What Foods Can You Sell Under Michigan Cottage Food Law? (2026 List)
The full MDARD list of what you can and can't sell under Michigan cottage food law, by category, with the surprising edge cases and the rule behind them.
By the Ajinto teamUpdated Facts checked against MCL 289.4102 and MDARD on 10 min read
The short answer
- Michigan cottage foods must stay safe at room temperature; anything needing refrigeration, plus meat, dairy, beverages, and canned or pickled foods, is not allowed.
- Buttercream is allowed only from two lab-tested recipes followed exactly, and cream cheese frosting, cheesecake and pumpkin pie are not allowed.
- Pumpkin bread, sourdough bread, nut butters, freeze-dried candy and full-sugar fruit jams are allowed; pepper jelly, low-sugar jam, fruit butters, caramel apples and sourdough starter are not.
- Honey and maple syrup have their own separate exemptions, and pet treats require a commercial feed license.
- For foods not on MDARD's list, email MDARD-CottageFood@michigan.gov with your ZIP code before selling.
Under Michigan's cottage food law you can sell foods that stay safe at room temperature: breads, cookies, most cakes, cooked fruit pies, fruit jams and jellies, candy, granola, dry mixes, nut butters and dried fruits and herbs. Anything that needs refrigeration is out, including cheesecake, cream cheese frosting, pumpkin pie, meat, dairy, canned or pickled foods, and beverages.
That's the rule of thumb. The trouble is the edge cases, and there are a lot of them. Pumpkin bread is allowed but pumpkin pie isn't. Nut butters are allowed but apple butter isn't. Buttercream is allowed only from two specific recipes. This guide goes through MDARD's allowed-foods list category by category, calls out the surprises, and explains the underlying rule so you can reason about items the list doesn't mention.
What's the rule behind the list?
Cottage foods are non-potentially hazardous foods: foods that don't need time or temperature control to stay safe. In MDARD's words, foods "that can safely be kept at room temperature and do not require refrigeration."
MDARD's FAQ describes a potentially hazardous food (also called a TCS food, for "time/temperature control for safety") as one that:
- contains moisture, meaning a water activity greater than 0.85, and
- is neutral to slightly acidic, meaning a pH between 4.6 and 7.5.
Those conditions are why foods need refrigeration, and they explain most of the "no" answers below. A custard pie is moist and close to neutral. A baked cookie is dry. Fruit jam is acidic, and its sugar keeps the water activity down, which is a likely reason MDARD excludes low-sugar and no-sugar jams (MDARD doesn't state its reasoning).
MDARD's FAQ gives these examples of potentially hazardous foods: meat, poultry, fish, shellfish and crustaceans, eggs, milk and dairy products, cooked plant-based foods (such as cooked rice, beans, vegetables or mushrooms), baked potatoes, raw sprouts, tofu and soy-protein foods, and untreated garlic-and-oil mixtures.
MDARD also excludes whole classes of food: canned, acidified, low-acid and pickled foods. Pickled and acidified foods carry a botulism risk.
The surprising ones at a glance
These are the items people most often guess wrong, per MDARD's list:
| Item | Allowed? | Why it surprises people |
|---|---|---|
| Pumpkin or zucchini bread | Yes | Pumpkin pie isn't |
| Pumpkin pie | No | Custard-style pies need refrigeration |
| Buttercream frosting | Only two lab-tested recipes, followed exactly | Any other buttercream is out |
| Cream cheese frosting | No | Needs refrigeration |
| Bread with shredded hard cheese mixed into the dough | Yes | Soft cheese or large chunks of hard cheese aren't |
| Hot pepper jelly | No | It's a vegetable jelly |
| Low-sugar or no-sugar jam | No | Full-sugar fruit jam is fine |
| Apple butter, pumpkin butter, any fruit butter | No | Nut butters are allowed |
| Peanut or almond butter | Yes | Fruit butters aren't |
| Caramel apples | No | Other chocolate-dipped fruit is listed as allowed |
| Freeze-dried candy | Yes | Freeze-dried dairy, like ice cream, isn't |
| Sourdough bread | Yes | The starter itself can't be sold, even dried |
| Whole or sliced fruit as a cake garnish | Yes | Canned fruit and cut melon aren't |
| Honey and maple syrup | Not cottage foods | They have their own separate exemptions |
| Dog treats | No | Pet food needs a commercial feed license |
Breads and baked goods
This is the biggest category, and most home bakers never leave it.
| Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Baked goods and cookies | Pies or cakes that need refrigeration: banana cream, pumpkin, lemon meringue, custard |
| Cakes, including celebration cakes (birthday, anniversary, wedding, cupcakes) | Cheesecake |
| Shelf-stable pies | Cakes with glaze or frosting that needs refrigeration (no cream cheese frosting) |
| Cooked fruit pies, including crusts made with butter, lard or shortening | Breads with fresh or frozen vegetables |
| Breads | Breads with soft cheese or large chunks of hard cheese |
| Quick breads and muffins (pumpkin or zucchini bread, blueberry muffins) | |
| Breads with shredded hard cheese mixed into the dough before baking | |
| Breads with herbs (fresh or dried), spices, nuts | |
| Breads with finely chopped dried or freeze-dried vegetables or fruits in the dough |
MDARD spells out one specific recipe: jalapeño cheddar bread is allowed if the cheese is shredded hard cheese mixed into the dough, and the jalapeños are chopped or pulverized and then dried, freeze-dried, or commercially pickled and patted dry before going into the raw dough.
Sourdough bread is fine. What you can't sell is the starter (see the fermented section).
Icing and frosting
Frosting trips up more cake sellers than anything else.
| Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Icings and frostings made entirely of shelf-stable ingredients that don't need refrigeration | Frostings made with ingredients that need refrigeration |
| Commercially prepared shelf-stable frostings | Any buttercream other than the two approved recipes or a commercial shelf-stable one |
| Buttercream from one of two lab-tested recipes, followed exactly | Cream cheese frostings or icings |
The two buttercream recipes MDARD accepts are:
- Kansas State University, "Simple Buttercream Frosting" (free download).
- Texas "Come and Bake It," "American Buttercream Frosting" (available for purchase).
"Exactly" means exactly: no changes in the proportions of ingredients, no subtractions, and no additions other than food coloring or flavoring extracts. If you want to sell buttercream cakes, pick one of these two and don't adjust it. The guide to selling cakes from home in Michigan covers cake-specific questions in more depth.
Candy, confections and syrups
| Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Candies and confections made without alcohol | Caramel apples |
| Cotton candy | Confections containing alcohol, such as liqueur-filled chocolates or truffles made with spirits |
| Chocolate-covered pretzels, marshmallows, graham crackers, Rice Krispies treats, strawberries, pineapple, bananas | Simple syrups |
| Coated or uncoated nuts | Elderberry syrup |
| Hard candies, lollipops, peppermints | |
| Maple candy | |
| Freeze-dried candy | |
| Flavored maple syrups and flavored honey |
Flavorings and extracts (for example, rum flavoring) are fine. Actual alcoholic beverages as an ingredient are not.
Jams and jellies
| Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Fruit jams and jellies (as defined in 21 CFR part 150) in glass jars, stable at room temperature | Vegetable jams and jellies, such as hot pepper jelly |
| Low-sugar or no-sugar jams and jellies | |
| Other non-fruit jams and jellies | |
| Fruit or vegetable butters |
MDARD ties the allowed list to the federal standard for fruit jams and jellies in 21 CFR part 150, and separately rules out low-sugar and no-sugar versions. So a traditional strawberry jam qualifies and a reduced-sugar version doesn't. More in how to sell jam from home in Michigan.
Condiments, vinegars and oils
| Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Vinegar and flavored vinegars | Sauces and condiments: BBQ sauce, hot sauce, ketchup, mustard |
| Peanut, almond and similar nut butters made from ground nuts | Salad dressings |
| Oils flavored with dried herbs or spices only | Salsas, tomato sauces, spaghetti sauces |
| Apple butter, pumpkin butter or any fruit butter | |
| Hummus | |
| Oils flavored with fresh herbs, fresh fruit or vegetables, or garlic (fresh or dried) |
MDARD's FAQ lists untreated garlic-and-oil mixtures as potentially hazardous, and its allowed list excludes garlic, fresh or dried, from flavored oils.
Dried, dehydrated and freeze-dried products
| Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Granola | Tinctures, or herbal teas with dosing instructions or health claims |
| Dry herbs and herb mixtures | Dried or freeze-dried sourdough starter |
| Dry baking, dip, soup and bread mixes | Dried or freeze-dried melon, tomato or leafy greens |
| Dehydrated or freeze-dried fruits and vegetables (except melon, tomato, leafy greens) | Freeze-dried dairy, or anything that needs refrigeration before it's freeze-dried (such as ice cream) |
| Dried pasta, with or without eggs | |
| Herbal teas sold as ordinary food, with no health claims | |
| Shelf-stable dry bulk mixes, repackaged | |
| Freeze-dried candy and other shelf-stable novelties |
MDARD notes that teas and tinctures sold with health claims or dosing instructions may be regulated as dietary supplements, which require a license.
Fermented foods
Only vinegar and flavored vinegars are allowed. No kombucha, no olives, no fermented foods or beverages, and no sourdough starter in any form. Sourdough bread, baked, is a baked good and is allowed.
Fruits and vegetables
| Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Whole and sliced dehydrated fruits | Canned fruits or vegetables (such as canned peaches or salsa) |
| Whole or sliced fruit as a garnish on a cake or pastry | Fruit and vegetable butters (pumpkin, apple) |
| Baked fruit pies and pastries | Cut or dehydrated melon or tomatoes |
| Dehydrated vegetables (except cut tomatoes, cut leafy greens, sprouts) | Cut tomatoes or chopped or shredded leafy greens |
| Vegetable or herb chips, such as kale or root vegetable chips | Products made with cooked vegetables |
| Cultivated or wild-foraged mushrooms, raw or dried | Raw sprouts |
Wild-foraged mushrooms come with a condition: you must be able to prove they were identified by a certified mushroom expert.
Beverages, frozen foods, meat, pickles and everything else
Beverages. Allowed: powdered drink mixes, dry tea mixes, and ground coffee or roasted coffee beans. Not allowed: any beverage, including juice, kombucha, apple cider and lemonade, and no concentrates.
Frozen products. Nothing frozen, and no ice.
Meat and fish. None, including jerky, dehydrated meat and smoked fish.
Pickled products. None: pickles, relish, sauerkraut, pickled beets or peppers, and fruit or vegetable salsas.
Other allowed items. Popcorn, roasted coffee, and flavoring extracts such as vanilla.
Other not-allowed items. Milk and dairy products like cheese and yogurt, fresh pasta, CBD or cannabis foods, dietary supplements, and pet food or treats.
Honey, maple syrup and pet treats
Three products people expect to sell as cottage food fall under different rules:
- Honey and maple syrup aren't cottage foods. MDARD says they have their own licensing exemptions with significant differences. (Flavored honey and flavored maple syrup are on the cottage food allowed list.)
- Pet food and treats, including dog biscuits, need a commercial feed license to make in a home kitchen. They can't be sold under the cottage food exemption.
What if your food isn't on the list?
MDARD's list is long but not exhaustive. For something it doesn't mention, work through three questions:
- Does it need to be refrigerated after it's made to stay safe? If yes, it isn't a cottage food.
- Is it moist and close to neutral pH? A water activity above 0.85 with a pH between 4.6 and 7.5 is the potentially hazardous zone MDARD describes.
- Is it canned, acidified, pickled, fermented (other than vinegar), frozen, a beverage, meat, fish or a dairy product like cheese or yogurt, or made with cooked vegetables or alcohol? Those are excluded by category.
If you still aren't sure, ask MDARD directly: email MDARD-CottageFood@michigan.gov with a description of the product, how it's made and stored, and your ZIP code, or call 800-292-3939. Get the answer in writing before you sell.
A Traverse City maker thinking about cherry salsa, for example, would stop at question 3: salsas are listed as not allowed. A cherry jam made to the federal jam standard, on the other hand, is on the list.
Once you know what you can sell
Everything you make still needs a compliant label before it's sold; the Michigan cottage food label requirements guide walks through every element. For the full picture of the law, including where you can sell and the sales limit, see the Michigan cottage food law guide. New to this? Start with what cottage food is.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell cheesecake under Michigan cottage food law?
No. MDARD's list excludes cheesecake, along with any cake or pie that needs refrigeration.
Can I sell cupcakes with buttercream frosting in Michigan?
Only if the buttercream is one of the two lab-tested recipes MDARD accepts (Kansas State University's "Simple Buttercream Frosting" or Come and Bake It's "American Buttercream Frosting"), made exactly as written, or a commercially prepared shelf-stable frosting. Cream cheese frosting isn't allowed.
Can I sell dog treats as cottage food in Michigan?
No. Pet food and treats require a commercial feed license, so they aren't covered by the cottage food exemption.
Can I sell pepper jelly under Michigan cottage food law?
No. Hot pepper jelly is a vegetable jelly, which MDARD's list excludes. Only fruit jams and jellies made to the federal standard are allowed, and low-sugar versions are out.
Can I sell sourdough starter in Michigan?
No. Sourdough starter, including dried or freeze-dried starter, isn't allowed. Baked sourdough bread is.
Can I sell tamales, empanadas or other foods with meat?
No. Meat, poultry and fish are potentially hazardous foods, so anything containing them falls outside the cottage food exemption.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Sources
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules can change; confirm anything you're unsure about with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD-CottageFood@michigan.gov). Ajinto is not affiliated with MDARD or MSU. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at hello@ajinto.com.