---
title: "Does Maple syrup expire? Indefinite if stored properly"
description: "Unopened, indefinitely. Once opened it must be refrigerated, because mould will grow on the surface. What actually changes over time, whether it matters, and how to "
url: https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/maple-syrup/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Does Maple syrup expire?

**Does Maple syrup expire?: Unopened, indefinitely. Once opened it must be refrigerated, because mould will grow on the surface.**

Unopened: indefinite. Opened and refrigerated: about a year

Sealed maple syrup is a hot-packed high-sugar liquid and keeps for years in a cupboard. Once the seal is broken, the surface picks up mould spores from the air and the sugar concentration alone is not quite enough to stop them, so it lives in the fridge from then on. Traditional practice was to skim mould off and boil the syrup, and while that does kill the mould it does not remove everything a mould can leave behind, so discarding is the safer call. Crystals in the bottom of a jug are sugar coming out of solution, which is a quality point rather than a fault.

## How to store it

- Refrigerate after opening. Freezing works too and it will not solidify hard.

## How to tell it has gone

- Fuzzy growth on the surface means mould. Cloudy sediment is usually sugar crystallising out.

> "Use by" and "best before" are legally different. Use-by is a safety date and should be respected; best-before is about quality, and food is usually fine well past it. Where the two diverge matters, the page above says which applies.

## Common questions

### Does Maple syrup expire?

Unopened, indefinitely. Once opened it must be refrigerated, because mould will grow on the surface.

### How long does Maple syrup last?

Unopened: indefinite. Opened and refrigerated: about a year

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- [Does Frozen food expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/frozen-food/)
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## Sources

- Food Safety and Inspection Service — US Department of Agriculture (https://www.fsis.usda.gov/) [Public domain (US Government)]