Can you eat tartar sauce while pregnant?
Check firstTartar sauce is safe when it is made with pasteurized egg, which covers every jarred supermarket brand. Skip versions whisked fresh at a restaurant or at home from raw yolks, because of Salmonella.
Why
Tartar sauce is mayonnaise with pickles, capers and lemon, so the whole question is what kind of egg went into the mayonnaise. Commercial jars are made with pasteurized egg and are acidic and shelf stable, which is why the FDA's ready-to-eat guidance for pregnancy points people toward store-bought versions and warns specifically about homemade dressings and sauces built on raw egg. The NHS lists raw and lightly cooked egg among foods to be careful with for the same reason, Salmonella, with one useful exception: in the UK, eggs stamped with the British Lion mark are safe to eat raw, so homemade tartar sauce using them is fine. Anywhere else, assume a fresh-made sauce used raw yolks unless the kitchen says otherwise.
Safer alternatives
- a sealed jar of Heinz or Kraft tartar sauce
- Greek yogurt stirred with chopped gherkins, capers and lemon juice
- Hellmann's or Duke's mayonnaise, both made with pasteurized egg, mixed with pickle relish
- lemon wedges and malt vinegar on the fish instead
Sources
- NHS https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/foods-to-avoid/
- FDA https://www.fda.gov/food/people-risk-foodborne-illness/ready-eat-foods-food-safety-moms-be
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 jarred tartar sauce pasteurized?
Yes. Shelf-stable jars are made with pasteurized egg and acidified, which is exactly what makes them safe to keep at room temperature before opening. Refrigerate after opening and use it within the window on the label.
Is the tartar sauce at a fish and chip shop or restaurant safe?
Most chains and takeaways decant it from a commercial tub, which is fine. It is worth a quick question at a place that makes its sauces in house, since a scratch tartar sauce often starts with raw yolks. If you cannot ask, a lemon wedge does the job.
I already ate homemade tartar sauce, should I worry?
Probably not. The odds that any single egg carried Salmonella are low, and an infection announces itself with fever, stomach cramps and diarrhea within a few days rather than passing unnoticed. If nothing happens over that window, nothing happened.
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