Buffalo Milk
Buffalo Milk: Nutrition, History and Complete Guide
Indian buffalo milk — produced by the domestic water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) — is the second most widely produced type of milk in the world after cow's milk, with production dominated by India, Pakistan, China, and Egypt. In India, buffalo milk exceeds cow's milk in total production, and it is the milk of choice for producing many traditional Indian dairy products: paneer, ghee, khoa (reduced milk solid), kulfi, and lassi are all made with or from buffalo milk in traditional settings, prized for their richness and higher yield of dairy products per litre. In Italy, the Campania and Lazio regions of southern Italy produce Mozzarella di Bufala Campana — authentic buffalo mozzarella with Protected Designation of Origin status — from the milk of domestic water buffalo brought to Italy in the medieval period. True buffalo mozzarella, with its distinctive milky richness and slight acidity, is considered the finest form of mozzarella and is significantly different from cow's milk mozzarella in eating quality and flavour.
Nutritional Value of Buffalo Milk
Buffalo milk provides 97 kcal and 3.8 g of protein per 100 ml, with 6.9 g of fat — substantially richer than whole cow's milk. It contains calcium at around 195 mg per 100 ml — significantly higher than cow's milk — alongside phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, B2, B12, and D. The fat content is primarily saturated, and the higher caloric density reflects the greater yield of cream per litre compared to cow's milk.
Health Benefits of Buffalo Milk
Buffalo milk provides exceptional calcium and phosphorus for bone health, alongside complete protein and important fat-soluble vitamins. Its higher fat content makes it particularly nutritious for populations with high energy needs or where caloric density is important. The calcium-to-phosphorus ratio is favourable for bone mineralisation. The higher protein content compared to cow's milk provides better satiety and greater yield in cheese and paneer making. For those managing weight or saturated fat intake, the richness of buffalo milk means smaller portions are nutritionally adequate.
How to Use Buffalo Milk
Buffalo milk is available from Indian grocery shops and some specialist suppliers in the UK in fresh and UHT form. It can be used wherever cow's milk is called for but produces richer, creamier results — particularly in tea (masala chai made with buffalo milk is a different and more luxurious experience), in yogurt, and in paneer. The higher fat content means more cream rises to the surface and it is excellent for making ghee. Buffalo mozzarella made from authentic buffalo milk is available from good delicatessens and Italian food importers.
Buffalo Milk in more detail
More people drink buffalo milk than most Britons realise: India is the world's largest milk producer and the majority of it comes from water buffalo rather than cattle. It is a substantially different liquid from cow's milk — 97 kcal and 6.89 g of fat per 100 g, against roughly 63 kcal and 3.6 g for whole cow's milk.
That extra fat, and a higher protein and calcium content, are why buffalo milk is the traditional milk for the products that need richness and yield: mozzarella di bufala, which cannot legally be made from cow's milk under its PDO, and the Indian dairy tradition of paneer, ghee, khoa and the milk-solid sweets built on them. Buffalo milk sets a firmer curd and gives more product per litre.
It is also visibly whiter than cow's milk, and that is chemistry rather than perception: buffalo convert essentially all their dietary beta-carotene to vitamin A rather than passing it into the milk, so there is no yellow pigment to tint the fat.
What it is not is a solution for cow's milk allergy. Buffalo milk contains closely related caseins and whey proteins, and cross-reactivity is common — it is not a safe substitute for anyone with a diagnosed cow's milk protein allergy. It does contain lactose, so it is no help for lactose intolerance either.
Nutrients worth knowing about
Buffalo milk supplies Calcium, Phosphorus, Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Iodine and Vitamin A, at generally higher concentrations than cow's milk because there is less water diluting them.
The trade-off is on the label at the top of this page: 4.597 g of saturated fat per 100 g. UK reference intakes for saturated fat are 20 g a day for women and 30 g for men, so a large glass makes a real dent.
Data note: this page does not currently display a micronutrient panel, because the source-database match has not been verified.