How Long Do Nuts Last? Tips for Storing Nuts and Seeds

Packed with essential nutrients, heart-healthy fats, and cancer-fighting fiber, nuts and seeds are the ultimate superfoods. You can eat these crunchy treats alone as snacks, sprinkle them on your morning cereal, or add them to simple recipes to make gourmet meals. Nuts are nutrient-dense and versatile, making them among the most expensive yet versatile foods in the world.

Buying nuts in larger quantities can help you enjoy their health benefits at a lower cost. Wildly Organic offers volume discounts, meaning the more nuts you buy, the less you pay per unit price. Many people, though, avoid buying nuts in large quantities because of their concerns with the products’ shelf life. Are you questioning how long do nuts last before making a bulk purchase?

In this post, we will discuss the shelf life of nuts and seeds, and provide tips on how to store nuts properly so you can buy more and save money:

Do Nuts Expire?

Due to their high antioxidant content, nuts and seeds have a longer shelf life than most other foods. These antioxidants, however, can’t preserve nuts forever. Although nuts don’t have an expiration date, they do have a best-by date that gives you an estimate of how long they’re good for. How you store the nuts will determine if they’re good to eat after their best-by date.

So, how long do nuts last? The healthy fatty acids that make nuts a power food are also what make them go bad. The fats in nuts oxidize when exposed to air, light, moisture, and warm temperatures, making nuts go rancid over time. When nuts go rancid, they develop an unpleasant taste and smell. At this point, they become inedible and should be discarded.

How Long Do Different Nuts Last?

How long do nuts last? It depends on the type of nut. Each nut type has different concentrations of antioxidants and polyunsaturated fatty acids, important factors that affect the nut’s shelf life. The higher the nut’s antioxidant level, the longer its shelf life. Conversely, the higher a nut’s fatty acid content, the sooner it goes rancid.

Before we discuss how to store nuts correctly, go over this table to learn about the approximate shelf life of different nuts and seeds:

How to Store Nuts (and Seeds) Properly

Looking at the table above, you probably figured out that cooler temperatures extend the shelf life of nuts and seeds. Cold temperatures slow down the oxidation process, keeping the nuts fresher for longer. How long do nuts last? Now you know how type and storage conditions affect the rancidity rate of nuts.

Besides cooler temperatures, what other storage conditions can help you preserve nuts for the long term? Use these nut storage tips from the University of California, Davis, to prolong the freshness of your valuable nuts:

Practice Good Hygiene

Hand bacteria and contaminated containers can spoil the quality of nuts. Wash your hands with soap and water before handling nuts and store them in sanitized containers to prevent mold and bacteria growth.

Keep Air Out

How long do nuts last? It largely depends on how often they’re exposed to air. Oxygen is the number one enemy of nuts as it is directly responsible for oxidizing the fat content. Store nuts in an airtight container to minimize contact with oxygen.

Block Out Light

UV light speeds up the rancidity of nuts by producing free radicals and destroying the antioxidants that preserve quality. Another great tip on how to store nuts is to place them in a dark space with no exposure to sunlight or UV lamps and bulbs.

Store Them Whole

When chopped, sliced, or ground into flour, more of the nut’s oils come into contact with oxygen, making them go bad faster. Store nuts whole to shield the fats from oxygen so you can keep them edible for longer.

Buy Quality Products

It’s important to make sure your nuts and seeds are prepared correctly before you purchase them. At Wildly Organic, we sell activated nuts. This means the nuts have undergone a soaking and dehydrating process to improve the bioavailability of the nutrients by making the nuts more digestible. The process uses very low temperatures so you don’t lose the benefits of consuming the raw nut.

Buy Raw Nuts From Wildly Organic

Nuts are a healthy staple food you should always have in your kitchen. From baking and cooking with them to making healthy snacks for your kids, these wholesome foods can make any meal more nutritious and filling. Now that you know how long nuts last and the proper ways to store them, you can buy nuts in larger quantities to reduce the cost of healthy eating.

If you’re looking to buy high-quality nuts and seeds, you’re in the right place. From pistachios to pecans, Wildly Organic offers a large selection of raw nuts and seeds to ensure long-term freshness. Shop our fresh nuts and seeds and get free US shipping on orders over $49.