Can you eat crème fraîche while pregnant?
Check firstYes, if it is made with pasteurized cream. Almost every tub in a supermarket is, and that pasteurization is what rules out Listeria; the one to leave is raw milk crème fraîche crue from a market or cheese counter.
Why
Crème fraîche is cream cultured until it thickens and turns tangy, and the live cultures are not the worry: the milk is. Unpasteurized cream can carry Listeria, a bacterium that keeps multiplying at refrigerator temperature and can cross the placenta, and pregnancy makes listeriosis around ten times more likely, which is why the CDC puts unpasteurized dairy at the front of its prevention advice and the NHS tells pregnant people to avoid it outright. Pasteurization removes the problem, and nearly all crème fraîche sold in supermarkets in the US and Europe is made from pasteurized cream, with the word on the label. What to leave behind is crème fraîche crue or farmhouse cream sold raw at a market, a farm shop or a cheese counter. Keep the tub cold, use it by the date, and it is fine stirred into a sauce, spooned onto soup or served over berries.
Safer alternatives
- Supermarket pasteurized crème fraîche such as Président, Isigny Sainte-Mère or Vermont Creamery
- Pasteurized sour cream
- Full fat Greek yogurt, thinned with a little milk for sauces
- Mascarpone made with pasteurized cream
Sources
- NHS https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/foods-to-avoid/
- CDC https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/prevention/index.html
Every verdict follows our sourcing methodology: official health guidelines only, most cautious position when they differ.
Last reviewed by the pregAI editorial team.
Frequently asked questions
Is crème fraîche pasteurized?
The versions sold in supermarkets almost always are, and the carton will say pasteurized or UHT. The exception is crème crue, raw cream sold at farm shops, markets and some fromageries, which is the one to put back.
Can I eat crème fraîche in a cooked dish?
Yes, and heating it makes it safer still, since Listeria does not survive food brought to steaming hot. Stir it in at the end of a pasta sauce or a soup and let the dish come back up to temperature before serving.
Does crème fraîche count as a soft cheese I am supposed to avoid?
No. The warning on soft cheese is about mold ripened and blue cheeses like brie, camembert and roquefort, where the rind and low acidity let Listeria grow. Crème fraîche is a cultured cream, and the only question for it is whether the cream was pasteurized.
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