Does yogurt go bad? Yes, it does. Yogurt is often sold in large quantities and in many small containers. This means you’ll stock up on a lot of yogurts. Count in the promo and you might have bought more than usual for the same price. Does yogurt go bad? How long does it say good until it has gone bad?
In this article, we will talk about yogurt, its different types of it, its shelf-life, how to store them, and about spoilage.
After this read, you’ll be equipped with the right yogurt knowledge!
Enjoy the read
How Long Can Yogurt Last
We will give a quick overview of yogurt and its shelf-life, just for your convenience.
Yogurt | Pantry | Refrigerator |
---|---|---|
Unopened | Always place into the refrigerator | Date + 1 week (7 days) |
Opened | Always place into the refrigerator | 3 days up to 1 week (7 days) |
You’ll see that when it comes to yogurt, there are different types:
- Greek yogurt
- plain yogurt
- low-fat yogurt
- …
Yogurt is based on dairy products, which as we know, are very delicate and perishable.
Depending on the type, the number of additives will vary and thus their protection against bacteria and other external threats like heat, sunlight, air, and so on.
You don’t know anything about what happened to the yogurt before. Did you the first pack of yogurt close to the door in the store (the closer to the door, the hotter) and so on? Especially in the hot summer months very important!
You’ll have to base your opinion on the printed date on the pack of yogurts. The date will be a best-by date. As we’ve said before on this blog, best-by dates are indicative of the quality of food, not necessarily if it’s good or bad to eat.
Yogurt will usually be good for a week (7 days) past this date. If your yogurt doesn’t have a lot of additives or preservatives, this will be even less.
That is if it is unopened. When you open your yogurt, you make it more vulnerable to external threats. Try to consume the yogurt within a day or 3. It can stay good for up to 7 days (1 week) but that’s taking too many risks since you don’t know what happened since it got there in the store before.
Always try to consume dairy products as soon as possible. It’s not worth taking unnecessary risks.
How To Store Yogurt
Always store your yogurt in your refrigerator. No questions asked.
Try and shorten the period of time when you buy them and get home or put them into a bag with cold elements.
Yogurt needs to be stored in the fridge as most yogurts are dairy and even more delicate. There are non-dairy yogurts as well, they of course need also to be refrigerated.
So when we say you have to store it in the fridge, even if it’s unopened, that might be a telltale sign in its own right about its sensitivity.
Always when you open it, try to seal it back and finish the leftovers in a short period of time. If you’ve bought a large pack and the seal or lid is somewhat broken, get everything in an airtight container for your convenience.
What If It’s Unrefrigerated
That depends on how long it has been unrefrigerated.
Count on the time from going to the store and restoring them in your fridge. How long is that? Is it during summer or winter?
There is no exact number to this so think about it and always use your senses when deciding whether it is still good or already gone bad.
Remember, we always say on GoodOrGoneBad that you don’t need to take any risks when it comes to your health. Better to discard the yogurt and buy a new pack in the store.
Can You Freeze Yogurt
Yes, you can freeze about anything, that’s not a problem but the question is whether it is still good after it’s been thawed.
There’s a lot of debate going on with this as freezing also means thawing. Thawing yogurt is known to change the texture and it won’t be as great as it was for direct consumption.
Even though yogurt is great with some seeds (like chia seeds) or small pieces of fruit, try and reintegrate your thawed yogurt into other dishes so the texture won’t be a big deal to it.
Now we’ll describe how you can tell if your yogurt is still good or already has gone bad.
How Can You Tell If Yogurt Has Gone Bad
Yogurt is a very delicate and perishable product as a few hours of sitting out can make it go bad faster.
Guidelines for checking on whether your yogurt is still good or already has gone bad:
- Do you see some water on the surface? This can be a sign of going bad. Is it a thin layer? Stir it up and check the other guidelines. If is it a thick layer, then I should toss it away.
- Does the yogurt have another (darker) color? If there’s colorization, yes, toss it away immediately, don’t start by selecting the good or bad parts.
- Are there any black marks on/in the container? This can be a sign of mold. Toss it away immediately. Don’t even consider using it in other dishes.
- Does the yogurt have a strange smell? If you smell something funny or unpleasant, toss it away. Yogurt should smell fresh.
- How is the taste? Does it taste odd? Get rid of it. That means it had his best days.
Always note the date of opening the pack on it, so you can always verify and make your call on whether it is good or already has gone bad a lot easier by checking our table.
Food poisoning is something that is heavily underestimated. It’s not easy to let go of that pack of yogurt and buy a new one I get it, but the consequences on your health can go far. You can easily have a bad stomach, vomit, have diarrhea, and so on. Don’t take those risks for that kind of money, even any kind of money to be honest.
Enjoy your yogurt!