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Can I eat cheesecake while pregnant?

No known issues Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Baked cheesecake, and no-bake cheesecake made with cream cheese and whipped cream, show No known issues in Doola Scan in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. The NHS lists cream cheese among the pasteurised soft cheeses you can have in pregnancy. Two variants differ: a no-bake cheesecake set with raw egg shows Check in five countries and Avoid in Canada, and ricotta cheesecake shows Check in all six, because Australia and New Zealand list ricotta among soft cheeses to have only cooked.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Baked cheesecake, such as New York or Basque

    No known issuesIn all six countries

  • No-bake cheesecake with cream cheese and whipped cream

    No known issuesIn all six countries
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What each country says

Cheesecake while pregnant: what each country says.

Each country's own pregnancy guidance on cheesecake, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.

  • No known issues

    None of the six countries' pregnancy guidance names cheesecake.

  • United States

    No known issues
    No-bake cheesecake made with raw egg
    • FDACook eggs until yolk and white are firm; recipes with raw or runny eggs only with pasteurized eggs.Source
    • FDARaw eggs can carry salmonella.Source
    • FoodSafety.gov (HHS)Cook eggs until yolks and whites are firm; egg dishes to 160°F.Source
    Italian ricotta cheesecake
    • CDCAvoid unheated queso fresco-type cheeses (queso fresco, queso blanco, requesón) even when made with pasteurized milk; heat to 165°F.Source
    • FDASoft cheese from raw milk can carry listeria.Source
    • FoodSafety.gov (HHS)Pasteurised; queso fresco-type fresh soft cheeses only when heated to 165°F, even if pasteurised.Source
    • USDA FSISAvoid soft cheeses not made with pasteurised milk.Source

  • United Kingdom

    No known issues
    No-bake cheesecake made with raw egg
    • FSAWhen eating out, pregnant people should make sure eggs are thoroughly cooked, as they may not be British Lion or Laid in Britain.Source
    • NHSNon-Lion eggs are more likely to carry salmonella.Source
    • NHSBritish Lion or Laid in Britain hen eggs can be eaten raw or runny; other eggs only well-cooked.Source
    Italian ricotta cheesecake
    • NHSPasteurised soft cheeses such as mozzarella, feta, paneer, ricotta, burrata are safe.Source

  • Canada

    No known issues
    No-bake cheesecake made with raw egg
    • CPSAvoid raw egg and egg dishes with runny yolk.Source
    • Health CanadaCook eggs until the yolks are firm; no exception for stamped or certified eggs.Source
    • Health CanadaCook eggs until yolks are firm; egg dishes to 74°C.Source
    Italian ricotta cheesecake
    • CPSAvoid soft cheeses like Brie or Camembert, even if pasteurized.Source
    • Health CanadaAvoid uncooked soft, semi-soft and blue cheese even if pasteurized; fine cooked.Source

  • Australia

    No known issues
    No-bake cheesecake made with raw egg
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Cook eggs until whites and yolks are hard; no runny-egg exception.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Cook eggs until whites and yolks are hard.Source
    Italian ricotta cheesecake
    • Better Health Channel (Victoria)Soft cheeses only if served cooked and hot.Source
    • FSANZAvoid soft, semi-soft and surface-ripened cheese incl. brie, camembert, mozzarella, ricotta, feta, blue - unless baked to 75 °C.Source
    • NSW Food AuthoritySoft and semi-soft cheeses only if cooked to at least 75°C and eaten soon after.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)No soft cheeses (brie, camembert, blue, ricotta, feta) unless cooked to at least 75°C and eaten straight away.Source

  • New Zealand

    No known issues
    No-bake cheesecake made with raw egg
    • Health NZCook eggs well (firm yolks); no raw eggs.Source
    • Health NZCook eggs well with firm yolks; raw-egg dishes: don't eat.Source
    Italian ricotta cheesecake
    • Health NZAvoid soft, semi-soft and surface-ripened cheeses such as brie, camembert, ricotta, blue and feta.Source

  • Ireland

    No known issues
    Italian ricotta cheesecake
    • HSESoft cheeses such as brie and camembert only if cooked until steaming hot.Source
What to check

Before you eat cheesecake.

  1. Check a no-bake recipe for raw egg

    Health Canada asks for foods with raw egg that won't be cooked to be made with pasteurised liquid eggs. The NHS accepts raw-egg foods made with British Lion or Laid in Britain hen eggs, and the HSE asks you to avoid foods made with raw or under-cooked eggs. Health Canada

  2. Use pasteurised cream cheese

    The NHS lists cream cheese, ricotta and mascarpone among the pasteurised soft cheeses you can have in pregnancy, and unpasteurised dairy as foods to avoid. For a homemade cheesecake, check the cream cheese label for pasteurised milk. NHS

  3. In Australia and New Zealand, have ricotta cheesecake baked

    Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says no soft cheeses such as ricotta unless cooked to at least 75°C and eaten straight away. Health NZ lists ricotta among soft cheeses to avoid. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby

Questions

About cheesecake
in pregnancy.

Baked cheesecake shows No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries. The eggs in it are baked, and the NHS lists cream cheese among the pasteurised soft cheeses you can have in pregnancy.

A no-bake cheesecake made with cream cheese and whipped cream shows No known issues. If the recipe beats in raw egg, it shows Check in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, and Avoid in Canada.

The NHS lists cream cheese among the pasteurised soft cheeses you can have in pregnancy, and Doola Scan shows No known issues for it in all six countries.

Ricotta cheesecake shows Check in all six countries. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby asks for soft cheeses such as ricotta to be cooked to at least 75°C, and the NHS lists pasteurised ricotta among cheeses you can have.

The guidance is the same in every trimester. The raw egg and soft cheese advice applies from the first weeks of pregnancy to the last.

None of these countries' pregnancy food lists names cheesecake as a good pregnancy food. The NHS lists cake and puddings among foods high in fat or sugar, to have less often and in small amounts.

In the six countries Doola Scan covers, baked cheesecake and no-bake cheesecake with cream cheese show No known issues. A no-bake recipe with raw egg is Check, and Avoid in Canada.

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Doola shows what official guidance says; it never diagnoses. No known issues means none of these countries' pregnancy guidance names it, not a promise that a food is safe.