How Long Are Dairy and Nondairy Coffee Creamers Safe to Use?

Creamer is the liquid or powder people commonly add to their coffee or tea in place of milk and similar products like cream and half-and-half. Different types of creamers are available, including dairy, dairy-free, liquid, and powdered varieties, each with varying requirements for safety and storage.

Here’s how to make sure your creamer stays in date and doesn’t curdle as soon as it hits your much-needed morning cup o’ joe.

What’s in Coffee Creamer?

The expiration dates and safe storage windows for creamers vary because their contents differ. However, while the ingredients and flavors vary by brand, most creamers contain a base of water, sugar, and vegetable oil.

“Most nondairy creamers consisting of alternative milk include gellan gum, an ingredient that helps to stabilize, thicken, and bind the ingredients,” says Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, a nutrition expert for the plant-based pea milk brand Ripple, and author of Smoothies & Juices: Prevention Healing Kitchen. With extra processing and sugars compared to milk or alt-milks, creamers are popular for their sweet taste and ability to add body and flavor to coffee.

You can find liquid creamers in both the cold and room-temperature sections of the grocery store, but both need refrigeration after opening. The main differences between them are in the ingredients and packaging. “Producers package shelf-stable products in aseptic containers, meaning that there are no bacteria in the packaging itself that can cause the product to spoil,” Largeman-Roth says.

When Does Coffee Creamer Expire?

The shelf life all depends on the type of creamer you have. Generally speaking, a liquid dairy creamer, opened or unopened, will last refrigerated up to three weeks.

On the other hand, for shelf-stable liquid dairy-free creamers, an unopened bottle can stay in the pantry for 9 to 12 months after the best-by date. However, once you’ve opened a dairy-free creamer, you’ll need to store it in the refrigerator and consume it within two weeks.

“Even if a creamer doesn’t consist of dairy-based ingredients, the other ingredients can still break down and spoil if they are held at too high or too low a temperature,” Largeman-Roth says. “These products are emulsions and need storage in certain conditions to not break apart into an unappetizing mix of oil and sugar.”

Do Nondairy Creamers Last Longer Than Dairy Creamers?

Although you’ll want to inspect the texture, smell, and taste of dairy and nondairy creamers to determine spoilage, Trevor Craig, a food safety expert and technical director at Microbac Laboratories, notes that nondairy creamers will tend to last a little longer than most dairy creamers.

“Yes, generally [nondairy creamers] will have a longer shelf life. Dairy normally only lasts a few weeks or even days without opening, while you can go much longer without the dairy,” he says.

Signs Coffee Creamer Has Gone Bad

According to Craig, identifying expired creamer boils down to three telltale signs.”Dairy and nondairy are going to give similar signals. Changes in texture, smell, and taste are all signs that things have gone wrong with your creamer,” Craig says. If your creamer has experienced any one (or all) of these changes, it may be time to part ways.

When it comes to powdered creamers, Craig says that the signs the creamer has gone bad will be a little different. “For dry creamers, you should look out for signs of mold, but otherwise, they will mostly just start to taste bad. If you aren’t sure, pour a spoonful out and double-check before pouring it in your coffee.”

Using Coffee Creamer Past Its Expiration Date

You may be wondering what to do if creamer has been sitting in your fridge for several days or is past the expiration date but is still unfinished.

Contrary to popular belief, while expiration dates are valuable indicators of guaranteed freshness, they don’t necessarily indicate whether the product is truly spoiled. “Generally, when we talk about shelf life and expiration dates, we are talking about limits to the quality of the product, not the safety,” Craig says.

On that note, although the smell, taste, texture, or even color might still be intact, Craig says that this isn’t the only thing you should be wary of if your creamer has been sitting around for a while. The longer the product remains unused, the more time it has to grow bacteria that can potentially wreak havoc on your digestive system.

How Long Does Coffee Creamer Last After Opening?

Ultimately, this means the creamer could expire faster than its predetermined expiration date.

Can You Extend Your Coffee Creamer’s Shelf Life?

According to Largeman-Roth, where you store the creamer in your fridge can affect its freshness. That is to say, Largeman-Roth recommends keeping creamer in the cooler areas of your refrigerator.

“Most of us keep creamers in the door, as it’s really convenient. However, it’s better to store them in the main compartment, as the items in the door are more susceptible to temperature fluctuations from the opening and closing of the fridge,” Largeman-Roth says.

Can You Freeze Coffee Creamer to Extend Its Shelf Life?

If you don’t foresee yourself getting through your stockpile of creamer in time, you may want to consider freezing it before it spoils. “I don’t see anything that would suggest it’s dangerous to freeze it, but it’s potentially going to affect the quality of the product,” Craig says.

The Takeaway

• Liquid dairy creamers generally last up to three weeks in the refrigerator, while dairy-free versions can stay in the pantry for up to a year unopened but only two weeks in the fridge once opened.
• Check for signs of spoilage, like changes in texture, smell, or taste in both dairy and nondairy creamers, and watch powdered versions for mold growth.
• If your creamer is beyond its expiration date but smells and tastes fine, it’s likely safe to use, but avoid relying on it for too long past the date, as bacterial growth remains a small risk.
• To extend the shelf life of your creamers, store them in the cooler sections of your fridge and consider freezing them if you won’t use them right away, although be aware that freezing them might affect the quality.