How long do berries last?
Berries keep for 7 days in the fridge, up to 12 months in the freezer. USDA lists 2 kinds of berries; the first is shown here and all are in the table below.
cherries, goose berries, lychee
No guideline
7 days
from the package date
12 months
best quality within
All kinds of berries, side by side
| Kind | Pantry | Fridge | After opening | Freezer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cherries, goose berries, lychee | no guideline | 7 days | no guideline | 12 months |
| blackberries, boysenberries, currant | no guideline | 3 to 6 days | no guideline | 12 months |
No guideline: USDA gives no time for that place, usually because the food is not stored that way.
How to tell berries have gone bad
General signs for produce: fresh fruits, the group USDA lists berries under.
- Soft, mushy spots that were firm a day or two before
- Visible mould, often fuzzy white, green or grey
- Leaking juice or a fermented, alcohol-like smell
- Wrinkled, shriveled skin on fruit that used to be firm
- Sour smell replacing a fruit's normal sweet scent
More on produce: fresh fruits. The times above are quality guidelines, not safety limits; food that shows these signs goes out regardless of the date.
Storage habits that make the difference
Keep most fruit in the fridge's crisper drawer, but leave bananas, avocados and stone fruit on the counter until ripe. Store ethylene-sensitive fruit, like berries, away from apples and bananas to slow ripening. Wash fruit just before eating, not before storing, since early washing speeds up spoilage.
More in produce: fresh fruits
Source: USDA FSIS FoodKeeper dataset (public domain). Times assume a fridge at 40 F (4 C) and a freezer at 0 F (-18 C). How we decode the data.