How long does Nutella last after opening?
Quick answer
- In the pantry
- Opened or unopened: until the best-before date on the lid
Sources: Ferrero Professional: Nutella FAQ (storage and shelf life), Nutella USA: FAQ (oil on top, hard texture), GOV.UK: Best before and use-by dates, Nutella UK label storage text (Morrisons product page), Oregon State University Extension: Buying and storing hazelnuts, Oregon State University Extension: Can homemade Nutella be canned? · Last reviewed October 24, 2026
Nutella keeps until the best-before date on the lid, opened or unopened, as long as the jar stays at room temperature with the lid screwed on. Ferrero's food-service FAQ says its portion packs, 25 g mini jars and 3 kg tubs keep their 12-month shelf life even after opening; the 1 kg piping bag gets 6 months. The date is set at the factory, so a shop-bought jar has already used part of its life: go by the lid, not the day you bought it. Best before is a quality date, not a safety cut-off. Past it, the flavor can fade and the fats can turn stale. Homemade spread does not follow these numbers.
How to store Nutella
A kitchen cupboard is the right home for Nutella. Ferrero recommends 18–24°C (64–75°F), the lid tightly closed, somewhere cool and dry. The fridge is the wrong place: below about 18°C (65°F) the spread firms up, gets hard to spread and can form small lumps, though nothing has gone wrong with it. Heat causes the opposite problem. A shelf above the oven, a sunny windowsill or a hot car speeds up flavor loss and can make the oil separate and rise to the top. Over months, the spread's fats can also oxidize and turn stale. A shop-bought jar needs no freezer; for homemade spread, Oregon State University Extension suggests the freezer, since there is no safe home-canning method for it.
- Keep the jar in a cupboard at 18–24°C (64–75°F), away from the oven, the dishwasher vent and direct sun.
- Screw the lid on fully after every use; a closed jar holds its flavor longer.
- Dip a clean, dry knife or spoon so toast crumbs, butter and drops of water stay out of the jar.
- If it has set hard after a cold spell, leave it at room temperature, 18–24°C (64–75°F), for about 24 hours rather than forcing a knife through it.
- If oil has pooled on top after warm weather, stir it back in thoroughly and move the jar somewhere cooler, but not into the fridge.
- Check the best-before date on the lid when you open a new jar and finish the older one first.
Signs it has gone bad
- A stale, sharp or rancid smell instead of cocoa and roasted hazelnut: the fats have oxidized.
- A bitter or otherwise off taste, most often in a jar well past its date.
- Mold or fuzzy spots, usually where crumbs or water got in. Throw the whole jar away rather than scraping off the top.
- Harmless: a layer of oil on the surface after warm days. Stir it in and the spread comes back together.
- Harmless: a firm, slightly lumpy texture after the jar sat somewhere cold. It softens at room temperature.
- When in doubt, throw it out: if the smell or look of the spread makes you hesitate, don't eat it.
Frequently asked questions
Does Nutella need to be refrigerated after opening?
No. Ferrero says to store Nutella at room temperature, 18–24°C (64–75°F), with the lid tightly closed, and not to refrigerate it because it hardens and becomes difficult to spread.
How long does Nutella last once opened?
Until the best-before date on the lid, if the jar is closed between uses and kept at room temperature. Ferrero's food-service FAQ says its portion packs, mini jars and 3 kg tubs keep their 12-month shelf life even after opening.
Can you eat Nutella after the best before date?
Best before dates are about quality rather than safety, so a jar just past its date is usually still fine but may taste flat or stale. If it smells rancid, tastes bitter or shows any mold, throw it out.
Why is there oil on top of my Nutella?
Warmth makes the oils in the spread separate and rise. Ferrero says that if you stir well, it should come back together; afterwards keep the jar somewhere cooler, though not in the fridge.
Why has my Nutella gone hard?
It was kept below about 18°C (65°F), often in the fridge or a cold pantry in winter. Ferrero suggests leaving it at 65–75°F (18–24°C) for the next 24 hours, and it will soften.