How long does milk last?
Milk keeps until the date on the package in the fridge, up to 3 months in the freezer. USDA lists 5 kinds of milk; the first is shown here and all are in the table below.
plain or flavored
No guideline
Use by the package date
3 months
best quality within
All kinds of milk, side by side
| Kind | Pantry | Fridge | After opening | Freezer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| plain or flavored | no guideline | Use by the package date | no guideline | 3 months |
| canned evaporated or condensed | 12 months | no guideline | 4 to 5 days | no guideline |
| lactose-free | no guideline | no guideline | 1 week | Not recommended |
| shelf-stable | 6 to 12 months | no guideline | 5 to 7 days | no guideline |
| ultra-pasteurized | no guideline | 1 to 3 months | 7 to 10 days | no guideline |
No guideline: USDA gives no time for that place, usually because the food is not stored that way.
How to tell milk has gone bad
- Spoiled milk has a sour odour, an off flavour and a curdled, lumpy consistency.
- These signs show up fastest when milk sits above 40 F (4 C), for example in the fridge door or on the counter. Keep it at or below 40 F and put it back straight after pouring.
- Clemson extension gives pasteurized milk 1 to 5 days beyond the sell-by date when it has been kept cold the whole time.
- Milk can carry harmful bacteria without smelling or looking wrong, so keep to time and temperature rather than the sniff test.
Sources: Safe Handling of Milk and Dairy Products (Clemson University Extension); Are You Storing Food Safely? (FDA). The times on this page 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.