Can You Eat Cream Cheese While Pregnant?
Yes — cream cheese is safe in pregnancy. It's a pasteurised soft cheese, not a mould-ripened one.
The full answer
Cream cheese is safe in pregnancy. Even though it's soft, it's made from pasteurised milk and isn't mould-ripened, so it doesn't carry the listeria risk that soft, white-rind cheeses like brie do. That means cream cheese on a bagel, in a dip, in cheesecake, or in cooking is all fine. The same goes for similar spreadable, pasteurised soft cheeses such as cottage cheese, mascarpone, ricotta, and processed cheese spreads. The only thing to keep an eye on is the usual one for any chilled food: store it properly, keep it refrigerated, and don't eat it past its use-by date. Otherwise, enjoy it freely.
How to eat cream cheese safely
- Enjoy on bagels, in dips, in baking, and in cooking
- Other safe pasteurised soft cheeses: cottage, mascarpone, ricotta
- Keep it refrigerated and within its use-by date
When to avoid: No need to avoid it — just store it cold and don't use it past its use-by date.
Pregnancy food-safety basics
Most “can I have this?” questions in pregnancy come down to four things. Listeria — a bacterium that survives the fridge — is why chilled ready-to-eat meats, pâté, and mould-ripened soft cheeses are heated or avoided. Mercury is why certain fish are limited. Caffeine is capped at about 200 mg a day. And alcohol is best avoided entirely, as no safe amount is known. Cooking food until it’s steaming hot kills listeria and most other bugs, which is why “heat until steaming” solves so many of these questions.
For the full picture, see our pregnancy safety guide, and track your pregnancy with the How Far Along Am I? calculator and the week-by-week guide.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you eat cream cheese while pregnant?
- Yes — cream cheese is safe in pregnancy. It's a pasteurised soft cheese, not a mould-ripened one. Cream cheese is safe in pregnancy. Even though it's soft, it's made from pasteurised milk and isn't mould-ripened, so it doesn't carry the listeria risk that soft, white-rind cheeses like brie do. That means cream cheese on a bagel, in a dip, in cheesecake, or in cooking is all fine. The same goes for similar spreadable, pasteurised soft cheeses such as cottage cheese, mascarpone, ricotta, and processed cheese spreads. The only thing to keep an eye on is the usual one for any chilled food: store it properly, keep it refrigerated, and don't eat it past its use-by date. Otherwise, enjoy it freely.
- Why is cream cheese considered safe in pregnancy?
- Cream cheese is safe in pregnancy. Even though it's soft, it's made from pasteurised milk and isn't mould-ripened, so it doesn't carry the listeria risk that soft, white-rind cheeses like brie do. That means cream cheese on a bagel, in a dip, in cheesecake, or in cooking is all fine. The same goes for similar spreadable, pasteurised soft cheeses such as cottage cheese, mascarpone, ricotta, and processed cheese spreads. The only thing to keep an eye on is the usual one for any chilled food: store it properly, keep it refrigerated, and don't eat it past its use-by date. Otherwise, enjoy it freely.
- When should I avoid cream cheese during pregnancy?
- No need to avoid it — just store it cold and don't use it past its use-by date.