Can you eat zabaglione while pregnant?
Not advisedNo, skip zabaglione during pregnancy. The yolks are barely cooked, so Salmonella can survive, and the Marsala wine stays in the finished dessert.
Why
Zabaglione is egg yolks, sugar and Marsala whisked over a water bath only until it foams and thickens, which almost never brings the eggs to the 160°F that FoodSafety.gov sets for egg dishes, so Salmonella can survive the whisking. The NHS asks for eggs to be cooked until white and yolk are solid unless they carry a British Lion stamp, and a foamy warm custard fails that test. The Marsala is the second problem: a few minutes of gentle heat does not drive the alcohol off, and the NHS position is that no amount of alcohol is known to be safe in pregnancy. Two separate risks in one spoon is why this one is a no rather than a sometimes.
Safer alternatives
- crème caramel or flan, baked until fully set
- shop-bought UHT vanilla custard made with pasteurized egg
- panna cotta
- sabayon whisked from pasteurized egg yolks with white grape juice instead of Marsala
- vanilla gelato with sliced strawberries
Sources
- NHS https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/foods-to-avoid/
- NHS https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/drinking-alcohol-while-pregnant/
- FoodSafety.gov https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/safe-minimum-internal-temperatures
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
Does the alcohol cook out of zabaglione?
Not enough of it. The custard is held over gentle steam for only a few minutes and never boils, so a meaningful share of the Marsala is still there when it reaches the bowl. The NHS advises no alcohol at all in pregnancy, so the safest move is a version made without it.
What if the zabaglione was made with pasteurized eggs?
Pasteurized yolks remove the Salmonella half of the problem, which is real progress. The Marsala is still in there, though, so it only becomes an option if the kitchen also made it alcohol free. Ask about both, not just the eggs.
Is tiramisu any safer than zabaglione?
Classic tiramisu carries the same two risks, since the mascarpone cream is built on raw or barely cooked yolks and often a splash of Marsala or rum, plus coffee in the ladyfingers. Some restaurants and supermarkets make it with pasteurized egg and no alcohol, and those versions are fine. If nobody can tell you how it was made, treat it like zabaglione.
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