How long honey, flour, sugar, oils, and other pantry staples last

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Most pantry staples keep for months to years, and a few, like sugar and salt, are listed as indefinite. The times come from the USDA’s FoodKeeper app data. Honey keeps its best quality for 12 months and stays safe after that, and white flour gets 6 to 12 months.

Some FoodKeeper times count from the date of purchase, which is the day you bought the item. Others count from the day you open it. The table below lists both, and the sections after it cover each staple.

How long do pantry staples last?

Honey keeps its best quality for 12 months, white flour lasts 6 to 12 months, and sugar and salt last indefinitely. The table shows the pantry time and the time after opening for each staple.

Does honey go bad or expire?

Honey keeps its best quality for up to 12 months, and it’s still safe to eat after that. After 12 months the quality may not be as good, according to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Treat 12 months as a quality guide, not a safety cutoff.

Is crystallized honey safe to eat?

Yes, crystallized honey is safe to eat. The USDA’s FSIS says honey can become cloudy, crystallized, or solidified, and that is not a safety problem.

How do you decrystallize honey?

Warm the honey in the microwave or in a pan of hot water to clear or melt it. The USDA’s FSIS names both ways for honey that has turned cloudy, crystallized, or solid.

Does honey need to be refrigerated?

No, USDA FoodKeeper lists honey for pantry storage and gives it no fridge time. If it turns cloudy or crystallized, that’s not a safety problem.

Does flour go bad?

White flour lasts 6 to 12 months in the pantry from the date of purchase, and 6 to 8 months after you open it. Opened white flour keeps 1 year in the fridge.

How long does whole wheat flour last?

Whole wheat flour keeps 3 to 6 months in the pantry, according to USDA FoodKeeper. Once opened, it keeps 6 to 8 months in the fridge.

How to store flour long term

For the longest storage, keep opened white flour in the fridge, where USDA FoodKeeper gives it 1 year. In the pantry, the same flour keeps only 6 to 8 months after opening.

Unopened white flour keeps 6 to 12 months in the pantry from the date of purchase. Whole wheat flour has shorter times, with 3 to 6 months in the pantry and 6 to 8 months in the fridge once you open it. FoodKeeper gives no freezer time for either flour.

Do oats, quinoa, and popcorn go bad?

Whole grain oats keep 4 months in the pantry, popcorn kernels in a jar keep 2 years, and uncooked quinoa keeps 2 to 3 years. Granola keeps 6 to 9 months, and store-bought breadcrumbs keep 6 months, according to USDA FoodKeeper.

Freezing doubles the time for oats. Whole grain oats keep 8 months in the freezer, and oat flour or meal keeps 4 months there instead of 2 in the pantry. Oatmeal, which FoodKeeper groups with cereal you cook, has a longer time, listed in the cereal and oatmeal section below.

Cooked quinoa keeps 6 to 7 days in the fridge and 6 to 12 months in the freezer. FoodKeeper gives uncooked quinoa a pantry time only.

Once you open a jar of popcorn kernels, they keep 1 year. Microwave popcorn packets last 6 to 12 months, and once popped they keep 1 to 2 days. Bagged popcorn that’s already popped lasts 2 to 3 months, or 1 to 2 weeks after you open the bag.

Regular degerminated cornmeal keeps 6 to 12 months in the pantry from the date of purchase. Stone-ground and blue cornmeal keep only 1 month there, and FoodKeeper doesn’t recommend the pantry once they’re open. After opening, they keep 2 to 4 months in the fridge.

Does cooking oil go bad?

Cooking oils last from 6 months to 3 years in the pantry, depending on the oil, according to USDA FoodKeeper.

Do olive oil and vegetable oil go bad?

Olive oil and vegetable oil share one FoodKeeper entry, with 6 to 12 months in the pantry from the date of purchase. After opening, they keep 3 to 5 months in the pantry or 4 months in the fridge.

Does coconut oil go bad?

Coconut oil lasts 3 years in the pantry. Skip the fridge and freezer, because FoodKeeper says refrigerating or freezing it makes it difficult to use.

How long do other oils last?

Canola oil lasts 1 year in the pantry from the date of purchase, and sesame oil and avocado oil last 2 years. Sesame oil and avocado oil keep 6 months in the pantry after opening.

Nut oils keep 6 to 12 months in the pantry from the date of purchase. After opening, they last 3 to 8 months in the pantry or 6 to 8 months in the fridge.

Does grapeseed oil go bad?

Grapeseed oil lasts 1 year in the pantry from the date of purchase, according to USDA FoodKeeper. That matches canola oil, and FoodKeeper lists no separate time after opening.

Does vinegar go bad?

Vinegar lasts 2 years in the pantry from the date of purchase, according to FoodKeeper. Apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar have their own entries.

Does apple cider vinegar go bad?

FoodKeeper lists apple cider vinegar as keeping indefinitely in the pantry.

Does balsamic vinegar go bad?

Balsamic vinegar lasts 3 to 5 years in the pantry from the date of purchase. After opening, FoodKeeper gives it 18 months in the fridge.

Does vinegar need to be refrigerated?

No, USDA FoodKeeper gives vinegar 2 years in the pantry from the date of purchase and lists no fridge time. Apple cider vinegar gets no fridge time either. Of the vinegars in this guide, only balsamic vinegar has one, 18 months after opening.

Does sugar go bad?

Sugar never spoils, according to USDA FoodKeeper, but for best quality you should use it within 2 years of opening. FoodKeeper lists granulated, brown, and confectioners sugar the same way, indefinitely in the pantry and 18 to 24 months after opening.

Does salt go bad?

FoodKeeper lists table, plain, or iodized salt in the pantry indefinitely.

Do black pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg go bad?

Ground black pepper keeps 2 years in the pantry, and ground cinnamon and nutmeg keep 3 to 4 years, according to USDA FoodKeeper. All three times count from the date of purchase. Cracked black pepper lasts 2 to 3 years.

Cinnamon sticks are a whole spice, which FoodKeeper gives 3 to 4 years in the pantry. FoodKeeper says to keep jarred capers in the pantry until the package use-by date.

Do baking staples go bad?

Baking staples keep from 6 months to 3 years in the pantry, and baking powder has the shortest time.

Does baking powder go bad?

Baking powder lasts 6 to 18 months in the pantry from the date of purchase. After opening, the time drops to 3 to 6 months.

Does baking soda go bad?

Baking soda lasts 2 to 3 years in the pantry from the date of purchase, and 6 months after opening.

Does cornstarch go bad?

Cornstarch lasts 18 to 24 months in the pantry from the date of purchase, and 18 months after opening.

Does vanilla extract go bad?

Pure vanilla extract lasts 2 years in the pantry and 12 months after opening.

Do molasses, pancake mix, and marshmallows go bad?

Molasses lasts 1 to 2 years in the pantry from the date of purchase and 6 months after opening, according to USDA FoodKeeper. Pancake and biscuit mix keeps 9 months, and marshmallows keep 1 year unopened but only 1 month once opened.

Solid shortening keeps 1 to 2 years in the pantry from the date of purchase and 6 to 12 months after opening. Almond extract keeps the same time as pure vanilla extract, 2 years in the pantry and 12 months after opening.

Raisins and other dried fruit keep 6 months in the pantry from the date of purchase. Once opened, they last 1 month in the pantry or 6 months in the fridge, so the fridge is the better spot after opening.

Does chocolate go bad?

Solid unsweetened and semisweet chocolate lasts 1 to 2 years in the pantry from the date of purchase, and 1 year after opening, according to FoodKeeper.

Does cocoa powder go bad?

FoodKeeper lists cocoa and cocoa mixes in the pantry indefinitely from the date of purchase, then 1 year after opening.

Do nuts and seeds go bad?

Yes, and most shelled nuts keep only 2 to 4 weeks in the pantry, according to USDA FoodKeeper. The fridge stretches that to 3 to 12 months, and the freezer to 9 to 24 months. Most of these times count from the date of purchase.

You can freeze walnuts and pecans for 24 months, the longest FoodKeeper time for either nut. For pine nuts, FoodKeeper suggests a plastic bag inside an airtight container in the freezer, where they keep 9 months.

Peanuts in the shell last longer at room temperature, with 4 months in the pantry. Once you open roasted peanuts, cashews, or almonds, they keep 1 to 2 weeks in the pantry or 4 weeks in the fridge.

Whole flaxseed keeps 2 years in the pantry, and FoodKeeper says the fridge and freezer aren’t necessary. Raw and roasted sunflower seeds keep 12 months, but roasted seeds turn rancid if they sit at room temperature for long periods.

Do chia seeds, tea, spices, and cereal go bad?

These four have very different times, from 2 months for opened ready-to-eat cereal to 4 years for whole spices.

Do chia seeds go bad?

Chia seeds last 18 months in the pantry, according to FoodKeeper.

How long does tea last?

Tea bags last 18 to 36 months in the pantry from the date of purchase, and loose tea lasts 2 years. After opening, both keep 6 to 12 months. Matcha is the only tea FoodKeeper says you can freeze after opening.

How long do spices last?

Whole spices last 3 to 4 years in the pantry, and ground spices last 2 to 3 years. FoodKeeper gives the same time after opening, so opening doesn’t shorten either.

How long do cereal and oatmeal last?

Ready-to-eat cereal lasts 6 to 12 months in the pantry from the date of purchase and 2 to 3 months after opening. Oatmeal and other cereal you cook keep 12 months from the date of purchase and 6 to 12 months after opening.

Do dried beans, canned beans, and lentils go bad?

Dried beans last 1 to 2 years in the pantry from the date of purchase and 1 year after opening, according to USDA FoodKeeper. Dried lentils keep 1 year, opened or not.

Canned beans keep 2 to 5 years in the pantry from the date of purchase. FoodKeeper says canned items stay safe well past the use-by or best-by date as long as the can shows no dents, rust, or swelling.

Once you open a can of beans, keep them in the fridge, where they last 3 to 4 days. FoodKeeper doesn’t recommend storing opened canned beans in the pantry. Opened refried beans keep 2 to 3 days in the fridge, and unopened ones last 3 years in the pantry.

What should you do with a moldy pantry staple?

Throw out any food that is covered with mold, and don’t sniff it, because that can cause respiratory trouble. The USDA’s guide to molds on food notes that molds tolerate salt and sugar better than most other food invaders.