An open jar of peanut butter stays fresh up to three months in the pantry. After that, it's recommended to store the peanut butter in the fridge (where it can maintain its quality for another 3-4 months). If you don't refrigerate, oil separation can occur.
According to the National Peanut Board, opened jars of commercial processed peanut butter stored this way will last for two to three months. After that, they recommend storing jars in the refrigerator, which will extend their shelf life by another three to four months.
According to The National Peanut Board, an unopened jar of peanut butter can last six to nine months at room temperature. Once opened, they say that it can last two to three months in the pantry before you should move it to the fridge, where it can maintain quality for another three to four months.
If you're able to keep your peanut butter in a cool, dark place, you don't need to refrigerate. “In a cool, non-humid climate, you have three to four weeks before the oil may go bad, meaning if you can go through a jar in less than a month you should be okay to not refrigerate,” she says.
Cold peanut butter is so much harder to spread, so ignoring what the label tells you to do is the easiest option. Truth is, natural peanut butter does not need to be refrigerated, but I highly recommend that you keep it in the fridge. Why you ask?
The bottom line
Peanut butter generally has a long shelf life. In the pantry, commercial peanut butters may last 6–24 months unopened, or 2–3 months once opened. Natural peanut butters lack preservatives and may last several months unopened, or up to a month once opened.
Aside from the pungent taste of rancid peanut butter, the spread will also emit a foul odor. If the butter gives off a bitter, metallic, or soap-like scent, it is time to part ways. Additionally, if the color darkens, the texture becomes dry, or there are signs of mold growth, the peanut butter has gone bad.
The best and the correct way to store the peanut butter is to store is as written on the jar. Generally, it is written that to store it at room temperature or in a cool and dry place but not in a refrigerator.
Store the peanut butter at room temperature where it will keep for at least 2 weeks, or store in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator, where it keeps for many weeks, and I've stored it for months. As with any food that has no preservatives, use common sense.
Nutella® should be stored at room temperature (between 64° and 72° F). Keep the container tightly closed and store in a cool, dry place to maintain maximum flavor. Do not refrigerate Nutella®, otherwise it will harden and become difficult to spread.
You can keep peanut butter in the pantry for six to nine months (unopened) and two to three months (opened).
Peanut butter in a plastic jar at the supermarket usually has a sell-by date of about 18 months after it hits the shelf. Past this date, if it's unopened it's still perfectly good.
When it comes to unopened store-bought peanut butter, keep it in a cool, dark place, preferably in the pantry. What is this? Once you've opened the container, you can still store it in the pantry if you plan to use the contents of the jar within a couple of months.
It's just the natural peanut oil coming out and lying on top. you can just stir it through and it's fine.
Don't keep your pup in suspense any longer. Yes, dogs can eat peanut butter as long as it is fed in moderation and does not contain xylitol, so get out that pet-safe peanut butter jar and share the good news.
Consult your doctor or dietitian if you're not sure how much PB you should eat, but a good general rule of thumb is around one to two tablespoons a day. Newell said a healthy serving of any high-fat food is roughly two tablespoons.
WHAT ARE THE WHITE SPOTS/COATING ON THE SURFACE OF MY NUT BUTTER? If you find this in our Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter,Chocolate Hazelnut, or Chocolate Almond Butter jars, it is called cocoa bloom. This happens naturally when the cocoa butter separates, solidifies and rises to the surface of the jar.
In recent years, this much-loved food has been plagued by peanut butter recalls due to Salmonella concerns. Salmonella is a type of bacteria that can make people very sick, with most individuals experiencing diarrhea, cramps, and fever.
Health-wise, however, rancid peanut butter is not something to really worry about. “It won't hurt you if you eat it — it will just taste bad,” says Maribeth Cousin, a professor of food science at Purdue University in Indiana.
Therefore, eating peanut butter or other foods with tryptophan before bed may alleviate sleep issues. Peanut butter is highly nutritious and rich in protein, which reduces food cravings and promotes muscle growth. It also contains tryptophan, which may enhance sleep quality.
A sure sign of rancid peanut butter is a change in texture—perhaps it used to be soft and creamy, and now it's dry and hard. It may also look darker in color or it might smell funky (sharp, bitter, soapy or metallic odors are a giveaway).
If you're down to the bottom of a jar and the nut butter is dry and crumbly (you didn't store it upside down, huh?), a surefire way to give it life is by adding some oil. Just put in a few drops of a neutral oil (like canola or peanut) and stir to get it all incorporated.
If unopened, both smooth and crunchy peanut butter will keep for one year past its best before date whether stored in the pantry or fridge. Once it's been opened, both are good for three to four months in the pantry or six to eight months in the refrigerator past that date.
Small bits of peanut skins attached to the peanut when it is ground can cause these dark spots.