How Long Do Raisins Last? Purchase, Opening and Freezing
For plain dried raisins, FoodKeeper gives a pantry quality guide of 6 months from purchase. Its separate opened-package guides are 1 month in the pantry or 6 months refrigerated after opening. These are not extra allowances to add together.
Quick answer
FoodKeeper’s dried-fruit row explicitly names raisins and lists 6 months in the pantry from purchase for quality. This general field does not explicitly say unopened.
Count from the original purchase date under the named storage condition. Opening, repacking or moving between storage locations does not reset this clock; do not add or subtract these allowances across a mixed storage history.
FoodKeeper gives 1 month in the pantry after opening for quality. Keep the package airtight, cool and dry.
Count from opening, with the named storage condition after opening. Do not use this as extra time beyond more restrictive package directions or to erase poor prior handling.
FoodKeeper gives 6 months refrigerated after opening for quality. Keep the container airtight and protect it from moisture.
Count from opening, with the named storage condition after opening. Do not use this as extra time beyond more restrictive package directions or to erase poor prior handling.
California Raisin Board says raisins freeze well when packaged appropriately. No precise frozen storage period is selected here.
A missing freezer number is not a prohibition. Freezing does not establish a new pantry or after-thaw allowance.
Discard immediately if
- Discard moldy or suspicious food; do not taste-test it.
Why guidance varies
This page covers commercial plain dried grapes. Golden raisins and sultanas remain product variants subject to their labels. Coated snacks, high-moisture products, raisin paste or juice, rehydrated raisins and cooked recipes do not inherit these periods. The purchase-based field is not an explicit unopened claim or permission to add months after a best-by date.
Match the product state, storage conditions and source clock above. This guide does not provide an automatic expiry timer.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the dry-raisin guide after soaking them?
No. Rehydrated raisins have added water and are outside the selected dry-fruit guidance. This page establishes no refrigerated or room-temperature duration for soaked raisins or a recipe containing them.
Does the six-month pantry figure mean six months after the best-by date?
No. FoodKeeper’s general pantry figure starts at purchase. Its separate opened figures start at opening under the named storage condition. Neither creates an extension past more restrictive package directions.
Sources for this answer
- A FoodSafety.gov / USDA FSIS, Cornell University and Food Marketing Institute — FoodKeeper English product data — FoodKeeper supplies the named product rows and their explicit purchase, package-date or opening fields.
- A FoodSafety.gov — FoodKeeper App — FoodKeeper storage guidance concerns freshness and quality, not a guarantee of safety.
- A U.S. Food and Drug Administration — Are You Storing Food Safely? — General food-storage handling, mold or suspicious food, cold-storage temperatures and limits of sensory safety checks.
- A California Raisin Marketing Board — Processing Details — California Raisin Board airtight cool storage and freezing suitability without a precise frozen duration.
- A National Center for Home Food Preservation / University of Georgia — Packaging and Storing Dried Foods — NCHFP dry-food packaging and protection from moisture; no rehydrated-raisin storage period adopted.