer blogged about making cheese with his wife’s milk. It made headlines, but when local officials caught wind, they told him not to serve it at his restaurant.

Breast milk is classified as a bodily fluid, and food made from it isn’t regulated for commercial sale. That puts it in a legal gray zone with a lot of risk and little protection.

Other Unusual Uses for Breast Milk

Some moms find creative ways to use extra milk—especially if they have an oversupply or their baby weans early. While not everyone will be into these ideas, here are a few ways some moms repurpose breast milk at home:

• Soothing baby skin: Dab on rashes, cradle cap, or dry patches
• Eye care: A drop for pink eye or puffiness (folk remedy)
• Popsicles: Frozen in molds for teething babies
• Homemade soap or lotion: Mixed with oils for gentle breast milk soaps

These uses come from shared experience, not medical recommendations. Always trust your instincts and talk to your care provider if you’re unsure.

References

• Healthline — “Breast Milk Cheese” (2020). A medically reviewed, accessible article that directly addresses how breast milk cheese is made, safety considerations, and public reaction.
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration — “Raw Milk Misconceptions and the Danger of Raw Milk Consumption” (2024). An authoritative explanation of why unpasteurized milk (of any kind) can carry health risks.
• Journal of Oleo Science — “Actual Ratio of Triacylglycerol Positional Isomers in Milk Fat…” (2012). Peer-reviewed scientific study that explains the fat composition differences between human and cow milk.
• PMC / The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition — “Human Milk as a Biological System: The BEGIN Project Executive Summary” (2023). Highlights the complexity of human milk as more than just food—framing it as a dynamic, living system.
• The Guardian — “Breast Milk Cheese on the Menu in New York” (2010). Offers a real-world media example (Chef Daniel Angerer) that makes the topic concrete, memorable, and culturally relevant.