can I eat goat's cheese?
It depends on the type. Soft, rinded goat's cheese (chèvre with a white mould rind) should be avoided cold but is fine cooked until steaming. Rindless pasteurised goat's cheese — the spreadable kind — and hard goat's cheese are both safe.
why it matters
The white rind on traditional chèvre marks it as mould-ripened, giving it the same listeria-friendly conditions as brie. Rindless pasteurised goat's cheese doesn't have this problem, and hard goat's cheeses are too dry and acidic for listeria to grow.
how to have it safely
Goat's cheese tart, grilled chèvre salad or baked rounds — cooked until steaming hot — are safe. Cold, choose rindless pasteurised soft goat's cheese (the log or tub without a mould rind) or a hard goat's cheese.
worth knowing
- The rind is the tell: white mould rind = cook it; no rind + pasteurised = safe cold.
- Check for pasteurisation — goat's cheese from small producers and markets is sometimes raw-milk.
- Grilled goat's cheese starters in restaurants are typically cooked hot enough to be safe.
- The same logic applies to sheep's milk cheeses — it's the ripening style and pasteurisation that matter, not the animal.
common questions
Can I eat goat's cheese on a pizza or in a tart while pregnant?
Yes — baked until steaming hot, any goat's cheese is safe, rind or no rind. Heat eliminates the listeria risk that applies to the cold, mould-ripened kind.
How do I tell if goat's cheese is mould-ripened?
Look for a soft, white, slightly wrinkled rind — like a miniature brie. Spreadable goat's cheese in tubs or rindless logs is fresh cheese and safe cold if pasteurised.
also in dairy & eggs
Aligned with guidance from the NHS, FDA and WHO. This is general information, not personal medical advice — check with your midwife or doctor about your own situation. How we write.