Is Ice cream safe during pregnancy?
Milk, cheese & dairy
Safe when pasteurised
The NHS lists pasteurised ice cream as safe and unpasteurised ice cream as a food to avoid; the US FDA says to avoid homemade ice cream made with raw egg.[1,2,3,4,5]
What official sources say
NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy
- Cheese, milk and other dairy › Safe to eat: Pasteurised milk, butter, yoghurt, cream and ice cream, from cows, sheep or goats, are safe in pregnancy.[1]
- Cheese, milk and other dairy › Foods to avoid: Unpasteurised milk, cream, yoghurt, butter and ice cream, from cows, sheep or goats, are on the list of foods to avoid in pregnancy.[1]
US CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection
US FDA: Dairy and Eggs (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)
- Avoid eating or tasting foods that may contain raw or lightly-cooked eggs, such as:
Homemade ice cream
[3]
NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy
- Foods that are high in fat, sugar, or both, include: Ice cream is counted among foods high in fat, sugar or both.[4]
FSANZ: Food safety for vulnerable people
- Safer alternatives:
Packaged frozen ice cream
(advice for vulnerable people, including pregnant women)[5]
Nutrition per 100 g (USDA)
| Energy | 207 kcal |
| Protein | 3.5 g |
| Fibre | 0.7 g |
| Sugars | 21.22 g |
| Iron | 0.09 mg |
| Calcium | 128 mg |
| Folate (DFE) | 5 µg |
| Folate, total | 5 µg |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 118 µg |
| Vitamin C | 0.6 mg |
| Vitamin D | 0.2 µg |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.39 µg |
| Choline | 26 mg |
| DHA (omega-3) | 0 g |
| EPA (omega-3) | 0.003 g |
| Caffeine | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 80 mg |
USDA FoodData Central: Ice creams, vanilla (FDC ID 167575), per 100 g. Public domain. Values describe that USDA record; composition varies with variety and preparation.
Sources
- NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy · nhs.uk. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). Not endorsed by the NHS.
- US CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection · cdc.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
- US FDA: Dairy and Eggs (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be) · fda.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
- NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy · nhs.uk. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). Not endorsed by the NHS.
- FSANZ: Food safety for vulnerable people · foodstandards.gov.au. © Food Standards Australia New Zealand, licensed under CC BY 4.0; quoted. No endorsement implied.
Sources checked 26 September 2026.
Quotes are checked word for word against each source page, and paraphrases against the original text. Official bodies are named as sources only: none of them reviewed or endorses this page.
Educational information, not medical advice. Your own doctor or midwife may advise differently for you — follow their advice.