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    Home » Baking Basics

    Shelf Life of Common Baking Ingredients

    Published: Jan 12, 2020 · Last modified: Nov 19, 2022 by Leslie Kiszka / This post may contain affiliate links.

    Shelf Life of Common Baking Ingredients | Stress Baking
    Shelf Life of Common Baking Ingredients | Stress Baking
    Shelf Life of Common Baking Ingredients | Stress Baking
    Shelf Life of Common Baking Ingredients | Stress Baking

    Part 2 of my Baking Basics series: An extensive list of commonly used baking ingredients in the pantry, fridge and freezer and their shelf lives so that you know when it’s time to replace them for the best baking results.

    California Closets White pantry shelving with cabinet and drawer

    We all know expiration dates are a thing, but some people take them more seriously than others (remind me to tell you about my husband’s history with expiration dates some time).

    When it comes to baking ingredients, fresher is always better – especially when we’re talking about leaveners, as it can make or break the results of your recipe. It’s hard to keep track of the shelf life of everything in your pantry, fridge and freezer, so I wanted to provide you with charts about all my most commonly used ingredients as a point of reference.

    A few tips for shelf life hygiene

    • Keep in mind, this all assumes that the ingredients are stored properly.
    • If you’re not sure how long you’ve had something, and/or there’s no date on the package, it’s time to toss it for a new one.
    • If you can’t read the expiration date on a package because it’s worn off… that’s a good sign it’s time to replace it.
    • I’ve made it practice to replace my baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch before the holidays to make sure I’m giving my best to all the Christmas goodies.

    How do I know if my baking powder is expired?

    I call out baking powder because this is the most common troublemaker. Thankfully, there’s an easy way to test if your baking powder is still active!

    • In a small bowl, pour ½ cup hot water (not boiling) over 1 teaspoon baking powder

    If the mixture immediately starts fizzing and dissipates all of the baking powder, you’re golden – it’s still active.

    If there’s no bubbling, that means the baking powder doesn’t have it’s magical powers anymore and needs to be replaced.

    Check out the short video below to see what I mean!

    Dry pantry staples

    IngredientShelf Life
    Baking powder1 year
    Baking soda2 years
    Candy melts18 months
    Chocolate baking bars1 year
    Chocolate chips1 year
    Cocoa powder1 year
    Cornstarch1 year
    Cream of tartar2 years
    Espresso powder3 months
    Flours6 months
    Marshmallows6 months
    Marshmallow Fluff6 months
    Salt, no additivesForever!
    Salt, sea or fleur de selForever, but best to use date on package
    Sprinkles3 years
    Sugar, coconut2 years
    Sugar, granulated 2 years
    Sugar, light or dark brown 2 years (but technically, never goes bad and get be re-softened)
    Sugar, powdered2 years
    YeastDate on package

    Liquid pantry staples

    IngredientShelf Life
    Broths (chicken, beef, vegetable) Unopened: 1 year
    Opened: 5 days
    Coconut milk 2 years
    Extracts (almond, mint, imitation vanilla, etc.)2 years
    HoneyForever!
    Maple syrup, real1 year, unopened
    Milk, shelf stableDate on package
    Milk, sweetened condensed1 year
    Molasses2 years
    Oil, coconut2 years
    Oil, vegetable or canola1 year
    Oil, extra virgin olive6 months
    Oil, non-stick spray1 year (or date on package)
    Vanilla, pure extract Forever!

    Canned goods

    ProductShelf Life
    Applesauce1 year
    Broths (beef, chicken, vegetable)2 years (or as noted on package)
    Fruit (peaches, pineapple, cherries, etc.)1 year
    Pumpkin, puree1 year
    Seafoods (salmon, tuna, etc.)2 years (or as noted on package)
    Tomatoes (crushed, diced, stewed, sauce)12 months

    Condiments

    ProductShelf Life
    Dressings1 year (or as noted on package)
    Hot sauce5 years
    Jams2 years
    Jellies2 years
    Mayonnaise3 months
    Mustard, yellow or ground2 years
    Peanut butter9 months (unopened), 3 months (once opened)
    Sesame oil1 year
    Soy sauce3 years
    Vinegar, any kindForever! (but best if used within 2 years)
    Worcestershire sauce1 year

    Dried goods

    ProductShelf Life
    Breadcrumbs6 months
    Chia seeds3 years
    Fruit (cranberries, figs, raisins, etc.)12 months
    Nuts6 months
    Oats12 months
    Pasta, dried and boxed2 years
    Rice, brown6 months
    Rice, jasmine2 years
    Rice, white2 years
    Rice, wild6 months
    Drawer full of spice jars

    Commonly Used Spices

    These are the spices I use most often and that you’ve seen in recipes on this site. Outside of this list (generally speaking):

    • Whole spices will last 4 years
    • Ground spices will last 3 years
    • Dried herbs will last 2 years
    SpiceShelf Life
    Allspice2 years
    Bay leaves1 year
    Chili powder2 years
    Cinnamon, ground2 years
    Cinnamon, sticks3 years
    Cumin2 years
    Garlic powder2 years
    Ginger, ground2 years
    Mustard, ground yellow3 years
    Nutmeg 2 years
    Onion powder2 years
    Oregano, dried2 years
    Parsley, dried2 years
    Pepper, black2 years
    Pepper, white2 years
    Poppy seeds3 years
    Thyme 1 year
    Vanilla, whole beans 1 year
    Refrigerated items in a fridge door
    The above photo is for the sake of showing a collection of products – most are not actually stored in the fridge door.

    Refrigerated

    ProductShelf Life
    Bacon2 weeks
    Butter3 months
    Buttermilk2 weeks
    Cheese, hard6 months (unopened)
    Cheese, soft1 week
    Cream cheese2 months, or date on package
    Eggs1 month
    Heavy cream2 weeks
    Mascarpone cheese2 months, or date on package
    Milk, dairy1 week
    Milk, non-dairy (refrigerated)10 days
    Milk, non-dairy (not refrigerated)1 month
    Sour cream3 weeks
    Drawer of freezer full of various foods

    Frozen

    ProductShelf Life
    Bacon6 months
    Cool Whip4 months
    Corn 1 year
    Cranberries1 year
    Ice creamDate on package
    Peas1 year
    Phyllo dough3 months
    Pie crust1 year

    I hope this helps! Are there any questions about ingredient shelf life that I didn’t answer? Let me know in the comments below!

    Other content in the Baking Basics series:

    • How to Make a Lemon Twist Garnish
    • How to Store Leftover Champagne
    • How to Make Simple Syrup
    • How To Freeze Cookie Dough
    • What is “stress baking”?
    • How to Make Buttermilk
    • Sprinkles 101: The different types of sprinkles and how to use them
    • How to Ship Cookies in the Mail
    • How to Make Cake Flour
    • Why You Mix Dry and Wet Ingredients Separately
    • How to Make Muffin Liners Out of Parchment Paper
    • Flour 101: How to Use Different Types of Flour
    • What Room Temperature Butter Means (and why it’s important)
    • How to Convert Temperatures from Fahrenheit to Celsius
    • How to Clean Your Silicone Mats
    • How to Calibrate Your Oven for Better Baking Results
    • Volume Conversions for Baking Recipe Ingredients
    • Baking Pan Conversions Made Easy
    • How to Measure Ingredients for Baking
    • Shelf Life of Common Baking Ingredients
    • How to Store Common Baking Ingredients
    • Introducing the Baking Basics Series
    • Essentials for Hosting a Stress-Free Thanksgiving
    • Baking Tips: 5 Steps You Should Never Skip
    • How to Store Fresh Fruit
    • 25+ Holiday Baking Tips
    • How to Make Shredded Chicken

    More Baking Basics

    • How to Make a Lemon Twist Garnish
    • How to Store Leftover Champagne
    • How to Make Simple Syrup
    • How To Freeze Cookie Dough
    Leslie Kiszka in a red dress

    About Leslie

    I'm the hot mess behind every recipe you see here! I use baking as an outlet for relieving stress and anxiety to provide you with approachable homemade recipes and a little humor, for good measure.

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    1. Laurel McKinney

      January 12, 2020 at 3:04 pm

      Oy vey! Don’t let my husband see this list or we will be pitching out everything in our pantry! He’s a stickler for expiration dates while I’m the one who on January 7 was still drinking milk dated December 25. I’m a new follower of Stress Baking and love it. Baking is so therapeutic.

      Reply
      • Leslie Kiszka

        January 13, 2020 at 7:49 am

        Thank you for joining the Stress Baking community, thrilled to have you! And as for your pantry… well, it’s painful, but someone has to do it :)

        Reply

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