To prevent food waste, you must know how long does flour last. Flour is the most common pantry staple that is often made by grinding grains into powder. It is not safe to keep flour in the pantry for long periods of time! In today’s post, I will reveal how long does flour last in the pantry. The shelf life of flour depends on several factors such as the type of flour, its ingredients, and storage. Here, I’ve listed down different types of flours and their shelf life. Without wasting much time, let us now figure out together how long does flour last.
How Long Does Flour Last?
Most flours can stay fresh for about 3 to 8 months at room temperature. Anybody who uses flour routinely must be aware of how long does flour last. Its life is actually based on the purchase date instead of the printed best-by date. However, things may vary once you bring the flour home and open the bag. Do not panic if you don’t know how long does flour last after opening. It is safe to keep opened flour for three months at normal room temperature. But if you store it at a cooler house temperature, it can easily last for six months.
Now, you must be wondering how long does flour last after its expiration date. You must be surprised to know that flour does expire. Almost all flour packets have a printed best-by or best-if-used-by date. This date actually reflects the manufacturer’s suggested date for best quality. Flour can be used for four to six months past this date.
Instead of a pantry, you can store flour in the refrigerator if you know how long does flour last in the refrigerator. Many people among us prefer to store flour in the fridge to extend its lifespan. But do you know exactly how long does flour last in the fridge? All-purpose flour can last for up to 1 year in the refrigerator. While using this method, make sure you keep the flour away from moisture and water to prevent mold. For this, simply store it in an airtight container like a plastic bag or food bin.
Similarly, you must be also aware of how long does flour last in the freezer. Flour can be safely stored in the freezer for about 2 years! For this method, store flour in an airtight container or a vacuum seal bag. Freezing flour will kill any pests that might grow in the flour.
You can keep on reading to know more about how long does all-purpose flour last.
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Different Types Of Flour And Their Shelf Life
Flour is always been an essential item in a home pantry. Each type of flour has its own expiration date. In this section, I’ve included the shelf life of different types of flour.
Almond Flour
Recently, almond flour has gained huge popularity. It is important to learn how long does almond flour last if you use it. An unopened packet of almond flour lasts for 1 to 2 months beyond the printed date in the pantry. You can also refrigerate unopened almond flour for 6 to 12 months. But opened almond flour will only last up to the best-by date if placed in the pantry. In case you refrigerate it, it can last for a couple of months past the best-by date. However, almond flour doesn’t last as long as all-purpose flour as it is made of almonds.
Whole Wheat Flour
Most people use whole wheat flour but don’t know how long does whole wheat flour last. The packet of whole wheat flour brought from the market should have a best-by-date printed. Whole wheat flour can last between 3 to 9 months from the milling date. It can stay fresh for up to 6 months if kept in the refrigerator or even longer when stored in the freezer.
Bread Flour
It’s important to know how long does bread flour last if you think you won’t use it any time soon. Do not worry, bread flour can easily last between 9 to 15 months when stored in an airtight container.
You can keep on reading to know more about how long does flour last.
Coconut Flour
In many recipes, coconut flour is often used as a substitute for wheat flour. But coconut flour can go bad easily if you do not store it properly. Due to its high nut oil content, it’s essential to learn how long does coconut flour last. Most chefs suggest that coconut flour will last for about two years. However, some brands of coconut flour claim that their product will last for up to three years. It is best if you use the flour within two years.
Spoilage Signs Of Flour
How do you know if flour is bad before using it in the recipe? Relax! With the help of the following spoilage signs, you can easily determine whether your flour is good.
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Smell
The simplest way to know whether your flour is safe to eat is to smell it! Usually, fresh flour has a neutral odor while bad flour can smell stale, musty, or almost sour.
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Texture
When your flour comes in contact with water or moisture, its texture will change. You’ll notice large clumps of mold in spoiled flour.
Thus, you cannot always rely on the printed dates on the bag. Spoiled flour sometimes even looks discolored when it’s near or past its expiration date.
You can keep on reading to find out what happens if you use expired flour.
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Side Effects Of Using Expired Flour
When flour goes bad, it is very risky to use it in your recipes. The molecular structure of expired flour changes which may produce harmful compounds. But can expired flour make you sick? As of now, no dangerous effects are found by eating expired flour. But cooked foods made by using expired flour may taste unpleasant.
However, using moldy flour can be dangerous as well as foul-tasting. They can trigger symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea.
What To Do With Expired Flour?
If you have some expired flour, you can reuse it in the following different ways.
- Use it to keep aphids or worms off your plants.
- Make DIY glue for art and crafts.
- You can use it to clean a deck of cards.
- It works great as an alternative to dry shampoo.
- Use it as stainless steel cleaner and copper polisher.
Can You Use Flour 2 Years Out Of Date?
No, it is unsafe to use flour 2 years out of date. This is because your flour will start to deteriorate in both taste and performance once it has passed its best-by-date.
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FAQ
Can I Use Flour That Expired 2 Years Ago?
Can you use flour past its best by date? Probably. If it doesn’t show any signs of deterioration, and it’s been stored in a cool, dry place, it should be fine for a few months past the printed date. Most of the time, using expired flour won’t make you sick.
How Do You Know If Flour Is Bad?
Wheat-based flours should smell neutral or almost not at all, but you may detect a subtle wheat aroma. Nut-based flours will smell nutty. If flour smells unpleasant in any way—sour, moldy, musty, bitter—it’s gone bad.
Can You Use Flour 5 Years Out Of Date?
Flour has a long shelf life but generally goes bad after 3–8 months. White flour may last longest due to its lower fat content, while whole-wheat and gluten-free varieties spoil sooner. You can extend flour’s shelf life by sealing it properly or refrigerating or freezing it.
Does Flour Expire If Unopened?
Wheat flour has a shelf life of up to six months if stored unopened in the pantry. Once you’ve opened it, keeping flour refrigerated can extend its shelf life to eight months. White flour can last up to one year stored in the pantry, unopened. Open it up and the pantry life decreases to eight months.
Does All-Purpose Flour Go Bad?
House notes that the shelf-life of all-purpose flour can be up to 24 months if you do store flour properly, which means keeping your flour in “an airtight container in a cool, dry place.” She adds, “For all-purpose white flours, the freezer is an excellent option, just make sure to let the flour come to room .
Is 2 Year Old Flour Still Good?
If wrapped and stored properly, refined flours will keep for six to eight months at room temperature, up to one year in the fridge and up to two years in the freezer. Whole-wheat flours will keep for three months at room temperature and up to a year in the fridge or freezer.
What Type Of Flour Has The Longest Shelf Life?
All-purpose flour, white bread flour, white cake flour, white pastry flour, white self-rising flour and other white, starch-based flours like potato and tapioca flours are refined flours and have the longest shelf life.
Conclusion
In the above post, I’ve discussed how long does flour last in storage. These days baking seems to be a more popular hobby. It is not safe to use a bag of flour that has been sitting around for ages. Flour can go bad as it actually has a shorter shelf life than you think! All-purpose flour can stay fresh for almost 3 to 8 months. It can also be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. Eating small amounts of spoiled flour won’t harm your health but eating moldy flour can be dangerous. Once you know how long does flour last, you are pretty much sorted!