Can I eat tiramisu while pregnant?
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Doola Scan's answer in the United States
Doola Scan's answer in the United StatesTiramisu is usually made with raw egg, which Australia, New Zealand and Ireland advise against in pregnancy; the US and Canada accept it made with pasteurised egg, and the UK with British Lion eggs. For homemade or restaurant tiramisu, Doola Scan shows Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, and Check in the US, UK and Canada. Made with pasteurised egg, it is Check in all six. Tiramisu with coffee liqueur, Marsala or rum is Avoid in all six, because each country's advice is no alcohol in pregnancy, and its coffee counts toward your daily caffeine.
Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · UpdatedHomemade or restaurant tiramisu with raw egg
Check
Avoid
Shop-bought tiramisu labelled made with pasteurised egg
CheckIn all six countries
What each country says
Tiramisu while pregnant: what each country says.
Each country's own pregnancy guidance on tiramisu, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.
United States
Check- FDAAvoid raw or undercooked eggs and foods containing them; foods made with pasteurized eggs are fine.Source
- FDARaw eggs can carry salmonella.Source
- FoodSafety.gov (HHS)Foods with raw or lightly cooked eggs only with pasteurised eggs.Source
- ACOGModerate caffeine (less than 200 mg a day) does not cause miscarriage or preterm birth.Source
- FDANo set pregnancy limit; talk to your health care provider about whether to limit caffeine.Source
- MyHealthfinder (HHS)Limit caffeine; ask your doctor if caffeine is safe for you, or try decaf.Source
- ACOGModerate intake is not a major factor in miscarriage or preterm birth.Source
Coffee liqueur, Marsala or rum in tiramisu- CDCNo known safe amount of alcohol in pregnancy or when trying to get pregnant; all types harmful.Source
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans (USDA/HHS)Pregnant women should completely avoid alcohol.Source
- MyHealthfinder (HHS)Don't drink alcohol; no amount is safe in pregnancy or while trying to get pregnant.Source
- ACOGAny amount of alcohol is at-risk drinking in pregnancy.Source
- CDCNo known safe amount of alcohol in pregnancy or when trying to get pregnant.Source
United Kingdom
Check- NHSRaw eggs that are not Lion-stamped may carry salmonella.Source
- NHSRaw-egg foods like mayonnaise and mousse fine if made with British Lion or Laid in Britain hen eggs.Source
- NHSHigh caffeine intake is linked to miscarriage and stillbirth.Source
- NHSNo more than 200 mg caffeine a day in pregnancy.Source
Coffee liqueur, Marsala or rum in tiramisu- NHSAlcohol passes to the baby and can cause lifelong harm (FASD).Source
- NICEExplain there is no known safe level; the safest approach is to avoid alcohol altogether.Source
- RCOGSafest not to drink at all when pregnant or possibly pregnant.Source
- NHSDo not drink alcohol if pregnant or planning to become pregnant.Source
Canada
Check- CPSAvoid raw egg and egg dishes with runny yolk.Source
- Health CanadaAvoid raw-egg foods (homemade mayonnaise, batter, ice cream) unless made with pasteurized liquid eggs.Source
- CPSAvoid raw egg and egg dishes with runny yolk, such as eggnog.Source
- Health CanadaAvoid foods with raw egg: some dressings, sauces, cookie dough, cake batter, homemade eggnog (unless heated to 71 °C).Source
- CPSLimit caffeine in pregnancy; consider cutting it out.Source
- Health CanadaMaximum 300 mg caffeine a day when pregnant (about two 8-oz cups of coffee).Source
- Health CanadaMaximum 300 mg caffeine a day when pregnant.Source
Coffee liqueur, Marsala or rum in tiramisu- CPSNo amount of alcohol is considered safe in pregnancy.Source
- Health CanadaSafest choice is no alcohol when pregnant or planning a pregnancy.Source
- SOGCNo known safe amount: safest not to drink when pregnant or if you might become pregnant.Source
- Health CanadaNo amount or type of alcohol in pregnancy is considered safe.Source
Australia
- Homemade or restaurant tiramisu with raw eggAvoid
- Shop-bought tiramisu labelled made with pasteurised eggCheck
- NSW Food AuthorityDo not eat raw egg in food (home-made mayonnaise, aioli, mousse, batter).Source
- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)No homemade mayonnaise, aioli, mousse or raw cake batter; commercial mayo/custard OK.Source
- FSANZSafer alternatives to raw egg dishes: pasteurised eggs, commercial custard and dressings.Source
- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Commercially made products with egg (e.g. shop mayonnaise) are fine; not homemade mayonnaise, aioli, mousse or raw cake batter.Source
- Better Health Channel (Victoria)Limit caffeine to 200 mg a day or less, or avoid it.Source
- FSANZNo more than 200 mg caffeine a day from all sources.Source
- healthdirectLimit caffeine to 200 mg a day when pregnant.Source
- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Maximum 200 mg caffeine per day (total) in pregnancy.Source
- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Maximum 200 mg/day.Source
Coffee liqueur, Marsala or rum in tiramisu- Australian Government Department of HealthDo not drink alcohol when pregnant or planning a pregnancy.Source
- Better Health Channel (Victoria)Safest not to drink alcohol at all when pregnant.Source
- FSANZWomen who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not drink alcohol.Source
- NHMRCWomen who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should not drink alcohol.Source
- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Safest not to drink alcohol when planning, pregnant or breastfeeding.Source
New Zealand
- Homemade or restaurant tiramisu with raw eggAvoid
- Shop-bought tiramisu labelled made with pasteurised eggCheck
- MPI (NZ Food Safety)Avoid raw eggs (smoothies, mayonnaise, mousse).Source
- Health NZRaw eggs in eggnog, smoothies, home-made mayonnaise, mousse, tiramisu etc: don't eat; no pasteurised-egg exception.Source
- Health NZNo more than 4 cups tea or instant coffee (or 3 plunger coffees) a day.Source
- Health NZUp to 200 mg caffeine a day in pregnancy.Source
Ireland
- Homemade or restaurant tiramisu with raw eggAvoid
- Shop-bought tiramisu labelled made with pasteurised eggCheck
- HSEAvoid foods made with raw or under-cooked eggs, e.g. homemade mayonnaise; cook eggs thoroughly.Source
- HSEAvoid foods made with raw or under-cooked eggs, such as homemade mayonnaise.Source
- HSELimit caffeine to 200 mg a day (2 instant coffees, 1 filter coffee, 2-4 teas); limit energy drinks.Source
Coffee liqueur, Marsala or rum in tiramisu- HSENo amount of alcohol at any stage of pregnancy is safe; do not drink when trying to conceive.Source
What to check
Before you eat tiramisu.
Check for pasteurised egg
Read the label of a shop-bought tiramisu, or ask in a restaurant, whether it is made with pasteurised egg. The FDA's advice for raw-egg foods is pasteurised eggs at home and, when eating out, to ask if pasteurised eggs were used. FDA
Making it at home: pasteurised or British Lion eggs
Health Canada asks for pasteurised liquid eggs in foods with raw egg that won't be cooked. In the UK, the NHS accepts raw-egg foods such as mousse made with British Lion or Laid in Britain hen eggs. Health NZ names tiramisu among raw-egg foods not to eat. Health Canada
Leave out the liqueur, Marsala or rum
Make it without alcohol, or ask whether a bought tiramisu contains any. The NHS says alcohol passes to your baby and can cause lifelong harm, and its advice is not to drink alcohol in pregnancy. NHS
Count the coffee in your caffeine for the day
The NHS says no more than 200mg of caffeine a day in pregnancy, and a cup of instant coffee has about 100mg. Health Canada's limit is 300mg a day. The espresso in tiramisu counts toward the total. NHS
QuestionsAbout tiramisu
About tiramisu
in pregnancy.
Classic tiramisu is made with raw eggs beaten into the mascarpone cream, and raw eggs can carry salmonella. The FDA lists tiramisu among foods made with raw eggs to avoid, and Health NZ names it among raw-egg foods not to eat in pregnancy. Some recipes also add coffee liqueur or Marsala.
Look for pasteurised egg on the label. Doola Scan shows Check in all six countries for tiramisu made with pasteurised egg. If the label doesn't say, it reads like homemade: Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, and Check in the US, UK and Canada.
The NHS says foods like mousse made with raw eggs can be eaten if the eggs are British Lion or Laid in Britain hen eggs. When eating out, the FSA notes that eggs may not be British Lion, so ask, and ask about alcohol too.
The NHS lists mascarpone among the pasteurised soft cheeses you can have in pregnancy, and Doola Scan shows No known issues for it in all six countries. In tiramisu, the guidance is about the raw egg mixed into it.
Some recipes add coffee liqueur, Marsala or rum, and some don't. Doola Scan shows Avoid in all six countries for tiramisu made with alcohol. Australia's NHMRC says women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should not drink alcohol.
It depends on how much coffee or espresso the recipe uses, so Doola can't give one number. It counts toward your daily limit: 200mg from the NHS, HSE, Pregnancy Birth and Baby and Health NZ, and 300mg from Health Canada. ACOG says less than 200mg a day.
None of these countries' pregnancy food lists names tiramisu as a food that's good in pregnancy. The NHS asks for foods high in fat or sugar, such as cakes and puddings, to be had less often and in small amounts.
The guidance is about what to choose next time: tiramisu made with pasteurised egg or, in the UK, British Lion eggs, and without alcohol. If you feel unwell or are unsure, talk to your midwife or doctor.
Doola Scan covers the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. There, tiramisu with raw egg is Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland and Check in the other three, and tiramisu with alcohol is Avoid in all six.
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Download app nowDoola 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.