Contents
Sucrose, refined to the point where no organism can get water out of it. Brown, granulated and confectioners all keep indefinitely; what they do instead is go hard, which is a texture problem and reversible.
How long it keeps
Unopened, this keeps indefinitely — which is what puts it on the long shelf.
| As sold | Unopened, in the cupboard | Once opened |
|---|---|---|
| brown | indefinitely | 18–24 months |
| granulated | indefinitely | 18–24 months |
| confectioners | indefinitely | 18–24 months |
Counted from the date on the package. Figures are the USDA FSIS FoodKeeper table's, for unopened storage at room temperature; FoodKeeper counts a month as 30 days.
FoodKeeper's own note: Sugar never spoils, but for best quality use within 2 years of opening.
The table was not pulled from USDA — fsis.usda.gov answers 403 to non-browser clients from this machine — so it came from a mirror of the data.gov dataset and its vintage is unverified. Treat a single figure as indicative, not as a use-by date.
Related
- Keeps 60 days or more — the whole cupboard list, by aisle.
- Ingredients — the wider shelf.
- Same aisle — Baked Goods — Baking and Cooking: Cocoa and cocoa mixes · Spices · Gelatin · Almond extract · Butter flavor.