People all around the world love avocado oil. It’s a great product to use on your skin, hair, and in your cooking. Maybe you’ve heard some good things about it and are wanting to try it.
But, if you’ve never used it before, you may not know how to store avocado oil. Nobody likes to waste the things they buy. So, it’s good to know how to store products and to tell when they’ve gone bad.
Keep reading to find out the best way to store your new favorite oil.
Does Avocado Oil Go Bad?
Avocado oil is a very stable product which means that it doesn’t go bad easily. It has a long shelf life, even after it’s technically “expired”.
When it comes to avocado oil, “expired” and “bad” are sometimes two different things.
You should always use avocado oil before its end date. This isn’t necessarily because the oil has gone bad. It’s more likely that the oil has lost its nutritive benefits.
Avocado oil might not actually go “bad” until long after its end date. Avocado oil that is “bad” refers to rancid oil that will make you sick if you ingest it or apply it topically.
For example, avocado oil might not go “bad” for one to two years after the end date on the bottle. It won’t make you sick if you ingest it or use it on your body. But, avocado oil begins to lose its nutrients about 6-12 months after it’s bottled. So, although the oil won’t make you sick, there’s no benefit to using it.
How Can You Tell If Avocado Oil Is Bad?
The good thing is that it’s easy to tell if your avocado oil has gone bad. You needn’t ever worry about accidentally using avocado oil that has gone rancid. If you know what avocado looks and smells like when it’s fresh, then it’s easy to tell when it’s gone bad.
The first thing you should do is look at the shelf life. As we mentioned above, it’s best to use the oil before the end date. If the end date has passed, the oil is going to be of no use to you.
The next thing you need to do is look at the oil. You can usually tell by the way it looks if your avocado oil has gone bad. But, if you’re still not sure, you can give it a whiff as well.
Inspect The Color Of The Avocado Oil
Fresh avocado oil will have a natural light yellow or green color to it. It’s usually easy to tell what color the oil is because it’s usually packaged in an opaque glass bottle. Still, if you can’t see the color in the bottle, pour a bit into a small glass.
You can tell that avocado oil has gone bad when the color has turned dark. You are also likely to notice small particles floating around inside the oil.
Smell The Avocado Oil
This isn’t the most pleasant option, but it’s effective. If you can’t tell that your oil is rancid by the color, then you’ll need to smell it.
Fresh avocado oil has a light, nutty scent to it. Once the oil has gone bad, that sweet scent will turn rotten. Rancid avocado tends to smell a bit like spoiled grains.
Exactly How To Store Avocado Oil
There are several different ways that you can store your avocado oil, so there’s an option for everyone. You can either store your avocado oil in the pantry, the fridge, or the freezer.
Whichever you choose, make sure to keep your oil in an airtight container somewhere dark. Air and sunlight are enemies of avocado oil and will make it go bad much more quickly than you’d like.
In The Pantry
It’s most common to store your avocado oil in the pantry. Despite this, using your pantry is the worst option. The pantry will cause your avocado oil to go bad several months sooner than it would in the fridge or freezer.
The problem with the pantry is that avocado doesn’t like warm temperatures. Warm temperatures cause your oil to go bad more quickly. Because most people keep their pantries at room temperature, it’s not the ideal spot for avocado oil.
An opened bottle of avocado oil will only last about six months in a pantry. Yet, it can last for a full year if unopened. So, many people store their unopened bottles in the pantry. After they open it, they transfer it to the fridge or freezer.
In The Fridge
The fridge is the best place to store your avocado oil. The cooler temperatures will keep your opened avocado oil fresh for up to nine months.
Just know that the cool temperatures will cause your oil to turn cloudy. This is completely natural, and the cloudiness will go away after you thaw the oil.
In The Freezer
The second best place to keep your avocado oil is in the freezer. Some people prefer this method because it keeps your oil fresh the longest.
An opened bottle of avocado oil will stay fresh in the freezer for up to one year.
The reason that we prefer the fridge to the freezer is that it’s easier. Frozen oil is harder to use because it takes longer to thaw out. You have to remember to take it out of the freezer several hours before you plan to cook with it.
But, if you don’t plan to use your oil within nine months, then freezing is definitely your best option.
Does Avocado Oil Solidify In The Fridge?
Yes, the cool temperatures of the fridge will cause your avocado oil to solidify. You will also notice that your oil becomes cloudy. This is nothing to worry about, though. The cloudiness and thickness are a response to the cool temperatures. It doesn’t mean that your oil has gone bad.
If you plan to use refrigerated avocado oil, you’ll need to remove it from the fridge. Allow it to sit on the counter at room temperature for about 15-30 minutes. The oil will turn back to liquid for easy use. After you use what you need, place it back in the fridge.
How Long Does Avocado Oil Last?
How long avocado oil will last depends on how you store it. Avocado oil is a stable product that is capable of lasting for a long time. Yet, if you don’t store it properly, it’s going to go bad much more quickly than you like.
The fridge and the freezer work best to keep your avocado oil fresher for longer. Yet, even the pantry can keep your oil fresh for months. That is, as long as you keep it cool and dark.
| The Avocado Oil Is… | It Is Stored In The… | It Will Last For… |
| Open | Pantry | No More Than 6 Months |
| Unopened | Pantry | About 1 Year |
| Open | Fridge | No More Than 9 Months |
| Unopened | Fridge | About 1 Year |
| Open | Freezer | About 1 Year |
| Unopened | Freezer | About 1 Year |
What To Do With Expired Avocado Oil
It should be evident that you shouldn’t eat expired avocado oil. But you may be wondering, can I use expired avocado oil on my skin?
Unfortunately, you shouldn’t use expired avocado oil on your food, hair, or in your cooking. The best thing to do is to throw it away.
If you eat expired avocado oil, it’s likely to make you sick. At the very least, you won’t receive any benefits from it.
The same goes for using it on your skin and hair. It’s possible that you may experience a reaction to the oil after it’s expired. Even if you don’t, your skin or hair won’t receive any benefits.
Final Words
The best way to store avocado oil is in your fridge. The fridge keeps the oil dark and cool so that it can stay good for up to a year.
The freezer produces similar results, but it’s harder to use frozen oil than oil stored in the fridge.
Avocado oil doesn’t like warm temperatures. So, unless you plan on using all your oil within a few months, we don’t recommend storing it in the pantry.
Regardless of where you store your avocado oil, it’s going to last for several months. Avocado oil is a stable product that lasts for a long time whether it’s open or unopened. So, unless you plan on never actually using your oil, you shouldn’t worry too much about it expiring.
Know the exact avocado oil shelf life here, how to use it for lips or scalp and whether it will clog your pores or not here. For other oil types, find out how long castor oil lasts here and exactly how to store jojoba oil here. Learn more avocado beauty tips and recipes here.
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