Raw Flour Is Unsafe to Eat—Here’s Why
What’s so dangerous about raw flour anyway? It’s not perishable like dairy or meat. But since flour is meant to be cooked, producers assume you will heat it to a temperature that kills most bacteria. Because of this assumption, flour isn’t typically treated to kill bacteria, putting it in the same category as raw meat or uncooked eggs.
Similar to raw eggs, flour can harborSalmonellaas well asE. coli.LikeSalmonella,E. coliis often transmitted through animal waste. While it’s not exactly pleasant to think about animal waste near our food, flour is made from wheat which is grown in fields that are sometimes in very close proximity to where you might find animal waste. Since flour can’t be washed to clean any harmful bacteria off the way veggies can, it’s important to heat it to a temperature where any pathogens can be destroyed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regularly investigates outbreaks of foodborne illness directly connected to consumers eating raw flour—as recently as 2023.
Is It Safe to Eat Raw Eggs?
You might be thinking, “Well, I’ve eaten raw cookie dough many times and never gotten sick!” This may be true; however, bacterial foodborne illness is sneaky. It can present symptoms as soon as just a few hours after eating contaminated food, or as much as a few weeks later. It can be tough to say if that horrible stomachache or other type of gastrointestinal distress was related to that raw cookie dough you sampled a few days ago.
PHOTOGRAPHER: JEN CAUSEY, FOOD STYLIST: EMILY NABORS HALL, PROP STYLIST: PHOEBE HAUSER
Sneaky Sources of Raw Flour
Raw flour is present elsewhere, even if you’re not making cookies from scratch. Baking mixes to make brownies, cakes and pancakes are all sources of raw flour and shouldn’t be eaten raw. Your best bet is to avoid licking the spoon, no matter how tempting it may be, and enjoy your baked goods fully cooked. And as yummy as a brownie with a gooey center sounds, it’s always best to cook it thoroughly to ensure it reaches a safe temperature of 165°. The same goes for a “medium rare” pancake or other baked goods like quick breads and muffins.
Store-bought raw cookie dough, whether in a log ready to slice and bake or shaped into ready-to-bake portions, does not get a pass either. It also contains raw flour (and eggs!), and you should resist the urge to eat it raw.
Joy Bauer’s Fiber-Packed Edible Cookie Dough Is So Simple, It’ll Knock You Off Your Feet
What’s a Raw Cookie Dough Lover to Do?
If you’re reading this with tears welling in your eyes at the thought of never eating raw cookie dough again, don’t fret! If your goal is simply to eat raw cookie dough and only raw cookie dough, try a recipe that has been created for that reason.Edible Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ballsare made with canned chickpeas and nut butter as a base in place of raw flour and eggs and are every bit as satisfying as what you grew up with. Some brands like Nestle have come out with “edible cookie dough” which is safe to eat right out of the package. And cookie dough ice cream is also safe to eat as well.
If you’re going for edible cookie dough that you’re eventually going to bake, you can also buy heat-treated flour that’s safe right out of the bag, but it’s only available in large quantities. And while some sources advise on how to heat-treat your flour at home, the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t recommend this practice, stating that there is no evidence that home treatments are effective at destroying bacteria. And lastly, don’t forget about the raw eggs. Opt for pasteurized-in-the-shell eggs, which are heated in a way that destroys bacteria without cooking the eggs inside.
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!Tell us why!OtherSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Tell us why!OtherSubmit
Tell us why!
SourcesEatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Raw Flour and Dough.2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.SalmonellaOutbreak Linked to Flour.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Timeline for Identifying and Reporting Illnesses in Foodborne Outbreaks.
Sources
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Raw Flour and Dough.2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.SalmonellaOutbreak Linked to Flour.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Timeline for Identifying and Reporting Illnesses in Foodborne Outbreaks.
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Raw Flour and Dough.2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.SalmonellaOutbreak Linked to Flour.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Timeline for Identifying and Reporting Illnesses in Foodborne Outbreaks.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.SalmonellaOutbreak Linked to Flour.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Timeline for Identifying and Reporting Illnesses in Foodborne Outbreaks.
