Manganese lactate is soluble in water and ethanol.

Manganese lactate forms crystalline hydrates of composition Mn(C3H5O3)2•n H2O, where n = 2 and 3.

Two water molecules coordinate directly to the metal as well, cis to each other, to complete the octahedral cluster.

In the trihydrate, the third water molecule is involved in hydrogen-bonding further away in the crystal structure.

[4] Its dihydrate forms an orthorhombic crystal, the space group is P212121.