Tiramisu
Shop-bought tiramisu is safe during pregnancy, but traditional homemade or restaurant tiramisu is usually made with raw egg yolks and whites, so it's worth checking before you order or make it.
Last updated: October 2026 Cross-checked against NHS guidance
Tiramisu is a genuine raw-egg dessert in its traditional form — the classic recipe whips raw egg yolks with sugar and folds in raw egg whites to make the light, airy mascarpone cream, with no cooking step at any point. This is different from a baked dessert, where heat eliminates the Salmonella risk raw egg can carry. Supermarket and shop-bought tiramisu in the UK is almost always made with pasteurised egg specifically because of this, which makes it safe to eat during pregnancy. Restaurant and homemade tiramisu is more of a mixed picture — some Italian restaurants and home cooks still use raw eggs in the traditional way, while others have switched to pasteurised egg or an egg-free mascarpone cream recipe. There's also the coffee and marsala wine or rum typically used to soak the sponge fingers: the small amount of alcohol in a single portion is generally considered low-risk, similar to other alcohol-in-cooking guidance, though you may prefer to ask whether a particular tiramisu uses alcohol if you'd rather avoid it entirely.
What to be aware of
- Shop-bought tiramisu is safe — it's made with pasteurised egg.
- Restaurant or homemade tiramisu may use raw egg in the traditional recipe — ask if you're unsure, or choose a dessert you know is egg-free or pasteurised.
- Tiramisu typically contains a small amount of alcohol (coffee liqueur, marsala, or rum) in the soaked sponge — generally low-risk in a normal portion, but ask if you'd rather avoid it.
Safe substitutes for Tiramisu during pregnancy
If you're craving tiramisu but it's off the menu for now, these are safe swaps that still feel like a proper meal:
- Shop-bought tiramisu — Supermarket tiramisu is made with pasteurised egg and is a safe way to enjoy the same flavours at home.
US guidance
FDA guidance follows the same raw-egg distinction — commercially produced tiramisu made with pasteurised egg is safe, while a traditional raw-egg homemade version carries the standard Salmonella caution.