Can you eat goat cheese while pregnant?
Check firstGoat cheese is safe during pregnancy if it is pasteurized and has no white rind. Soft-ripened chevre with a brie-like coating should be avoided unless cooked until steaming.
Why
The NHS splits goat cheese in two: pasteurized goat cheese without a white coating is listed among the safe cheeses, while soft-ripened goats' cheese with a white rind sits with brie on the avoid list, because mould-ripened rinds create the moist conditions Listeria likes. In the US, the fresh goat cheese logs and crumbles in grocery stores are pasteurized and rindless, so most of what you will actually meet is fine. Raw-milk and white-rinded versions are the two to watch for.
Safer alternatives
- Pasteurized fresh goat cheese logs or crumbles
- Pasteurized feta
- Warm baked goat cheese, steaming throughout
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.
Frequently asked questions
Are goat cheese crumbles on a salad safe?
Yes, when they are pasteurized, which is the norm for US supermarket crumbles. They are rindless fresh cheese, the category the NHS lists as safe. At a restaurant, it is fine to ask whether the cheese is pasteurized.
What about warm goat cheese toast or baked chevre?
Cooking until steaming hot kills Listeria, so a properly heated goat cheese tart or baked round is safe even when it started as a white-rinded cheese. Melted at the edges is not enough; it should be hot throughout.
How do I recognize the risky kind of goat cheese?
Look for two things: a soft white bloomy rind, like a miniature brie, or the words raw milk or unpasteurized on the label. Either one means skip it cold and only eat it thoroughly cooked.
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