Peanuts are a delicious and very popular food to enjoy. You might be wondering how long your peanuts are going to last; read on to find out!

Quick Answer

No matter how you keep your peanuts, they will eventually go bad.

• You can keep your peanuts in the pantry. In-shell peanuts will last for around four months when stored this way, while shelled peanuts will last for around one month.
• Both in-shell peanuts and shelled peanuts will last for around twelve months when kept in the fridge.
• Frozen peanuts, whether shelled or in-shell, will last for around six months to two years.

The way that you store your peanuts will affect their storage life. Let’s explore some of the different ways that peanuts are stored to demonstrate this.

Do Peanuts Go Bad? How Long Do Peanuts Last?

Peanuts will last for anywhere from a month to a couple of years if stored correctly. Depending on your circumstances, you might choose to keep your peanuts in one of the following ways.

How Long Do Peanuts Last Outside?

It is possible to store peanuts outside, but there are several factors that you need to take into consideration when doing so. First, storing peanuts outside rather than in the fridge or freezer will lead to a much shorter shelf-life. Shelled peanuts will last for around one month when stored outside, while in-shell peanuts will last for around four months.

In order to prevent your peanuts from going bad quickly, it’s important, as with many foods, to keep them in a dark, cool, and dry place. The higher the temperature, the faster your peanuts will spoil.

Keeping your peanuts in a container is also probably a good idea if you’re planning on storing them outside, since it will help keep animals and bugs out of the food.

How Long Do Peanuts Last in the Fridge?

Putting peanuts in the fridge will lengthen their shelf life by quite a bit. Both shelled and in-shell peanuts will last for around twelve months when kept in the fridge, which is quite a step up from the one to four months they’ll last when stored outside.

As in any other situation, it’s important to keep the peanuts free from moisture. This is the number one factor that will speed up the decay of peanuts in the fridge. To help keep your peanuts dry, keep them in a container.

If you notice condensation forming within the container of peanuts, dry off the container and then put it back into the fridge. It’s a good idea to check your stored peanuts every so often to make sure you’re keeping up with this.

How Long Do Peanuts Last in the Freezer?

While peanuts most certainly don’t need to be frozen to keep for a long time, frozen peanuts can have the longest shelf-life out of any storage method.

When stored correctly, you can expect your peanuts, whether shelled or in-shell, to last for anywhere from six months to two years when frozen.

Freezing peanuts isn’t the most common method of storage, so not a lot is known about the details of freezing different kinds of peanuts and how to attain the ideal shelf life. We have some tips down below, but you may need to do some experimenting to see how long you can get your peanuts to last.

How to Tell if Your Peanuts Have Gone Bad

Even though your peanuts can last for up to multiple years when stored properly, they will eventually turn sour if not consumed. Here are some ways that you can tell if your peanuts have gone bad and need to be thrown out. As always, when in doubt, throw it out.

Smell: When you go to eat your peanuts, give the container a good sniff before doing so. If the peanuts smell odd or offensive, then they’ve most likely gone bad.

Visuals: Unlike with a lot of other foods, peanuts take a very long time to develop mold or other organic growths, if kept properly. Your peanuts might look fine, but could still have spoiled.

Taste: If, after inspecting your peanuts as we said above, you think they’re still okay, then give one a taste test. A bitter, sour, or otherwise offensive taste is a definite sign that your peanuts have gone bad.

How Should You Store Peanuts?

You know that you can keep your peanuts in the fridge or freezer for so long, and how to tell if they have gone bad. Now, let’s talk about how to make sure you’re storing them in the correct way.

Keep them sealed up: For best results, keep your peanuts sealed in an airtight container or bag. This will protect them from moisture, animals/bugs, and other unwanted elements.

Avoid exposing peanuts to high temperatures: Peanuts are not meant to be exposed to high temperatures, and doing so will certainly shorten their shelf life. Avoid storing them in direct sunlight or leaving them for a prolonged period in a hot location, such as a car in the summer.

Can You Freeze Peanuts?

Yes, established above that you can in fact freeze peanuts, so how do you do it? Let’s talk about it so that you know exactly how to keep your peanuts in perfect condition for up to two years.

Keep it sealed: Just like if you were going to store your peanuts in the fridge or in the pantry, it’s important to keep your peanuts sealed before freezing them. Use a freezer-safe container or bag to accomplish this.

Wrap them in plastic: Wrapping your peanuts up in plastic before putting them in the container or bag you’ll be freezing them in is a helpful way to ensure they freeze correctly.

Label: Write down the date that you froze the peanuts, either on the container itself or somewhere you’ll remember. This way, when you pull your peanuts out of the freezer five months later, you’ll remember that it’s been five months and not seven.

How Do You Thaw Peanuts?

Now that you know how to freeze your peanuts, it’s time to learn how to thaw them back out again when you’re ready to consume them.

Since not a lot of people freeze peanuts, there isn’t a lot of readily-available information out there about how to thaw peanuts. There are a couple of methods that seem to work, however. One is to leave your frozen peanuts in the fridge overnight to thaw.

Alternatively, you can just take the peanuts out of the freezer and leave them on the counter to thaw out. You will have to experiment to see which method works better for you.

Frequently Asked Questions About Peanuts’ Shelf Life

Even after reading all of this information, you might still have questions about your peanuts and their shelf life. We’ll answer a couple of common questions here.

Does it matter what size container I use for my peanuts? Nope! You can use whatever large or small container you have available to store your peanuts. If you don’t think you can consume all of your peanuts at once but still want to freeze them, use several smaller containers.

How long can moisture be in a container with peanuts before they go bad? There isn’t really a set time. The presence of moisture isn’t necessarily an indication that your peanuts’ shelf life has deteriorated significantly, but this can happen if the peanuts are left in a moist container for too long. It’s best to check your peanut container once every two or three days to make sure it doesn’t need to be dried.

Wrap Up

Now you know all about storing peanuts and the shelf life of peanuts. We hope this information will help you enjoy your peanuts to the fullest! Leave a comment down below sharing your tips for storing peanuts!