Yes, commercially sold ice cream in the United States is pasteurized. Federal food standards define ice cream as a product made from a “pasteurized mix,” meaning the dairy base must be heat-treated before freezing. This applies to every brand you’d find in a grocery store, and it’s not optional.
What Federal Law Requires
The FDA’s standard of identity for ice cream, found in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (section 135.110), explicitly describes ice cream as a food produced by freezing a pasteurized mix of dairy ingredients. Any product labeled “ice cream” and sold commercially must meet this standard. The same rule covers frozen custard, which uses egg yolks in addition to the standard dairy base. Because the entire mix is pasteurized together, the eggs get the same heat treatment as the milk and cream.
You won’t always see the word “pasteurized” printed on the carton, though. Unlike fluid milk, where the label typically calls out pasteurization, ice cream packaging isn’t required to spell it out. The FDA’s standard of identity already bakes pasteurization into the definition of the product itself. If it says “ice cream,” the mix was pasteurized.
How the Mix Is Heated
Ice cream mix requires higher pasteurization temperatures than regular drinking milk because it’s denser, with more fat and sugar. There are a few standard methods, and the one a manufacturer uses depends on their scale and equipment.
- Batch (low-temperature) pasteurization: The mix is heated to at least 155°F and held there for 30 minutes. Small-batch and artisan ice cream makers commonly use this method.
- High-temperature, short-time (HTST): The mix reaches at least 175°F and is held for a minimum of 25 seconds. This is the standard for most large commercial operations.
- Higher-heat methods: Some equipment pushes the temperature to 192°F or above with little to no required holding time.
After heating, the mix is rapidly cooled to below 40°F before flavoring, aerating, and freezing. Every licensed ice cream producer, from a seven-gallon artisan operation to a national brand, must use equipment capable of hitting these targets and documenting the process.
Why Pasteurization Matters for Frozen Foods
Freezing does not kill bacteria. A study published in the Journal of Dairy Science tracked Listeria monocytogenes in contaminated ice cream stored at negative 20°C (standard freezer temperature) and found the pathogen survived for at least 36 months with no significant decline in numbers. That research stemmed from a real outbreak linked to contaminated ice cream between 2010 and 2015, which sickened 10 people and caused 3 deaths.
The contamination in that case happened after pasteurization, during processing, not because the mix wasn’t properly heated. This is why pasteurization alone isn’t the whole picture. Sanitation of equipment, production lines, and packaging matters just as much. But pasteurization is the critical first step that eliminates pathogens like Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli from the raw dairy ingredients before they ever reach the freezer.
Soft Serve and Frozen Yogurt
Soft serve starts from the same kind of pasteurized liquid mix as hard ice cream. The difference is that soft serve machines dispense it at a warmer, softer temperature rather than hardening it in a freezer. Many commercial soft serve machines also include a built-in heat treatment cycle that heats and cools the mix daily inside the machine, allowing the product to stay safely dispensable for up to 28 days before the machine needs a full disassembly and cleaning.
The potential risk with soft serve isn’t the mix itself but the machine. If a soft serve or frozen yogurt machine isn’t cleaned properly, bacteria can grow on internal surfaces and contaminate an otherwise safe product. This is a maintenance issue, not a pasteurization issue.
Plant-Based and Non-Dairy Frozen Desserts
Non-dairy ice creams made from oat, coconut, almond, or soy bases go through a similar pasteurization step. The mix is typically heated to 65 to 70°C (roughly 149 to 158°F) for 30 minutes, then homogenized and frozen. While plant-based frozen desserts don’t fall under the same FDA standard of identity as dairy ice cream, manufacturers still apply heat treatment both for safety and to improve the texture and stability of the product.
Homemade Ice Cream Is the Exception
The one situation where ice cream might not be pasteurized is when you make it at home. Recipes that call for raw eggs or raw milk skip the pasteurization step entirely. If you’re making a cooked custard base on the stove, you’re performing a form of heat treatment, but it may not reach the temperatures or holding times that commercial pasteurization demands.
For anyone concerned about food safety, particularly during pregnancy, the FDA advises avoiding unpasteurized milk and foods made from it. Commercial ice cream, because it’s made from a pasteurized mix, is considered safe. The risk comes from unpasteurized dairy products, improperly maintained dispensing equipment, or post-pasteurization contamination during manufacturing.