How long do dairy products and eggs last?

Reviewed by the MyListResort team · Data from the USDA FoodKeeper · Updated July 30, 2026

Dairy is one of the most perishable things in the kitchen and it lives or dies by temperature, so keep it on a cold shelf rather than the fridge door. Once opened, most dairy is a matter of days to a couple of weeks; hard cheeses outlast soft ones by a wide margin.

What are common spoilage signs for dairy & eggs?

• A sour or off smell, or milk that has thickened, curdled or separated.
• Mold on cheese or yogurt. On hard cheese you can cut well around a spot; on soft cheese or yogurt, discard the whole thing.
• In butter, margarine and other dairy fats: a rancid, cheesy or crayon-like smell, or a darkened, greasy-looking surface where it met the air.
• In cultured and aerated dairy: separation that will not stir back in, a fizzing or yeasty smell, or a topping that has collapsed and weeps liquid.
• For eggs, a cracked or leaking shell, or an unusual odor or appearance after cracking. A float test does not establish whether an egg is safe.

Storing dairy & eggs

• Keep dairy on the coldest shelf, sealed, and never on the door.
• Dried and powdered dairy keeps in a sealed container in the cupboard. Once you mix it with water it becomes a fresh dairy food, so refrigerate what you make up and use it within a few days.
• Reseal cheese well; wrap hard cheese so it can breathe without drying out.
• Store eggs in their carton, not the door, and refrigerate them promptly.

Dairy & eggs shelf life, food by food

Tap a food for its once-opened window, full shelf-life table and storage tips.

• Almond milk
• Butter
• Buttermilk
• Cheese
• Cheese Curds, fresh, unaged
• Cheese, hard such as cheddar, swiss, block parmesan
• Cheese, parmesan; shredded or grated
• Cheese, processed slices
• Cheese, shredded; cheddar, mozzarella, etc.
• Cheese, soft such as brie, bel paese, goat
• Coconut milk
• Coffee creamer, liquid refrigerated
• Coffee creamer, powdered
• Cottage cheese
• Cream
• Cream cheese
• Cream, half and half
• Cream, heavy
• Cream, light
• Cream, whipped, sweetened
• Cream, whipping, ultrapasteurized
• Dips, sour cream based
• Egg dishes
• Egg substitutes, liquid
• Eggnog, commercial
• Eggs, hard boiled cooked
• Eggs, in shell
• Eggs, raw whites, yolks
• Ghee
• Kefir, fermented milk
• Margarine
• Milk, lactose-free
• Milk, plain or flavored
• Nacho cheese, store bought
• Pimento cheese, packaged
• Powdered milk
• Pudding
• Quark, fresh cheese
• Rice milk
• Ricotta
• Sour cream
• Soy milk
• String Cheese
• Vegan Cheddar Cheese
• Whipped cream, aerosol can
• Whipped topping, aerosol can
• Whipped topping, tub
• Yogurt

Shelf-life windows come from the USDA FoodKeeper, published by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (public domain); we vendor the FSIS FoodKeeper dataset and refresh it in place. These are quality estimates, not food-safety determinations or guarantees: actual condition depends on storage and handling, and harmful bacteria may not have obvious signs. Follow package and official guidance; when in doubt, throw it out. See our food safety notice and terms.