More than 90% of American households indulge in peanut butter. However, not everybody stores it the way that they should.
Peanut butter can be a good food to have around and offers an excellent combination of nutrients, healthy fats, and protein. While you can keep peanut butter in your pantry for a long time, you’ll need to store it right if you want it to last as long as possible.
In this complete guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about storing peanut butter.
Does Peanut Butter Go Bad?
Like most other foods, peanut butter will go bad if enough time passes. However, the peanut butter shelf-life is long, so you’ll have plenty of time to eat it all before you need to worry about it spoiling.
The amount of time it takes nut butter to go bad depends on its type and how you store it.
Powdered peanut butter is the best option for long-term storage and will last longer than other types of peanut butter. Powdered peanut butter may last as long as 2 years if left unopened.
Conventional peanut butter and natural peanut butter will last a significant amount of time as well. However, they won’t last quite as long as powdered peanut butter will.
Signs That Peanut Butter Is Bad
There are several signs that will appear if peanut butter is bad.
The first thing to check for is the smell. A spoiled container of peanut butter will have a stale, metallic, or bitter smell.
In addition to this, peanut butter that has spoiled will likely look drier and may be darker than normal. In the case of natural peanut butter, you may also notice mold growing inside the jar.
If you’ve checked for the above signs, you may be able to quickly recognize whether your peanut butter is bad or not. However, if you miss these signs and try the peanut butter, you may notice that it has a very bitter and pungent taste.
How to Store Unopened Peanut Butter
Either natural or processed peanut butter can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Remember that you’ll need to store your peanut butter in a cool, dry, and dark place.
An unopened container of peanut butter will last for about 9 months in a pantry or cabinet. Natural peanut butter may last 2-3 months if unopened and stored at room temperature.
Generally, it’s best to store an unopened natural peanut butter jar in the fridge. If stored in the fridge, unopened natural peanut butter will likely last an entire year.
How to Store Opened Peanut Butter
Once you’ve opened peanut butter, you can continue storing it in the pantry. However, the length of time that it’s good for will be shortened.
You can expect conventional peanut butter to last for 2-3 months once you’ve opened it. If you store it in the fridge after opening, it may last 3-4 months instead.
As for natural peanut butter, you’ll likely want to keep it in the fridge after opening it. While it lasts 12 months in the fridge unopened, it will only last 3-4 months in the fridge after you’ve opened it and started using it.
Storing Peanut Butter Correctly
Although it will spoil eventually, storing peanut butter correctly will help it to last longer. Remember that processed peanut butter and natural peanut butter vary in longevity. You’ll probably want to store natural peanut butter in the fridge if you want it to last as long as possible.
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