Can you eat unpasteurized butter while pregnant?
Not advisedAvoid unpasteurized butter during pregnancy. Butter churned from raw cream can carry Listeria, so switch to butter made from pasteurized cream, which is what almost every supermarket brand uses.
Why
Butter made from raw, unpasteurized cream has never been heated enough to kill Listeria, and the bacteria survives cold storage, so a tub in the fridge does not get safer with time. Listeria infection in pregnancy is often mild for you but can cross the placenta and cause miscarriage, stillbirth or serious newborn illness, which is why the CDC tells pregnant people to avoid all unpasteurized dairy and the NHS puts raw milk products on its foods to avoid list. Pasteurized butter carries none of this risk, and the label will say pasteurized cream in the ingredients.
Safer alternatives
- Kerrygold pure Irish butter, made from pasteurized cream
- Land O'Lakes salted butter
- Président unsalted butter
- Plugrá European-style pasteurized butter
- Extra virgin olive oil for cooking and bread dipping
Sources
- CDC https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/prevention/index.html
- NHS https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/foods-to-avoid/
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
How do I tell if butter is pasteurized?
Check the ingredient list for pasteurized cream or pasteurized milk. Nearly all butter sold in US and UK supermarkets is pasteurized, and raw milk butter is a specialty item that has to be labeled as raw or unpasteurized.
Does baking with unpasteurized butter make it safe?
Yes, if the butter reaches a high temperature throughout, as it does inside a cake, cookie or pastry baked all the way through. The risk is in spreading it cold on toast or stirring it into a finished sauce off the heat.
I ate unpasteurized butter before I knew. Should I worry?
The odds of that single serving carrying Listeria are low, and most exposures cause nothing at all. Keep an eye out for fever, chills, muscle aches or flu-like symptoms over the next few weeks and get checked if any appear, since Listeria responds well to antibiotics.
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Get instant verdicts on any foodpregAI is informational only and is not medical advice. Always check with your doctor or midwife about anything specific to your pregnancy.