Raw Cookie Dough During Pregnancy: Flour, Eggs and Edible Dough

The short answer: Skip raw cookie dough and raw batter while pregnant unless it is labeled edible or safe to eat raw. CDC's pregnancy chart lists raw dough or batter made with raw flour, and raw cookie dough made with raw eggs, as riskier choices.

Why is raw cookie dough risky?

Two ingredients. Raw eggs can carry Salmonella, and the FDA's advice for moms-to-be says to avoid raw batter, filling, or cookie dough made with raw eggs. Raw flour is the other: the FDA's flour guide says never to eat or taste raw flour, dough, or batter, and notes outbreaks linked to raw flour and products like cake mixes and cookie dough.

Is eggless cookie dough safe?

Not automatically. Removing the eggs does not address the raw flour. FDA's advice applies to raw flour on its own.

Is "edible" cookie dough OK when pregnant?

CDC lists dough and batter labeled "edible" or "safe to eat raw," and dough made with heat-treated flour and pasteurized eggs, as safer choices. Read the package to be sure.

What about cookie dough ice cream?

CDC lists dough labeled edible or safe to eat raw as the safer choice, so check that the product label says so, and that the ice cream is pasteurized. See our ice cream guide.

Common questions

Can I lick the spoon or taste cake batter?

FDA says not to eat or taste raw dough or batter, including from baking mixes. Bake it according to the package directions first.

Is baked cookie dough fine?

Yes. CDC lists food made with flour cooked following the package directions or recipe as safer.

What else uses raw eggs?

See our raw egg foods guide for meringue, hollandaise, Caesar dressing, and tiramisu.

Sources: CDC safer food choices for pregnant women, FDA handling flour safely, and FDA dairy and eggs for moms-to-be. This guide is educational and does not replace prenatal care.