How to Get Milk in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Use an empty bucket on a cow, mooshroom or goat to get a milk bucket. Hold the use button to drink it and clear all your status effects, including helpful potion effects. Drinking returns the empty bucket.

What you need

An empty bucket
A cow, mooshroom or goat

Step by step

Bring an empty bucket. Milk is collected from an animal, not crafted or scooped from a placed liquid.
Find a cow, mooshroom or goat and select the empty bucket in your hotbar.
Use the bucket on the animal to fill it with milk.
To clear status effects, select the milk bucket and hold use until you finish drinking.
Check which effects you want to keep before drinking: milk removes positive effects such as Strength and Fire Resistance as well as harmful effects.
Keep the returned empty bucket for the next refill, or save milk buckets as ingredients for cake.

Java vs Bedrock

The basic collection and effect-clearing steps work in Java and Bedrock. Beacon and conduit effects can return while you remain in range: almost immediately in Bedrock and after a few seconds in Java. Milk is not an extinguisher and does not put out fire.

Versions: javabedrock

Frequently asked questions

Does milk remove good potion effects too?

Yes. It clears all status effects, so drinking it also removes buffs such as Strength, Speed and Fire Resistance. Check your active effects before using it.

Can I place milk like water?

No. Milk buckets are drinks and crafting ingredients, not placeable fluid blocks. Hold use to drink one, or use it in a recipe such as cake.

Why did Mining Fatigue or another effect come back?

Milk clears your current effects but does not remove the source. If a mob or an area effect applies it again, you can be affected again.

Does milk stop a player from burning?

No. Burning is not a status effect. Use water or another safe way to extinguish the fire; milk can even remove an existing Fire Resistance effect.