Dairy & Eggs · 16 foods
Milk & cream Storage Times
How long milk & cream last on the counter, in the fridge and in the freezer — opened and unopened. Sourced from USDA FoodKeeper, last verified November 2026.
← All dairy & eggs · Eggs · Cheese · Butter & spreads · Yogurt, sour cream & toppings
16 of 16 foods · sorted A–Z
| Counter | Fridge (unopened) | Freezes well? | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Almond milk | 2 hours | 7–10 days | Use-by date | Not listed | — |
 Buttermilk | 2 hours | 1–2 weeks | — | 3 months | Cooking only |
 Coconut milk | 2 hours | 7–10 days | Use-by date | Not listed | — |
 Half and half | 2 hours | 3–4 days | — | 4 months | Cooking only |
 Heavy cream | 2 hours | 10 days | — | 3–4 months | Cooking only |
 Kefir | 2 hours | 1–2 days | 1 week | Not recommended | No |
 Lactose-free milk | 2 hours | 1 week | Not recommended (pantry) | Not recommended | No |
 Light cream | 2 hours | 1 week | — | 3–4 months | Cooking only |
 Liquid coffee creamer | 2 hours | 3 weeks | — | Not listed | — |
 Milk | 2 hours | 1 week | — | 3 months | Cooking only |
 Powdered coffee creamer | 2–3 months | Not needed | 2 years (pantry) | Not needed | — |
 Powdered milk | 3 months | Not needed | 3–5 years (pantry) | Not needed | — |
 Rice milk | 2 hours | 7–10 days | Use-by date | Not listed | — |
 Soy milk | 2 hours | 7–10 days | Use-by date | Not listed | — |
 Whipped cream (homemade, sweetened) | 2 hours | 1 day | — | 1–2 months | Cooking only |
 Whipping cream | 2 hours | 1 week | 1 month | Not recommended | No |
Can you freeze… milk & cream?
9 answers, A–Z
Does… go bad?
Signs of spoilage for every milk & cream item
Left out overnight
The 2-hour rule for 14 perishable foods
Numbers on this page come from USDA FoodKeeper and FSIS guidance. Last verified November 2026. How we verify our data · Report a wrong number