Is It Safe To Eat Cheesecake During Pregnancy?

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Cheesecake is a cheesy Greek dessert made by mixing soft and cream cheeses like Ricotta and mascarpone with eggs and sugar. If you love sweets, you might crave cheesecake during pregnancy often. But before taking a piece of that white delight on your plate, ascertaining its safety is vital. Cheesecakes have several varieties, some of which are made with unpasteurized dairy.

Eating unpasteurized dairy and its products can increase the risk of foodborne illnesses such as food poisoning. Read on as we tell you more about the safety of cheesecake for pregnant women and the types of cheesecake you can eat during pregnancy.

Is It Safe To Eat Cheesecake When Pregnant?

It is safe to eat cheesecake if it is not made of unpasteurized cheese, and if it is baked so that it does not contain raw eggs. Pregnant women can also eat basic cream cheesecakes.

You should avoid cheesecakes made with unpasteurized cheese during pregnancy, as they contain harmful bacteria like listeria, which may cause listeriosis. According to a study that was conducted by the U.S Food and Drug Administration, Pregnant women are about 10 times more likely to get listeriosis than other healthy adults. This condition resembles meningitisⁱInflammation of the protective membranes and fluid that surround the brain and spinal cord. or influenzaⁱA contagious viral infection of the nose, throat, and lungs. , and, if not treated on time, can cause miscarriage, illness, and fetal death.

Unpasteurized dairy products also contain E.coli bacteria, which leads to diarrhea. If this condition is not treated on time, it can cause anemia, which affects the healthy growth of your baby (1).

It is also not safe to eat cheesecake made of raw eggs. They contain harmful salmonella bacteria which may lead to salmonella poisoningⁱA foodborne infection caused by the bacteria salmonella, characterized by nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, fever, and headache. . Though it does not harm your baby in any way, it can affect your health.

What Kind Of Cheesecake Can You Eat?

When unpasteurized cheeses and raw eggs are not the right options, you may be wondering about the kinds you can consume.

• When pregnant, baked cheesecake is the best to opt as it contains pasteurizedⁱProducts that are made bacteria and pathogen-free by heating at controlled temperatures for a specific duration. milk and cooked eggs. It will thus not cause any risk of listeriosisⁱA severe illness that may occur after consuming raw or unpasteurized foods contaminated by a bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes. , E.coli or salmonella infections. You can eat the delicious treats of strawberry, chocolate or blueberry flavors in baked form.

• Cheesecake with no eggs and pasteurized cheese is another option.

• Cheesecakes containing ricotta and mascarpone cheeses are also good choices as they are pasteurized before using.

• Mass-produced cheesecakes, available in supermarkets, are also a good option. They always contain pasteurized milk and cooked eggs. However, checking the ingredients before purchasing is always a good idea to ensure your satisfaction and safety.

Remember that cheesecake is a high-calorie dessert. So, have it in limited quantities. A healthy weight gain is essential for the mother and baby’s well-being.

Nutritional Benefits Of Eating Cheesecake During Pregnancy

Cheesecake contains a few simple basic ingredients: cream cheese, eggs, sugar, sour cream and vanilla extract. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), one serving, slice or one-sixth of the whole cheesecake contains 257 calories, 20g carbohydrates, 18g fat, 4g protein, and 40 mg calcium (2).

Most of the carbohydrates in cheesecake come from sugars. Cream cheese is high in fat content and sour cream contains about 20% of total fat in a cheesecake.

10 Easy Cheesecake Recipes

1. Homemade Cheesecake

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Let’s take a look at a simple recipe for preparing homemade baked cheesecake that will surely satisfy your sweet tooth cravings.

You will need:

• 24 ounces cream cheese
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
• ¾ cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter

How to:

1. Take the cream cheese out of the refrigerator and give it adequate time to soften.
2. To make the crust, preheat your microwave at the temperature of 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Crush the Graham cracker using a rolling pin.
4. Put the Graham cracker crumbs in a large mixing bowl.
5. Melt the butter and pour it into the mixing bowl slowly.
6. Mix the content using your hands. Press the mixture into the bottom of your pie pan and place it in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
7. To make the cheesecake batter, take another bowl and add cream cheese, lemon juice, granulated sugar and vanilla extract. Blend the mixture well.
8. Separate the egg whites from the yellow yolks carefully. Beat the egg whites at high speed to obtain a fluffy mixture.
9. Add the yellow egg yolks to your cheesecake batter and mix well.
10. Add the ¼ proportion of the egg white fluffy mixture into the batter and blend it properly. Slowly add the remaining egg whites and fold the mixture well.
11. Pour the mixture into the pie pan and place it in the oven (300 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 45 minutes.
12. During the process of baking, the cheesecake mixture rises and develops a fluffy texture.
13. After 45 minutes of baking, let it stand for 15 minutes before you take it out of the microwave oven.
14. Put the cheesecake in the refrigerator and serve cold.

Quick tip

Use room-temperature cream cheese and eggs as they blend smoothly, preventing the cheesecake from becoming lumpy.

 2. Lemon Cheesecake

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You will need:

• ½ cup skim milk
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Lemon zest

How to:

1. Mix gelatin, water, and lemon juice in a bowl. Pour the content into the blender and blend for two minutes to soften the gelatin.
2. Add skim milk to the mixture, until the gelatin gets dissolved properly.
3. Add the egg whites, lemon juice, vanilla extract, sugar, and cottage cheese and blend the mixture, until it gets smooth.
4. Pour the mixture into the pie plate and refrigerate for about 2 to 3 hours.
5. Garnish it with some lemon zest before you serve it to enhance the flavor and fragrance.

3. Chocolate Cheesecake

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You will need:

• 150g digestive biscuits
• 200g cream cheese
• 150g dark melted chocolate
• 100mg whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 45g butter
• 110g caster sugar, divided
• 150g dark chocolate melted and cooled

How to:

1. Crush the digestive biscuits to a fine powder.
2. Add melted butter and castor sugar to the crushed biscuits. Mix the content well to obtain a smooth batter.
3. Put the dough in a cake tin and place it to refrigerate.
4. Whip the cream and add melted chocolate and cocoa powder to the mixture. Blend the mixture properly.
5. Beat the cream cheese and remaining sugar in another bowl. Fold the chocolate mixture and mix it with the cheese mixture.
6. Spread the content on top of the crushed biscuits layer and refrigerate for about one hour.
7. Your chocolate cheesecake is ready to serve.

Quick tip

Use coarsely ground nuts, such as almonds to make the crust for enhanced taste, texture, and nutritional value.

4. Blueberry Cheesecake

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You will need:

• 100 grams Marie biscuits
• ¾ cup blueberry crush
• 200mg fresh cream
• 4 tablespoon butter
• 200 grams hung curd
• 2 tablespoon gelatin
• 1 cup of water

How to:

1. Melt the butter using a microwave oven.
2. Crush the Marie biscuits to obtain a fine powder.
3. Mix the melted butter along with the crushed biscuits. Place the mixture in a greased cake tin.
4. Put the cake tin to refrigerate until the mixture gets hardened and well-built.
5. Use an electric beater to blend the mixture of hung curd, cream, and blueberry crush thoroughly. After blending the mixture gets creamy and smooth.
6. Melt the gelatin using a microwave and slowly pour the gelatin into the creamy mixture of cheese and curd.
7. Beat the mixture properly and pour the content into the cake tin filled with the biscuit-butter layer.
8. Set the cake tin to refrigerate and let the content set properly.
9. You can decorate your blueberry cheesecake using chocolate chips, whipped cream, and blueberry slices. Your blueberry cheesecake is ready to serve.

5. Plain Eggless Cheesecake

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You will need:

• ¾ cup of cream cheese
• 1 cup quark made from skimmed and pasteurized milk
• 1 whole lemon juice
• 250mg skimmed milk
• ½ tsp vanilla essence
• 6 Nutrichoice oats or Multigrain cookies
• ½ cup china grass milk jelly mix
• Sweet according to taste
• Crush the Nutrichoice oats or Multigrain cookies. Spread the crushed biscuits into a baking tin.
• Use an electric blender to whip the cream cheese and milk quark, until you obtain a smooth, creamy mixture.

How to:

1. Mix vanilla essence, milk and china grass in a separate container and put the mixture on the heater. Bring the content to boil.
2. Cool down the mixture.
3. Add the cheese mixture in a bowl and blend again. Add icing sugar or sweetener according to your taste.
4. Lastly, add lemon juice and mix the content well.
5. Pour the mixture over the layer of crushed cookies and put it in the oven. Bake the content in the oven at 175 degrees for 12 minutes.
6. Take out the baking tin and let it cool down.
7. After the mixture cools down, put it in the refrigerator for about one hour.
8. Your eggless cheesecake is ready to serve.

6. Gourmet Cheesecake

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You will need:

• 125g crushed Amaretti biscuits
• 150mg crème fraîche
• 90g caster sugar
• 250g light soft cheese
• 60g unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 250g mascarpone
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 egg yolk
• 125ml boiling water
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
• 2 tablespoons coffee
• 7 sponge fingers

For the topping:

• 150ml curd
• 15g unsalted butter
• 125g plain chocolate
• 60g caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon coffee
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

How to:

1. Preheat the oven at a temperature of 200 degrees C.
2. Grease the cake using butter and keep it aside.
3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan on low heat flame. Pour the melted butter into crushed Amaretti biscuits. Mix the content well.
4. Pour the content into the baking tin and keep it to refrigerate.
5. Mix the soft cheese, crème fraîche, vanilla essence and mascarpone in a large spread bowl. Now add flour, sugar, eggs and egg yolk to the mixture and blend properly.
6. Pour the smooth batter into the tin container containing the biscuit layer.
7. Put the coffee granules into boiling water and bring it to boil, until the coffee dissolves. Pour the mixture into a small bowl and add the coffee liquor.
8. Dip the sponge finger one after the other into the coffee mixture and put them on a plate.
9. Place the soaked sponge fingers on top of the cheese mixture into the baking tin.
10. Pour the remaining cheese mixture on the layer of sponge fingers and level it properly.
11. Bake the content in the preheated oven for about twenty minutes. Bring down the temperature of the oven to 140°C and bake it for another thirty minutes.
12. To prepare the topping, mix the butter, sugar and curd in a small saucepan. Put the saucepan on a heater and slowly add coffee liquor and chocolate. Stir the mixture constantly for about two to three minutes. Let the mixture cool and then place it to refrigerate. Once cool, pour the mix into a piping bag and decorate the upper layer of your cheesecake. Add cocoa powder, before serving.
13. Your Gourmet Cheesecake with chocolate topping is ready to serve.

7. Swirled Cheesecake Brownies

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You will need:

• 1 tablespoon flour
• 4 ounces fat cream cheese
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon pasteurized yogurt
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup wheat pastry flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 egg whites
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
• ¼ cup coffee

How to:

1. Preheat the microwave oven at a temperature of 350 degrees F.
2. Grease the baking tray using cooking oil or butter.
3. To prepare the topping, put the cream cheese in a bowl and blend it to obtain a smooth and creamy mixture.
4. Add sugar, flour, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla extract and blend the content properly.
5. To prepare the brownie layer, add whole-wheat flour, a pinch of salt and cocoa powder in a bowl. Put egg whites and brown sugar in another large bowl and whip it using an electric mixer. Add coffee, vanilla extract, and canola oil to the egg white mixture and blend the content well. Add the dry mixture of wheat and cocoa powder into the egg mixture and fold the contents carefully.
6. Pour half the brownie batter into the preheated baking tray. Now, slowly pour the topping mixture and level it. Drop the remaining content of the brownie batter in the baking tray. Use knife to create swirling effect on the top layer of the brownie batter.
7. Bake the contents for about twenty minutes. Take out the tray and let it cool for another one hour.
8. Your Swirled Cheesecake Brownies are ready to serve.

8. Squash Cheesecake Bars

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You will need:

• 8 ounces nonfat cream cheese
• 9 crackers
• ½ cup squash puree
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ cup oats
• Sugar according to taste
• 3 tablespoons flour
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons nonfat milk
• ¼ teaspoon salt

How to:

1. Preheat the oven at a temperature of 350 degrees F. Grease the baking tray using cooking spray.
2. Put the crackers, sugar, flour, oats and butter in a food processor and grind the content into a fine powder. Add milk to moist the mixture and to obtain a smooth batter.
3. Pour the batter into the baking tray and put in the oven for about ten minutes. After baking, take the tray out of the oven and put it aside to cool.
4. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 325 degrees F.Blend the cream cheese and sugar using an electric mixer. Put the squash puree and eggs into the mixture and blend properly.
5. Lastly, add vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon and flour and beat the mixture well.
6. Pour the mixture of squash puree and eggs on top of the crackers mixture and put it in the oven for another 35 minutes.
7. Let the content cool down and cut them into even shaped bars.
8. Before serving, decorate your cheesecake bars with squash puree on the top.

9. Strawberry Cheesecake

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You will need:

For the crust:

• 1 ¼ cups finely ground graham cracker
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons melted whipped butter
• A pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons pancake syrup

For the cream cheese filling:

• 8 ounces of low-fat cream cheese
• 2 cups sliced strawberries
• 2 large eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 2/3 cups sugar
• ½ teaspoon almond extract

For the sour cream topping:

• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

How to:

1. Preheat the oven at a temperature of 350 degrees C.
2. Grease the baking tray using canola oil.
3. Put cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter and pinch of salt to a food processor. Blend the mixture well. Pour the content into the baking tray and set aside.
4. Add cream cheese, eggs, egg whites, almond extract, and sugar in as large mixing bowl and blend it properly. After attaining a fluffy mixture, place it on top of the biscuit layer.
5. Bake the content for about half an hour. Give a standing time of twenty minutes and let the cheesecake cool down.
6. Add sliced strawberries on top of the cold cheesecake.
7. To make the topping, mix sour cream, sugar and vanilla essence in a small bowl. Spread the topping on top of the cheesecake. Bake for another ten minutes.
8. Your strawberry cheesecake with sour cream topping is ready to serve.

Quick tip

Line the tin with non-stick aluminum foil to prevent cake from sticking and make it easy to remove.

10. Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

Image: Shutterstock

You will need:

For the crust:

• ½ cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
• 2¼ cups of graham cracker crumbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoon granulated sugar

For the filling:

• 1 ounce softened cream cheese
• 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 15 ounce pure pumpkin can
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 eggs

For the topping:

• 1½ cups sour cream
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• Candied ginger for garnish

How to:

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees C. Grease a 9- or 9½-inch deep pie dish. Mix the crumbs, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add butter and mix it well. It should look like wet sand.
2. In the pie dish, add the above mixture and press it to make it an even and firm layer. Bake it for 12-15 minutes until it becomes dark and firm. Lower the oven’s heat to 325 degrees C.
3. Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer or hand mixer. Add sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and salt. Beat till the cream is smooth. Add the pumpkin and beat, then add eggs until everything is well combined.
4. Pour the above filling into the pie dish with the baked crust. Spread it evenly and bake for 40-45 minutes.
5. For the topping, combine sugar and turmeric in a bowl and mix it well. Then add sour cream and mix it gently till it gives a golden tint.
6. Spread the above topping on the baked filling and bake it again for five minutes. Cool the cheesecake completely and refrigerate it for two hours. Garnish with candied ginger.

Infographic: Useful Tips To Safely Eat Cheesecake While Pregnant

Cheesecake is a mouth-watering delicacy that can enchant anyone with its aroma and appealing look. So, if you’re craving cheesecake, you can surely enjoy this dessert after considering some things. Check out the infographic below for useful tips about eating cheesecake during pregnancy.

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Illustration: Can You Eat Cheesecake When Pregnant: Cravings And Effects

Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team

If you’re pregnant and curious about cheese, familiarize yourself with the recommended guidelines on consuming cheese while expecting a baby.

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Claudia WilsonMS, RDN, CSSD, CSCS

Claudia Wilson is a registered dietitian/ nutritionist, a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Nutrition (CSSD), and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). With an experience of 12 years, she currently manages her private practice All of Nutrition and authored One-Two Punch.

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Swati PatwalM.Sc. (Food & Nutrition), MBA

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Rebecca MalachiBSc

Rebecca is a pregnancy writer and editor with a passion for delivering research-based and engaging content in areas of fertility, pregnancy, birth, and post-pregnancy. She did her graduation in Biotechnology and Genetics from Loyola Academy, Osmania University and obtained a certification in ‘Nutrition and Lifestyle in Pregnancy’ from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU).

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Reshmi Das has over four years of experience as a clinical coordinator, medical content writer and medical conference coordinator. Her continuous interest in medical journals and writing makes her write well-researched articles for MomJunction.

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