11 Foods That Almost Never Expire

Foods that don’t expire or will at least last a very long time is important info. If you stock up on something it needs to be good when you need it.

Hey, before we move on, there are plenty of things you can freeze. For instance, we love to use coffee cream ice cubes in our cold coffee. And in our smoothies, we use green veggie cubes a lot. We thought we’d share with our frugal friends who refuse to let things go to waste!

Foods That Don’t Expire (If Stored Correctly)

We aren’t going to say these foods last forever and ever because, so far as we know, no one has lived forever and ever. Let’s settle for our lifetimes. Remember, how and where you store these foods are critical.

Raw Honey

You may have heard that honey was found in tombs and was still edible. It’s true!

From National Geographic: The honey, dating back approximately 3,000 years, is the world’s oldest sample – and still perfectly edible. The secret behind honey’s eternal shelf life is a range of factors. Hydrogen peroxide, acidity and lack of water work together to make this sticky substance last forever.

Get the purest form of honey, and be careful here. A lot of what you see in the grocery store is mixed with other things to make it cheaper. Local honey is the best if you can get it, but they also have some on Amazon. Keep it in a cool, dry, dark place. If it crystallizes, that’s okay. It’s still good. Don’t let it sit out uncovered.

Sugar

Granulated white sugar lasts indefinitely, as do white sugar cubes. Store in the original packaging, and in a sealed container if you can. It’s important to keep it dry and airtight. The texture will change over time, but it’s still good.

White Vinegar

Of course, other kinds of vinegar may last indefinitely as well. Apple cider, balsamic, rice wine vinegar are examples. After a few years, you may notice some sediment or color change, but you can still use it.

Freeze Dried Instant Coffee

Sorry, but your regular coffee doesn’t last forever. Don’t feel too bad because of coffee like Folgers Instant. The best part of waking up… in 20 years… is Folgers instant coffee in your cup.

White Rice

When properly sealed and stored, polished white rice will store well for 25 to 30 years. (source) Store it tightly in sealed containers or in sealed jars in a cool, dry place. (This is polished rice.)

More foods that don’t expire!

Dried Beans

Not all dried beans will last indefinitely. Pinto beans, however, will last 30 years or more. Store them in a dry, cool place. “samples [of pinto beans] that had been stored up to 30 years had greater than 80 percent acceptance by a consumer taste panel for emergency food use. (source)

Adzuki, Black, Black-eyed, Black Turtle, Garbanzo, Great Northern, Kidney, Lentils, Lima, Mung, Navy, Pink, Pinto, Small Red, Soy, and Split-pea can all be dried and stored. (source)

Liquor and Wine

The hard part here is that you have to keep those bottles SEALED. Sorry, but no nips here and there! Keep it cool and dark and try to keep the temperature from varying as little as possible.

Pure Vanilla Extract

Again, PURE is the important word here. It will cost more to get pure vanilla, but if you want to keep it indefinitely, that’s what you have to do. Imitation vanilla is a no-go. This is a good one for less than $20.

Baking Soda

If you’re wondering why you’d want to keep baking soda for the rest of your natural life, you don’t know baking soda! You can use it for a zillion things besides baking so long as you keep it sealed and out of direct light. From providing relief from itchy skin and sunburns to making tomatoes taste sweeter, it’s super versatile. If you want to store a lot of it, here’s a gallon that’s sealed.

Popcorn

Sorry, but no microwave popcorn here. You need real, honest to goodness unpopped kernels of popcorn. As with everything else, keep it sealed up tight in a cool, dark place. You can use Mylar bags with added food-grade oxygen-absorption packs to be extra careful.

Remember, plain, unpopped popcorn like this. Try this 6 LB bag of Amish Country kernels.

Water

This one is tricky, to be honest. Theoretically, water will last indefinitely. Makes sense. Why would it go bad? But, if you store it in plastic? That’s where the trouble may begin.

IMPORTANT! Bottles that have been left in the sun have been directly linked to breast cancer in women and studies now show links to other types of cancer in both men and women. High temperatures can break down the chemicals in plastic bottles which can leak into the water.

Be sure to store water in a cool, dark place and keep it away from cleaning products, gasoline, and other toxic or odorous materials.

Remember – foods that don’t expire should be stored correctly.

Keep it away from heat, humidity, oxygen light and pests. We love Mylar bags and canning jars. Nothing is absolutely perfect, but they do a really good job and they are inexpensive. They also come in a variety of sizes.

We want to hear about them all, so please share. Remember, storage is the key for all these foods, so don’t skimp on those things.