Is Raw cookie dough & cake batter safe during pregnancy?
Don't eat raw dough or batter — raw flour and raw eggs can carry E. coli and Salmonella. Edible "safe to eat raw" dough is OK.
What the sources say
CDC and FDA say not to taste or eat raw dough or batter (cookies, cakes, brownies, tortillas, pizza, pancakes) because most flour is raw and can carry E. coli or Salmonella, and raw eggs can carry Salmonella. This advice is for everyone. Safer choices: bake it per the recipe, or buy dough labeled "edible" or "safe to eat raw," made with heat-treated flour and pasteurized or no eggs. Store cookie dough ice cream uses treated dough (CDC). FDA says home heat-treating flour isn't reliable.
Common alternatives
Also listed as
cookie dough, raw cookie dough, cake batter, brownie batter, raw batter, licking the spoon, raw dough, unbaked cookies, pancake batter, pie crust dough
Sources
- CDC: Raw Flour and Dough
- FDA: Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to Know
- CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women
- FDA: People at Risk of Foodborne Illness
Last reviewed . This is general information, not medical advice. Ask your doctor or midwife about your own situation.