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Donkey Milk

Rare

Mediterranean Europe and other limited production regions

Milk produced by domestic donkeys. It is a low-fat, lactose-rich equine milk produced commercially only on a relatively small scale.

About Donkey Milk

Donkey milk is produced by the domestic donkey (Equus asinus) and is one of the rarest commercially available animal milks in the world. Donkeys were domesticated in Northeast Africa approximately 5,000–7,000 years ago from the African wild ass, and spread throughout the ancient world as working animals. While donkeys have long been a part of farming communities globally, their milk has only recently attracted significant commercial interest, primarily in Europe.

Donkey milk is compositionally closer to human breast milk than cow milk is, with a similarly low fat content, a high proportion of whey proteins relative to caseins, and a lactose content comparable to human milk. This similarity has made it historically significant — it was used in ancient Rome and Greece as a substitute for human breast milk for infants when wet nurses were unavailable, and was reportedly used by Cleopatra in her famous beauty baths. Its high lactose content and specific protein structure mean it has a naturally sweet, pleasant flavour that many describe as mild and clean.

Donkeys produce very small quantities of milk — typically 0.5–1.5 litres per day — and only for a few months after foaling. This extremely low yield, combined with the difficulty of milking donkeys (who require their foal to be present to let down milk), makes donkey milk one of the most expensive dairy products in the world. A litre of fresh donkey milk can cost €10–€15 or more in European specialty markets. It is produced primarily in Italy, France, Serbia, and a few other European countries.

Sources & Further Reading

PMC — Nutritional Composition and Biological Activities of Donkey Milk — Peer-reviewed narrative review (Foods 2025) with full compositional data
PubMed — Gross and Mineral Composition of Donkey Milk — Primary study of donkey milk composition over nine months of lactation

Nutrition

Donkey milk has a composition notably similar to human breast milk. Typical values:

Fat0.3–1.8%

Protein1.5–1.8%

Lactose5.8–7.4%

LysozymeHigh (antimicrobial)

Whey:Casein ratio~40:60 (similar to human milk)

AvailabilityVery rare, premium price

Donkey milk is low in fat and relatively low in protein compared to cow milk. Its high lactose content gives it a naturally sweet flavour. It contains high levels of lysozyme, an antimicrobial enzyme also found in human milk. Its whey protein profile is different from cow milk and may be better tolerated by some people with cow milk protein sensitivities, though it still contains lactose.

Common Uses

◌ Drinking fresh◌ Infant formula◌ Skincare products◌ Freeze-dried powder◌ Artisan cheese

Donkey milk is primarily consumed fresh as a drinking milk or as a freeze-dried powder that can be reconstituted with water. In Italy, it has been used as a specialty infant formula for babies with cow milk protein allergy under medical supervision. Donkey milk soap and skincare products are a growing commercial category, marketed for the milk's high vitamin and lipid content. Small-scale artisan cheesemakers in Italy (notably in Piedmont) have produced donkey milk cheese, including Pule — reportedly one of the most expensive cheeses in the world.

Interesting Facts

Cleopatra VII of Egypt was said to bathe in donkey milk to preserve her skin's beauty — reportedly requiring the milk of 700 donkeys for her daily baths, according to ancient accounts.
Donkey milk was used in ancient Rome and Greece as a substitute for human breast milk for orphaned or abandoned infants.
Pule, a Serbian donkey milk cheese made from the milk of Balkan donkeys in Zasavica nature reserve, has been reported as one of the world's most expensive cheeses — costing over €1,000 per kilogram — due to the extremely small milk yields of the donkeys.
A donkey must have a foal present and visible to willingly let down her milk — making machine milking very difficult and keeping production almost entirely hand-milked.
Donkey milk contains approximately 3–4 times more vitamin C than cow milk, and higher levels of lysozyme (an antimicrobial protein also found in human breast milk and tears).