Can You Eat Pepperoni While Pregnant?
Yes when it's cooked — pepperoni on a hot pizza is fine; cold pepperoni is best heated first.
The full answer
Pepperoni is a cured, fermented meat. Cured meats that haven't been cooked can occasionally carry listeria or toxoplasma, which is why the advice for cold cured meats (pepperoni, salami, chorizo, prosciutto) is to heat them until steaming. The good news: pepperoni baked on a pizza or cooked into a dish is heated well past that threshold, so it's fine. The main caveat is that it's very high in salt and saturated fat, so keep portions modest. If you're eating it cold — say off a charcuterie board — heat it through first or skip it.
How to eat pepperoni safely
- On a hot, fully-cooked pizza or baked dish: fine
- Cold pepperoni/salami: heat until steaming before eating
- Keep portions small — high in salt and saturated fat
When to avoid: Avoid cold, uncooked cured meats straight from the packet or a charcuterie board unless heated.
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 pepperoni while pregnant?
- Yes when it's cooked — pepperoni on a hot pizza is fine; cold pepperoni is best heated first. Pepperoni is a cured, fermented meat. Cured meats that haven't been cooked can occasionally carry listeria or toxoplasma, which is why the advice for cold cured meats (pepperoni, salami, chorizo, prosciutto) is to heat them until steaming. The good news: pepperoni baked on a pizza or cooked into a dish is heated well past that threshold, so it's fine. The main caveat is that it's very high in salt and saturated fat, so keep portions modest. If you're eating it cold — say off a charcuterie board — heat it through first or skip it.
- Why is pepperoni something to be careful with in pregnancy?
- Pepperoni is a cured, fermented meat. Cured meats that haven't been cooked can occasionally carry listeria or toxoplasma, which is why the advice for cold cured meats (pepperoni, salami, chorizo, prosciutto) is to heat them until steaming. The good news: pepperoni baked on a pizza or cooked into a dish is heated well past that threshold, so it's fine. The main caveat is that it's very high in salt and saturated fat, so keep portions modest. If you're eating it cold — say off a charcuterie board — heat it through first or skip it.
- When should I avoid pepperoni during pregnancy?
- Avoid cold, uncooked cured meats straight from the packet or a charcuterie board unless heated.