How Long Should I Keep Spices Around?

By Matt Hickman, MNN.com

Q: I’m gearing up for my first big spring cleaning session with my sights set on an area I’ve been avoiding: the spice cabinet. My teenage son has started to call me the “spice hoarder,” and my husband won’t even get near the cabinet. (I don’t blame him … the cabinet is a mess and even I have trouble navigating it.) The thing is, I’ve never known when it’s appropriate to throw spices away. I have never been clear on the shelf life, so I keep ‘em around. Have any clue as to when is a good time to chuck them?

A. Growing up, I recall the spice cabinet (which also doubled as the frosting and sprinkle storage area) in my own home as, well, overwhelming. I’m pretty sure there were a couple bottles of something or other in there that were certified antiques, pre-dating the Carter administration. And that ground allspice? I think the sell-by date was 40 A.D.

The shelf life of spices vary, and you never really need to worry about them going “bad” like other foods do. For example, a bottle of curry powder that’s been around a questionable amount of time probably won’t make you sick … it will just be less potent. Many folks abide by a “six-month rule” when it comes to discarding most spices. Seems a bit short to me. I certainly can’t afford to replace all of mine twice a year. The folks at McCormick offer “to toss or not to toss” guidelines that are more generous:

Ground spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, turmeric): 2 to 3 years
Herbs (basil, oregano, parsley): 1 to 3 years
Seasoning blends: 1 to 2 years
Whole spices (cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon sticks): 4 years
Seeds: 4 years (except for poppy and sesame seeds, which should be discarded after 2 years)
Extracts: 4 years (except for vanilla, which will last forever)

Make Your Own Vanilla Extract

Pretty straightforward, eh? Sure, but unless you keep some kind of “purchased on…” checklist inside of your cabinet it’s probably hard to keep track of how long each and every spice has been kicking around. Some spice companies like McCormick do include “best by” dates on the bottles while others don’t. The many Fairway brand spices that I own aren’t so transparent when it comes to their shelf life. In fact, I was just eying an almost-empty container of dried parsley that I’m pretty sure has been living on my spice shelf for four-plus years.

Next: A handy way to verify how old your spices are

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Read more: Food, Home, expiration dates, spice shelf life, spices

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Fred H.

12:53PM PST on Feb 12, 2013

Thank you Megan, for Sharing this!

February 12
send a green star

Cynthia S.

11:45PM PST on Jan 9, 2012

O.K. I'll have to do the sniff test since alot of the spices I have have no dates.

January 9
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Laurita W.

8:12PM PST on Jan 9, 2012

good to know

Margaret M. F.

10:00AM PST on Jan 9, 2012

Thank-you for the informative article. I need to go through my spices again. One spice I use to use a lot of was Dill. I was told to keep it in your refridgerator to help preserve its freshness.

Andrea A.

2:45AM PST on Jan 6, 2012

Thanks for the info.

January 6
send a green star

Judith E.

2:30PM PST on Jan 4, 2012

Thanks. i needed that!

January 4
send a green star

Sarah n.

8:43AM PST on Jan 4, 2012

I guess i can toss everything then!

Susanne R.

8:46PM PDT on Mar 28, 2011

I have a few spices in my cabinet that were purchased when I first got married --39 years ago! They're going to be tossed out this week! I don't use them, yet I never thought to toss them out. Thanks for inspiring me!