How to make a nourishing homemade goat milk baby formula that mimics human breastmilk as closely as possible.
I nursed all 3 of my children exclusively until they started solid foods. In addition, I practiced extended breastfeeding, nursing each of my first two children for 2 years and the youngest for 4 years. I only used homemade formula occasionally such as after surgery.
I adored every. single. minute.
Nursing my children was a glorious experience the memories of which I will cherish forever!  I’m sure most breastfeeding mothers would report the same.
The topic of homemade formula, even the more widely accepted goats milk formula, is a highly charged and controversial subject. In reality, it is a very important option for women to consider and have available who are not able to have a breastfeeding relationship with their baby.
This is because unpasteurized, donor breastmilk is not always available from reputable sources and in sufficient quantities to meet a baby’s growing appetite. A friend of mine is dealing with this very situation right now with her adopted daughter.
While she does her best to secure quality donor milk, the truth is that it isn’t enough, and she must supplement. Her first choice depending on local farm availability is formula made with raw goats milk as it seems to be digested a bit better by her baby.
Of course, all brands of commercial formula even if organic are best avoided if at all possible. The graphic above summarizes the problems with commercial formula quite succinctly.
Why Goat Milk is Healthy for Baby Formula
With commercial formula best avoided and relying solely on donor breastmilk a risky proposition, the homemade formula becomes an option well worth consideration.
But why goats milk formula in particular?
The reasons could be as simple as the availability of goat milk versus cow milk. The homemade formula is best made with a clean source of raw milk and some parts of the country have raw goat milk far more readily available than raw cow milk.
Another reason could be the digestibility of the formula. The natural homogenization of the fat globules and different structures of the goat milk proteins do make it easier to digest for some babies.
If a baby has trouble with a homemade formula made from raw grass-fed cow milk, for instance, then the next best option would indeed be goats milk formula.
I always suggest to mothers to try homemade formula made with cow milk first.
This is because although goat milk is wonderfully rich in brain-building fats, it must be used with caution in infant feeding.
Unlike cow milk, goat milk lacks folic acid and is low in the nutrient vitamin B12 both of which are critical to the proper growth and development of a baby.
Fortunately, if goats milk formula does indeed become the necessary choice, the inclusion of small amounts of nutritional yeast and organic grated or desiccated liver in the formula easily remedies this dilemma.
Infant Formula?
Below is the recommended recipe for goats milk formula as published by the Weston A. Price Foundation and originally published in the cookbook Nourishing Traditions in 1996.
I personally know at least a dozen women who have used this recipe with great success when raw grass-fed cow milk was either unavailable or did not digest well for their baby.
*You can order all of the required ingredients for the homemade baby formula in one easy package from Radiant Life by clicking here.
Because the goat formula contains liver powder, be sure to use bottle nipples that are designed for thicker flowing liquids. You can get them here.
Homemade Goat Milk Formula Recipe
A nourishing homemade goat milk formula made from goat milk, yogurt or kefir devised and tested by Dr. Mary Enig that matches the nutritional profile of breastmilk as closely as possible.
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw goat milk OR whole goat milk yogurt
- 1 7/8 cup filtered water
- 1/4 cup liquid whey
- 4 Tbl goat lactose
- 1/4 tsp bifidobacterium infantis powder
- 2 Tbl raw or pasteurized cream
- 1/2 tsp cod liver oil unflavored
- 1/4 tsp butter oil unflavored
- 1 tsp sunflower oil preferably organic
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil preferably organic
- 2 tsp virgin coconut oil preferably organic
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp raw chicken liver OR 1/4 tsp desiccated liver powder
- 2 tsp gelatin
- 1/4 tsp acerola powder
- 1 tsp molasses optional
Instructions
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Fill a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup with filtered water and remove 2 tablespoons (this will give you 1 7/8 cup water).
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Pour about half the water into a pan and turn burner on medium.
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Add the gelatin and lactose and let dissolve, stirring occasionally.
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When gelatin and lactose are dissolved, remove pan from heat and add the rest of the water to cool.
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Stir in the coconut oil and butter oil until melted.
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Put remaining ingredients in a glass blender. Be sure to use only liquid whey and never powdered whey from making cheese as it will curdle the goat milk formula.
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Add the water mixture and blend for about 3 seconds.
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Pour goats milk formula into glass baby bottles or a large glass jar and refrigerate.
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Before giving to baby, warm glass bottle in a pan of hot water or a bottle warmer (I like these). Never microwave baby bottles!
Recipe Notes
Do not substitute pasteurized milk or goat milk powder as these are heavily processed, denatured and allergenic foods. You may use plain, whole milk goat kefir or homemade goat yogurt in place of the milk portion of the milk if raw goat milk is not available in your area. Whole Foods has a quality brand of goat milk kefir available.Â
Cow lactose may be substituted for the goat lactose.
Do NOT use ultrapasteurized (UHT) cream. It is highly allergenic. Raw or pasteurized cream is acceptable.
Use only organic, unrefined, low oleic, cold pressed sunflower oil for this recipe. The brand linked to in the ingredients list is recommended.
The raw chicken liver should be frozen for 14 days or longer as recommended by the USDA for safe consumption. Â It is easiest to grate raw liver when it is frozen! Alternatively, 1/4 tsp of raw, desiccated liver powder may be substituted (find it here).Â
Collagen powder may be substituted for the gelatin in a pinch (more on peptides in baby formula in this article).
Use the optional molasses only if baby has issues with constipation. Only use as needed.
Homemade Goat Milk Formula Video
Below is an instructional video I filmed for the Weston A. Price Foundation on how to prepare a homemade formula yourself. Â Enjoy!
More Information
Homemade Nondairy Baby Formula
Why Soy Formula Even if Organic is So Dangerous for Babies
Traveling with Homemade Baby Formula
Feeding an Adopted Baby Without Commercial Formula
State Threatens to Take Baby Over Homemade Goat Milk Formula
Goat Milk Versus Cow Milk
First off all thank you SO much for this recipe. I have to supplement because of low production so I made the goat milk formula with my older daughter when she was a baby as well. I am just going to start making again for my 3 month old. Up until this point I was supplementing with donor breastmilk that I have been getting from a friend’s friend. Anyway… since my daughter was born she only poops once per week. I give her probiotics but it isn’t helping like I would have hoped. I am really hoping this formula helps. My question is your thought on adding 1tsp of blackstrap molasses?
Thanks so much!
Please do not add molasses of any kind. Stick to the recipe exactly as it was developed by Dr. Mary Enig to be as close to breastmilk as possible.
I made the formula this morning (first timer) and by this evening the remainder is like jello not liquid. Did I do something wrong?
Either too much gelatin or the wrong kind of whey (was it heated whey?).
No, I used plain yogurt and 2 tsp of gelatin. Can I just out 1 tsp of gelatin?
Did you add the same amount of water? What about the whey?
I added whey at room temp from the yogurt. Water I added 2 cups as I didn’t have 8ths measurements
Hi! Thank you so much for the great tutorial video. I was unable to find lactose in any of the local stores, so I ordered it online. Is it okay to make this without the lactose or is it required? Also, would it cause the recipe to come up short of the 36oz that it should make?
Ok…*sigh*…I followed the recipe with the exception of the lactose(because it’s being shipped to me) and the butter oil and for some strange reason it only made up 24 ounces. I’m so confused. Is it because I excluded the lactose? What could cause it to come up short? I’ve gone over everything again and again…I just don’t know what I’m missing.
Lactose is important so it is good that you ordered it online. Just the water (1 7/8 cup) and the goat milk (2 cups) alone equals 31 ounces so remeasure again. The rest of the ingredients take it from 31 oz to 36 oz.
So he’s okay having it a couple of days without the lactose?
It’s certainly not ideal, but it’s better than using commercial formula.
I follow the instructions step by step however the formula always separates, clumps up, and curdles. I think it’s from the whey. I ran out of liquid whey one day and had to do without it for a day. The formula looked and stayed like in the picture. No clumping! Could it be because I make the liquid whey from goat milk? Is the whey really necessary? How can I prevent the formula from separating?
If you use cheese whey, it will definitely curdle the formula. Are you using fresh, unheated whey? Leave out the whey if it is causing problems.
Yes ma’am I’m using fresh, unheated whey. I also follow your video on how to make it fresh. I will leave out the whey next time to see if it truly is the reason why the formula separates. Thank you for replying!
Just wondering if you figured out why your formula was getting chunky? My formula always gets thick and chunky after being refrigerated. I figured it was just from the gelatin. Just wondering if when you left the whey out I had a difference? Thx:)
Hey! Sorry for the late response. I just omitted the whey completely. It comes out clumpy if I don’t shake it well before pouring it into the bottle. However, it’s not separating like it used to. I dont think it’s harming my baby in any way by omitting the whey.
Hi!
I don’t have filtered bottled water at home, but we have water that comes from a well. Is that still safe to use instead of bottled water? And if so, do I have to boil the filtered water or well water? Thanks!
It really needs to be filtered. I would buy bottled spring water in glass.
Due to a medical condition, I am unable to breast feed. I have read that camel’s milk is closest to human breast milk. How would this recipe need to be modified if using camel’s milk?
Hi There,
I’m not sure how much help this is, but I read Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding by Ina May Gaskin, in there she explains how women can lactate without ever having given birth to a child. So maybe there is hope for mothers who adopt and want to breastfeed. Maybe they can do it if nothing else was wrong.
Can you please explain why whey and cream are necessary in the formula? What purpose or nutritional value do they offer?
Mother’s milk is higher in cream and whey than bovine or goat milk. These ingredients are necessary to bring the nutritional profile of the homemade formula in line with breastmilk.
Hi Sarah
I am looking into making this goats milk formula for my son who cant tolerate dairy. Do I leave the cream out? And on the WAPF website it mentions adding liver that has been frozen for 14 days. Is that cooked in with the formula or added after? Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Do still add the cream when making the goat milk formula if you can find goat cream. Otherwise, leave it out if you can only find cream from cows and the baby has an intolerance. Liver is added to the formula with all the other ingredients, raw and grated. Or, you can use desiccated liver powder instead.
Sarah, to give you a short rundown of my situation. I had my second son in April and started breastfeeding immediately after birth. He started out as a great eater but at two weeks something changed and he would no longer latch or nurse well. I have a fibroid adenoma in my right breast in between my milk ducts and after suspecting it was the culprit, had that confirmed as it had doubled in size in less than a year. There is no way to be sure but I know in my gut that it grew after he was born because you couldn’t see it before and around the same time he stopped nursing well I started noticing it as did my husband. Long story short, for the last four months I diligently tried to breastfeed him but ultimately he was eating so poorly that my milk dried up. Fortunately I had pumped so much during the first four months that I have a lot stored but not enough to make it to 12 mos. that said I started supplementing with generic formula and almost instantly he developed eczema which exploded up both legs in a matter of a few days. That’s when I started looking for alternatives and several people referred me to your goats milk recipe, thinking it would be less allergenic than the powder formula or cows milk formula. So for a week I fed him only breastmilk until I got all my ingredients together to make the goats milk formula. During that week his eczema cleared up a lot. I started feeding him both breastmilk and the goat formula for a week now and now the eczema is back with a vengeance. Please tell me if there is anything I can try leaving out that won’t alter the integrity of the formula, but could be the culprit for causing the eczema. Thank you so much. BTW, he loves the formula more than my breastmilk and has gone from eating a total of 12 oz per day to 36 oz per day in a matter of a couple weeks! PTL!