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Does Worcestershire Sauce Go Bad? How Long Until It Does?

Worcestershire sauce is one of the sauces that can be called a “summer sauce” when you’re grilling in the garden. You wait until next year and realize that there’s still some left in your refrigerator. Does Worcestershire sauce go bad?

How long does it take to start going bad? It’s a common question and not everyone uses it regularly when cooking.

If you want to read more about Worcestershire sauce, its shelf-life, and how to store it and spoilage, read on and learn a thing or two.

Enjoy your read!

How Long Does Worcestershire Sauce Last

We start with a nice table for you to give you a quick overview.

Worcestershire saucePantryRefrigerator
UnopenedBest-by + up to 5 years
Opened1 year3 years
These periods are indicative of the quality and general advice.

Worcestershire sauce has a shelf-life of about 1.5 to 3 years and easily goes past the date on the bottle. So you’re stressing about the fact you haven’t used it since last year, go easy about it, for now ;)!

Worcestershire sauce is one of those sauces that never seem to go bad. You can tell when it does, of course. The thing is that if the bottle has been unopened and properly stored, there isn’t much to worry about we’d say.

You can store it easily in the kitchen cabinet or pantry, and avoid letting it have contact with heat sources especially as temperature fluctuations are always one of the biggest external threats to foods and drinks.

The date printed on the table gives an indication of how long you should expect great quality.

We generally say that Worcestershire sauce, if unopened, will last for at least 5 years behind its best-by date.

When refrigerated, add some years to it. We assume this rarely will happen in your life and you consume with a plan, including the Worcestershire sauce. It can be a great habit to store it in your fridge directly.

Try not to store the Worcestershire sauce in the door of your fridge.

Some say Worcestershire sauce never goes bad.

That is if it’s stored correctly.

How To Store Worcestershire Sauce

Since Worcestershire sauce is unique, in both flavor and shelf-life, it doesn’t degrade as easily. So if you’re someone who uses this quite often, you won’t need to worry about this.

You can store them in the pantry or in the refrigerator. You should always make sure if you’re not using it, to seal the bottle. When you open it, write down the date of opening, that helps you when following up on your Worcestershire sauce.

If your sauce has even been unopened for a few years, you shouldn’t worry about this, if you’ve stored them in the pantry, a dark and cool place, or in the refrigerator.

When you’re in doubt or see something odd, try to use our guidelines so you can make the decision to toss it or not.

You know what we say, the pantry is good, and refrigerating is better!

How Can You See If Your Worcestershire Sauce Has Gone Bad

Worcestershire sauce spoils at a slower pace compared to other sauces. When you’re in doubt about tossing it away, trust in your senses and start with your eyes until tasting it as a last resort:

  1. Does your bottle contain gas? In your bottle, there can be extra gas formed, making a popping sound when opening it. That means it has a lot of pressure. This is a sign that bacteria have found their way and started doing their job. Toss away immediately.
  2. Do you smell something funny or unpleasant? Discard it immediately.
  3. Do you see some signs of mold? Are there some chunks in the sauce? Discard it immediately.
  4. Does it taste good? Do you taste something different or unpleasant? Discard it immediately.

All in all, we’re trying to decide if the sauce can still add value to your cooking. Spoiled Worcestershire sauce won’t help you with that but in the end, you can taste sauce that doesn’t taste as good as it should be. You can choose to eat or discard it, that’s up to you but we don’t advise eating very old Worcestershire sauce, just to be safe and avoid risks.

Enjoy the Worcestershire sauce!