How long does puff pastry last?
Puff pastry keeps up to 12 months in the freezer. Times are USDA FoodKeeper quality guidelines from the point of purchase unless noted.
No guideline
No guideline
12 months
best quality within
How puff pastry compares with other baked goods: refrigerated dough
USDA FoodKeeper gives puff pastry one time: 12 months in the freezer, and no figure for the other places. A blank usually means the food is not stored that way, not that the data is missing. The foods USDA lists next to puff pastry in baked goods: refrigerated dough show the range for the group:
| Food | Pantry | Fridge | Freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biscuits | no guideline | Use by the package date | Not recommended |
| Cinnamon rolls(first of 2 kinds) | no guideline | Use by the package date | no guideline |
| Cookie dough | no guideline | Use by the package date | 2 months |
| Pie crust | no guideline | Use by the package date | 2 months |
| Ready-to-bake pie crust | no guideline | Use by the package date | 2 months |
| Tube cans | no guideline | Use by the package date | Not recommended |
About baked goods: refrigerated dough. Refrigerated dough, such as tubes of biscuits, cookie dough or pie crust, is only safe within its printed date because it is raw and perishable. Once opened, it should be used quickly, since the packaging is no longer airtight. All baked goods: refrigerated dough.
How to tell puff pastry has gone bad
General signs for baked goods: refrigerated dough, the group USDA lists puff pastry under.
- Container or tube bulging or the seal has popped
- Grey or off-colour patches on the dough surface
- Sour, yeasty or alcohol-like smell instead of a mild one
- Slimy or unusually sticky texture on the outside
- Visible mould spots, often blue-green or white
More on baked goods: refrigerated dough. 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 refrigerated dough cold at all times and return it to the fridge promptly after use, since raw dough with eggs or dairy is not safe left at room temperature. Freeze unused portions in a sealed bag or container, and thaw in the fridge rather than on the counter before baking.
More in baked goods: refrigerated dough
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.