Peanuts have lots of useful elements and minerals that are very beneficial to our health and immune system. Like all nuts, they are pretty durable which makes people think that peanuts can never spoil.
Is it really so?
And, do peanuts go bad? If you store the peanuts in an unopened package, it will last up to 20 months. If the package was open for more than 10 days, the peanuts can become rancid and get a bitter taste and smell like spoiled oil. Also, you can see mold or tiny black spots on it.
Let’s dig deeper and find this out!
How Long Do Peanuts Last?
The duration of our foodstuff lifespan is an essential thing to know since we always want to be sure that we are consuming healthy and edible things.
Whenever we buy something that tends to become off quite soon (e.g. dairy products), we always take a look at the expiry date.
But do we do the same when buying nuts? Hardly so.
Nonetheless, the shelf life of peanuts can’t last forever.
Even though these nuts are quite durable, their lifespan won’t extend for more than twelve months.
How long do shelled peanuts last? How long do roasted peanuts last? These questions make people confused most of all.
Of course, everything hangs upon where we keep them. To make it easier for yourself to compare and analyze this information, take a look at this chart.
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Remember though that the better you mind your peanuts the longer they will remain at their best quality and healthiness.
How Long Do Raw Peanuts Last?
What about the raw nuts? Is their storage the same as for the roasted ones, for instance?
Since raw peanuts have their shell on, it protects the core from drying and other harmful external impacts. Nevertheless, even this natural protection won’t extend their lifespan for more than two months.
That is why, if your goal is to prolong the peanuts’ life to its most, you’d better expose them to frost.
And, how long do raw peanuts last? Raw peanuts should be stored in a cool, dry place, for example, pantry, in a properly sealed airtight container for up to 4 months. If you store raw peanuts in the original package in the freezer, in will last for 6 month.
Storing Peanuts From A To Z
A common belief exists that nuts are one of the simplest things to store. However, it appears that even nuts require certain skills and knowledge from people to be able to store this natural and healthy snack longer.
Since the most popular kinds of peanuts we have today are in-shell, shelled, and roasted nuts, let’s talk about how we could prolong their lifespan.
- How to store raw peanuts without the shell
Sometimes raw peanuts are sold without their shells. Probably, it is made because peeling them is rather time-consuming task. Anyway, if you need to know how to keep such peanuts fresh, we would advise you to put them into the airtight packet and seal it tightly.
So, How to store raw peanuts without the shell? Store your raw peanuts in a cool, dry place, such as a pantry, in the original package or in the proper sealed airtight container. You can also store unshelled peanuts in properly sealed glass jars covered with cotton fabric inside.
Store raw peanuts in a dry and cool place away from the bright light.
Like that, your peanuts will stay edible for 1-2 months.
- How to store raw peanuts in the shell
Since their shell is a natural protection that prevents spoiling, in-shell nuts normally last longer, something like four months in a pantry and up to a year if refrigerated.
For refrigeration, always use airtight packets since the level of moisture in there is somewhat higher than necessary for these huts.
And how to store raw peanuts in the shell? Store your raw peanuts in the shell in a cool, dry place f.ex pantry, you can store it there for up to 4 months. Store peanuts in the shell in the airtight containers or in the original package in the refrigerator for up to 12 months.
- Storing roasted nuts
This way seems to be the most simple since roasted peanuts are sold with the expiry date set on the packet.
Nevertheless, it is useful to keep in mind several handy tricks.
If you are 100% sure that the nuts will be consumed within 2-3 weeks, leave them in the kitchen unchilled.
But if your plan is to store them longer, the best option would be to freeze them to prolong the lifespan to three months or so.
Are Peanuts Bad For People?
Peanuts are natural and organic food, nevertheless, some people are sure that these nuts can be harmful.
Peanuts indeed can be bad if you are allergic to them. But those who have no health issues can consume these nuts safely since they are rich in healthy protein and fats.
These nuts can become a perfect snack to replace the so-called empty-calory foods like chips, etc.
In addition, peanuts contain anti-aging compounds that make our skin healthier and younger!
Can Peanuts Go Bad?
Naturally, a question may occur whether peanuts can go bad.
Well, bad peanuts are quite a rare thing to see since these nuts are pretty long-lasting.
Besides, even when getting off, they don’t have any visual symptoms of spoilage, e.g. mold or others.
So how to tell if peanuts go bad?
They will simply go rancid because of the high amount of oil!
If your peanuts smell sour and taste bitter, then you’d better throw them away.
Many of us may wonder what happens if you eat bad peanuts. In fact, there were no proved cases of people getting sick after consuming a handful of rancid peanuts but let’s agree that eating rancid bitter nuts is not something one would like to do!
[wp-faq-schema title=”Frequently Asked Questions”]
Hello! Please give me a hand someone. I have a jar of slightly old peanut butter (expired two weeks ago). It smells ok but I’m afraid to try it. Can you get food poisoning from peanut butter, does anyone know? Thanks!
Hey! I would recommend you to discard it even if the odor is ok. As I heard, some producers of this product are not that trustworthy and their foodstuff is often contaminated with salmonella! So better throw it away really.
Do Spanish peanuts go bad? Is there any difference between these and other peanuts?
Any peanuts can get rancid because of the large quantity of oil they contain. There is no difference between various types of these nuts regarding this issue.
Hey! Recently found a packet with old peanuts and they seem to be slightly off. What can I do with rancid peanuts? Did anyone try to use them? Did it work?
Hello! I can advise you to heat them in a dry pan. If they’re not too rancid, this may help well. And then just eat them as usual!
How do you fix rancid nuts? My peanuts taste slightly bitter and the smell is different than usual. Not so nutty. Shall I throw them away?
If the rancidity is light, try to toast them in a dry pan for a while to bring back their nutty taste and aroma. Slightly stale nuts are still safe to consume.
Hi! Can someone help me, please? I’ve been keeping some peanuts (roasted) for a while but now they taste and smell not quite well. A bit like sour maybe. Do you know why are some peanuts sour? Are they bad or what?
Hello.
Yes, it sounds like your nuts turned rancid. If the smell is very bad, just discard them. If they taste more or less ok, try to reanimate them by toasting in a dry hot pan.
Do peanuts ever go bad? I heard they can last really very long even without the refrigeration.
Peanuts are indeed durable but they get rancid after one year of storing (in some cases, when the nuts are roasted, for instance, they can become off even sooner).
I have a big packet of peanuts in a shell that I will not use for quite a while for sure. So I’m thinking of storing them in a pantry. Can peanuts in a shell go bad like that? What do you think?
They will go bad anyway, the only difference is that, if you keep them in your pantry, your shelled peanuts will last for approximately three to nine months. But if you refrigerate them, you will extend their lifespan to one year!
I heard that peanuts can be stored refrigerated. Is it true? Do peanuts go bad in the fridge in this case?
Well, they will go bad even in the fridge, that’s an answer to your last question. However, I’d like to note that these nuts can indeed be kept in the fridge if you need long-term storage. When refrigerated, peanuts will last for around a year.
Does anyone know how to tell if boiled peanuts are bad? Are there any obvious visible signs?
As far as I know, if your boiled peanuts are covered with dark or black spots, it means that they either turned moldy or they just spent too much time at room temperature and oxidized. Also, if you sense a rancid or sour smell, you should not consume those nuts.
How long do canned peanuts last? I want to send some to my friend abroad, but I’m not sure whether the cans will survive the trip.
You can send them with no doubts since canned peanuts will last for two years if unopened and kept properly.
I have a can of peanuts that expired almost two weeks ago according to the date on the label. Is it safe to eat them? How long do peanuts last after expiration date?
Typically, it’s ok to eat peanuts half a year past the printed date if you store them in a pantry, or one year past the printed date if the nuts were stored refrigerated. So if your can is still unopened, open it and examine. If there’s no rancid smell and mold, give peanuts a try.
How long can you store green peanuts? Do they have the same term of storage as peeled or roasted nuts have?
Well, according to my experience with these nuts, green peanuts will last for almost a year if you keep them in a dry and cool place in the airtight tank. So yes, they basically have more or less the same term of storage as other varieties of these nuts, e.g. roasted or in-shell peanuts.
Hi! I do need someone to help me with one issue. Can peanuts go bad and make you sick? I ate some yesterday, but later I found out that some of those nuts already turned bad. However, those that I ate were fine. Is it possible that I have food poisoning because of that?
Well, in most cases, eating rancid or bad nuts doesn’t cause food poisoning, unless you have a very sensitive stomach! In this case, you can experience nausea or other symptoms typical for this disease. However, since you feel fine (as far as I understand) right now, I’d say you will be fine.
How long are peanuts good for after opening? And by the way, does their shelf life depend on the type of packaging?
Indeed, the duration of storage depends on how peanuts are packed! See, shelled nuts last for up to four months in a pantry and for a year if refrigerated. But opened roasted peanuts will remain edible for only two months in a pantry and for half a year if you refrigerate them.