How long does heavy cream last?
Heavy cream keeps for 10 days in the fridge, up to 3 to 4 months in the freezer. Times are USDA FoodKeeper quality guidelines from the point of purchase unless noted.
Where these times come from. USDA FoodKeeper has no entry named "heavy cream". The times on this page are the USDA figures for heavy cream, copied without change from its Cream entry. The full entry lists other kinds too.
No guideline
10 days
from the package date
3 to 4 months
best quality within
How to tell heavy cream has gone bad
General signs for dairy products & eggs, the group USDA lists heavy cream under.
- Sour, sharp smell from milk or yogurt that was mild before
- Mould on cheese that is not part of the recipe
- Eggs that float in a bowl of water instead of sinking
- Slimy or watery texture on soft cheese or yogurt
- Yellowing or watery separation showing up in milk
More on dairy products & eggs. 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 dairy and eggs in the coldest part of the fridge, not the door, at 40 F (4 C) or below. Store eggs in their original carton to protect them and track the date. Reseal cheese tightly in wax paper or a container, and keep milk capped between pours.
More in dairy products & eggs
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.