How To Tell If Your Peanut Butter Has Expired

Peanut butter and jelly, peanut butter cookies, and peanut butter and pickle sandwiches all use one simple ingredient as a base: peanut butter. This creamy, sometimes crunchy, nutty-tasting spread is a favorite among young and old. It's good to know that the shelf life of this pantry staple is exceptionally long, but how can you tell once it's no longer safe to consume? The most obvious indicators that this spread is past its prime involves using your senses. Peanut butter can go rancid due to its high fat content. When this happens, you will notice it is not pliable, it appears darker in color,  the taste may be bitter, and the smell may be a little funky or sour.

Can you still use it? Rancid peanut butter is not delicious to eat and may cause you tummy issues. Sadly, it should be discarded. But knowing your peanut butter can go bad, it begs the question: How long can a jar sit unopened in your cabinet before you need to worry? Thanks to stabilizers, a jar of commercially produced peanut butter — think Jif and Skippy — can keep for six to nine months tucked away on a shelf if it has not been opened. But, if you crack open a jar, you will want to use it up within two to three months, especially if you don't refrigerate it. Storing it in the fridge can extend the life of an opened jar of peanut butter to anywhere between six and nine months.

If you are a fan of natural peanut butter, you are going to need to eat this type of nutty spread rather quickly. Natural peanut butter is good for about three weeks in the pantry once you open it, and up to two months if you keep it in the fridge. However, it is critical to store it in a cool, dry spot when keeping it at room temp if you are to obtain a maximum shelf life. 

Just remember that natural peanut butter tends to separate due to a lack of stabilizers, leaving you with a deep layer of oil. However, separation doesn't mean that natural peanut butter has gone bad. It's more of an inconvenience. Just give it a stir and its consistency will be restored. Once it has, you can spread it on your toast or in whatever you might be making or baking. To ensure your peanut butter doesn't go to waste, make certain to always screw the lid on tightly to keep out the elements like moisture and odors. The good news is that most Americans consume a stunning amount of peanut butter – 3 pounds per person each year, so it is unlikely it lasts long enough to worry about it going bad.