How long do raisins last?
Quick answer
- In the fridge
- Opened, in a closed jar: 6–12 months
- In the freezer
- 12–18 months
- In the pantry
- Unopened: 6–12 months · Opened: about 1 month, a few months in a sealed jar kept cool
Sources: USDA FoodKeeper, University of Illinois Extension: We're Raisin the Bar, Oregon State University Extension: Safety tips for dehydrated produce, University of Georgia Extension: Protect dried garden foods from Indian meal moths, FDA: How to Cut Food Waste and Maintain Food Safety, USDA grade standards for processed raisins, 7 CFR 52.1844 (definition of sugared), California Raisins: Processing Details, California Raisins: Storage, California Raisins: Preparation Information · Last reviewed October 24, 2026
Unopened raisins keep about 6–12 months in a cool, dry cupboard and 12–18 months in the freezer. Once the bag is open, USDA's FoodKeeper gives dried fruit about 1 month in the pantry but 6 months in the fridge, where Illinois Extension puts raisins at 6–12 months. Warmth shortens every figure: guidance for home-dried fruit gives about a year at 16°C (60°F) but only six months at 27°C (80°F). The best-before date on the box marks peak flavor and quality, not a safety cutoff, so look the raisins over once it has passed. Golden raisins are dried mechanically and treated with sulfur dioxide to hold their color; dark raisins are sun-dried for weeks.
How to store raisins
Raisins rarely spoil on their own; moisture, warmth and pantry insects do the damage. Damp air lets mold take hold, heat dries the fruit out and dulls its flavor, and Indian meal moth larvae feed on dried fruit. California's raisin board advises keeping them sealed in your coolest storage spot and away from flour, rice and other grains, which may contain insects attracted to the raisins' natural sugar. Once the bag is open, move the raisins into a glass jar, a metal tin or a rigid plastic tub with a tight lid and keep it in the fridge, especially in a hot, humid kitchen. For long storage, freeze them: they thaw quickly at room temperature.
- Shake the box before you buy: raisins that rattle around are probably not very fresh.
- Decant an opened bag into a screw-top glass jar or a tight metal or hard plastic container that moth larvae can't get through.
- Store unopened boxes in your coolest cupboard, away from the stove and not next to open flour, rice or other grains.
- Keep opened raisins in the fridge in a closed jar, especially in summer or a humid kitchen.
- Freeze a bulk bag in small portions; they keep 12–18 months and thaw quickly on the counter.
- Plump hard raisins in very hot tap water for 2–5 minutes, no longer, or soak them 10–15 minutes in the liquid from your recipe.
Signs it has gone bad
- Fuzzy growth on the raisins is mold: throw out the whole container, not just the affected ones.
- A sour, winey or fermented smell instead of a sweet, grapey one.
- Fine silky webbing, small whitish larvae or raisins stuck together with threads point to pantry moths.
- Dry, gritty white specks on the skin are usually the fruit's own sugar crystallizing, which the USDA grade standard calls sugared raisins: a quality flaw, not mold.
- Rock-hard, dry raisins have only lost moisture. Soak them briefly in hot water or bake with them.
Frequently asked questions
Do raisins go bad?
Slowly. Unopened and kept cool they stay good for about 6–12 months; an opened bag lasts about a month in the pantry or 6–12 months in a closed jar in the fridge. Damp storage can let mold in, and an open bag can attract pantry moths.
Should raisins be refrigerated?
Not before opening: a cool, dry cupboard is fine. Once the bag is open, the fridge is the better place: in a closed jar raisins keep 6–12 months there, while USDA's FoodKeeper gives opened dried fruit only about a month in the pantry.
Can you freeze raisins?
Yes. In an airtight freezer bag or container they keep 12–18 months, and because they thaw quickly at room temperature you can take out a handful at a time.
What is the white stuff on raisins?
Usually crystallized fruit sugar: dry, gritty specks on the skin. Mold looks fuzzy and smells off. If you can't tell which it is, remember the rule: when in doubt, throw it out.
How do you soften hard raisins?
Cover them with very hot tap water for 2–5 minutes and drain. Soaking longer washes out flavor; for baking, soak them 10–15 minutes in the liquid the recipe already uses.