Can you eat Hollandaise sauce when pregnant?

Find out if it's safe to eat Hollandaise sauce during pregnancy, plus precautions to take to keep you and your baby healthy.

The official advice on eating Hollandaise sauce in pregnancy

Yes, Hollandaise sauce is safe to eat during pregnancy – providing it has been made with pasteurised or British Lion eggs.

Hollandaise sauce is a delicious creamy blend of egg yolks, melted butter and lemon juice. Sometimes it's seasoned with cayenne pepper, and it often also includes white wine vinegar.

Shop-bought Hollandaise

Most shop-bought Hollandaise sauces, including supermarket-own brands, will be made using pasteurised eggs, meaning they are safe to eat during pregnancy. Pasteurisation is a heat-treatment process designed to kill off any harmful bacteria that could cause food poisoning.

Homemade Hollandaise

Hollandaise sauce is usually made with raw eggs. According to the NHS, raw eggs are not safe to eat during pregnancy unless they carry the British Lion stamp.

This is because raw eggs can contain harmful salmonellae bacteria. Although salmonella is unlikely to harm your growing baby, it can cause food poisoning and make you very unwell.

Play video

Pregnant?

Our week-by-week PREGNANCY emails are a must for parents-to-be

Email address

Your due date

Are you the mum, dad, partner, grandparent, surrogate?

Mum Dad Partner Grandparent Surrogate

How many children do you have?

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10+

I agree to Netmums processing my Sensitive Personal Data for the purpose of sending me Pregnancy Newsletters.

Please tick if you would like to receive news, offers and information from our trusted and carefully selected partners that we think you might like.

I have read and understood Netmums' Privacy Notice and Terms & Conditions

Sign up

Eggs with the British Lion stamp come from hens that have been vaccinated against salmonella, so the risk of food poisoning is extremely low. These eggs are safe to eat raw in recipes like Hollandaise sauce.

If you're making Hollandaise sauce at home, always use British Lion eggs. You can ask about this if you have Hollandaise sauce at a restaurant too.

Delicious egg recipes

Love eggs? Why not try one of these great pregnancy-safe recipes? Just be sure to use British Lion eggs, to be on the safe side.

• Cheesy eggs and tomatoes
• Perfect poached eggs
• Baked eggs
• Alpine eggs with spinach
• Perfect boiled eggs

The Day-by-Day Pregnancy Book: Count Down Your Pregnancy Day by Day by Dr Maggie Blott is packed full of advice from a team of experts to help guide you through your pregnancy from conception to birth. See more details here at Amazon.

Take a look at

Foods to avoid in pregnancy: your definitive guide

Confused about what you can and can't eat during pregnancy? These are the foods and drinks you should avoid or cut down on to protect your baby.

View gallery

Looking for more pregnancy diet info? Check out our articles below, or swap tips with other mums-to-be in our forum.

Related stories

What to eat and drink during your pregnancy

CHAT: Pregnancy

Your complete A-Z of pregnancy food and drink safety