Ice Cream During Pregnancy: Store-Bought, Homemade, and Soft Serve

The short answer: Yes, you can eat ice cream while pregnant. The CDC lists pasteurized milk, yogurt, and ice cream as safer choices and raw-milk ice cream as riskier. The FDA advises avoiding homemade ice cream made with raw eggs; store-bought ice cream is the simpler choice.

Is store-bought ice cream safe during pregnancy?

Yes, when it is made with pasteurized milk. The FDA notes that store-bought versions of foods that traditionally use raw eggs are often made with cooked or pasteurized eggs. Keep it frozen until you serve it, and check for recalls: the CDC explains that Listeria can spread inside food-processing facilities and grow in cold food, so a pasteurized label does not rule out contamination after processing. The FDA advises returning or discarding recalled food.

What ice cream should you avoid while pregnant?

• Homemade ice cream made with raw eggs. FDA lists it among homemade foods to avoid. Use pasteurized eggs, or a custard base cooked to 160°F, the CDC's target for egg dishes without meat.
• Ice cream made from raw (unpasteurized) milk, for example from a farm stand. The CDC lists raw-milk ice cream as a riskier choice.
• Recalled products. Check the recall notice before eating ice cream from your freezer if a brand is in the news.

Is store-bought cookie dough ice cream safe?

Yes. The FDA's pregnancy page answers this directly: store-bought cookie dough ice cream is safe to eat. Raw homemade cookie dough is a different story, because the CDC lists raw cookie dough and raw batter as riskier choices.

Can pregnant women eat soft serve?

The CDC and FDA pregnancy pages do not single out soft serve. The same check applies: soft serve made from a pasteurized dairy mix fits the CDC's safer-choice row for pasteurized ice cream. If you are unsure at a small shop, ask whether the mix is pasteurized.

Does ice cream have any pregnancy nutrients?

It adds some calcium and calories. PregNut's historical USDA-based data lists vanilla ice cream at 128 mg calcium, 3.5 g protein, and 207 calories per 100 g. ACOG's morning sickness advice lists dairy foods, such as milk, ice cream, and yogurt, among nonmeat protein options if meat is hard to face.

Common questions

Is ice cream OK in the first trimester?

Yes. The CDC's food-safety chart does not change by trimester, so pasteurized store-bought ice cream stays in the safer column. See our morning sickness food guide if nausea is shaping what you can eat.

What about gelato or frozen yogurt?

Apply the same check: made with pasteurized milk and stored frozen. Our milk and yogurt label guide explains the wording to look for.

Sources: CDC preventing Listeria, CDC how Listeria spreads, CDC safer food choices for pregnant women, FDA dairy and eggs for moms-to-be, FDA ready-to-eat foods for moms-to-be, and ACOG morning sickness FAQ. This guide is educational and does not replace prenatal care.