Does Jello Go Bad? How Long Does It Last?

Perhaps you bought plenty of ready-to-make Jello packs that you wanted to prepare for the weekend sweets. Or maybe you made plenty of Jello and there are plenty of full cups that you don’t want to throw away.

Follow along to learn if your favorite treat Can go bad or not, as well as how to store it properly so it can last longer. We will also discuss the spoilage signs that should make you wary of that cup of Jello you have been storing around. So, follow along!

Does Jello Go Bad?

With all of the water content available inside of a cup of jello, it’s hard to imagine it not going bad. The high-density water content with sugar is perfect for bacteria to breed and spoil the tasty treat.

So, Jello does go bad. The real question here is How Long Before it does go bad?

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How Long Does Jello Last?

Jello comes in packages and these packages have best-by dates that you should use as an indicator of the average time it can last. There are different types of jello tho, each to their own shelf life.

Here is how long does it last:

Dry Powder

This one is perhaps the safest to store and the longest to last. You can expect a dry powder package of jello to last up to month past it’s best by date.

Storing it is also quite easy and convenient and you won’t struggle with making sure it lasts you as long as you please.

Homemade Jello

After using the powder and making the treat, you will have the tasty cups that you are unsure of its shelf life. Homemade jello doesn’t last as long as the cups bought from the stores.

Your best bet is 3 days, after which the sweet treat will start to degrade badly in quality that you won’t enjoy anymore.

Store-bought Jello

The cup that you have bought from the store usually have an expiry date that you can rely on. you can even consume it After a few days of the expiry date. Any longer than that is not suggested.

Once you open the seal of the cup and The Shelf Life drops. It can last almost the same as homemade jello, maybe slightly longer than that.

Jello Shelf Life [Full Chart]

How to Store Jello?

Now that we know how long it can last, we need to know how to store it so it can last longer.

Let’s start with the dry mix. This mix is quite similar to Pancake Mix in terms of storage, which means you don’t need anything more than a cool and dark place like the pantry to store it properly. This is according to KraftFoods official website.

Once you open the pack, the moisture will start spoiling the mix. This is why you should seal it tightly with some plastic wrap to keep it safe.

The cups are a different story. You need to know how the manufacture intends to store it. Some jello does stay perfectly fine at room temperature, others are not so much. It depends greatly on the type of cup you have.

However, the general rule of thumb is to keep the jello away from the heat sources and sunlight, as these can easily ruin your tasty treat.

If you have homemade cups or cups of jello you bought and opened, consider wrapping them in plastic wrap or put them in an airtight container, as they will preserve the gelatine for much longer and protect it from contamination.

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Should You Freeze Jello?

The answer to that is easy: No, you shouldn’t freeze jello.

When gelatine freezes, the bond that makes it all wiggly starts to break, and water starts replacing it.

The result? A big mash of iced gelatine will turn into a messy puddle once you thaw it, which is nothing like the jello you put In the freezer.

Simply put your wiggly treat in the fridge and it will last you quite well, as freezing the jello is simply a bad idea.

How to Tell If Jello Has Gone Bad?

Let’s say you forget about that cup of treat, and now you look at it and unsure if you should consume it or not, what do you do?

Well, the answer is simple: Check for the signs of jello spoilage, if they are there, perhaps throwing it away is a better option.

Here are the signs:

Looks

This is the most obvious one. All you need to do is to take a look at your cup. Seeing dark spots on the top layer is a really bad sign, it means your tasty treat started to grow mold and should be thrown away.

This is common in homemade jello due to the lack of preservatives that are in store-bought ones.

Another spoilage sign is the separation. Jello is supposed to be holding itself together as this a sign that the gelatine is still intact, once you notice separation, it means that the bonds have broken down and are spoiling, a pool of water on top of your cup should be enough to encourage you to throw it all away.

Smell

Strawberry jello should smell like strawberry, not sour and off. If you notice any weird smell, trust your senses, and throw that cup away.

Taste

gelatine degrade in quality the longer you leave it. it becomes kinda rubbery and not that tasty. If all is clear, make a small taste test. Jello is a treat and is meant to be enjoyed, and there is no point in consuming a bad-tasting treat.

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Wrappping Up

With all we have explained about jello, I think it’s quite clear that it does go bad. Explaining how to store it can easily help you learn how to keep it for as long as possible, and taking note of the signs of spoilage can save you from eating expired jelly.

If you have a burning question you wanna ask, leave it in the comments and we will reply as soon as possible. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

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