How long does the pudding last? - The Ultimate Guide

Who doesn’t enjoy a delicious and creamy bite of pudding? Whether you’re using instant pudding packets or trying to make pudding from scratch, there’s no bad pudding.

But unfortunately, like all ingredients and desserts, pudding does not last forever, despite what it may seem.

So how long does pudding last?

Instant Pudding Powder, when unopened and stored properly, can keep for up to 3-4 weeks after the expiration date. Once the pudding is made, regardless of whether it’s instant or homemade, the shelf life drops dramatically to about 5-7 days in the fridge and just 1 day on the counter.

Today we will see everything you need to know about pudding. We’ll talk about what it is, why it expires, different expiration dates, how to extend its shelf life, and much, much more.

What is pudding?

Before we start talking about the different expiration dates of the various puddings, let’s first look at what pudding is.

Different countries and areas of the world have different definitions of what pudding is. The broadest definition of pudding is a cooked or steamed, sweet or savory dish ; as you can see, that doesn’t help define it.

Originally, pudding referred only to savory dishes, such as blood sausage or haggis. Today, the term is mostly used to describe sweet dishes, with a few exceptions here and there.

In many European countries, they usually specify when a pudding is salty. The most popular savory puddings are Yorkshire pudding, suet pudding, or beef and kidney pudding.

Some very popular sweet puddings are treacle pudding, bread and butter pudding, or rice pudding.

In the United States and most of Canada, the term “pudding” refers to a sweet custard-based dessert, many different types of instant puddings, or a type of mousse. These are the types of puddings that we are going to deal with today.

In many Commonwealth countries, egg-thickened puddings are also known as custards or curds. If the pudding has been thickened with starch it is called blancmange, and if it has been thickened with gelatin it is called jelly.

Pudding ingredients

So, to recap, we’ll talk about custard-based desserts that are also called manjar blanco, jellies, or custard.

It is important to understand the ingredients of puddings. This will make it easier to determine the useful life.

For example, eggs have a shorter shelf life than sugar. So if you have puddings without eggs (or some type of egg substitute) they can last longer.

The same goes for commercial type puddings or instant puddings - these contain stabilizers that will dramatically increase shelf life compared to freshly made puddings at home.

So get to work!

Homemade pudding ingredients

The basic ingredients that you will almost always find in puddings are sugar, milk or cream, and a thickening agent such as cornstarch, eggs, tapioca or gelatin.

Very often, if not always, a flavoring is added; something like an essence or an extract. You will also see that some puddings are made with fruit purees, but they are not as common and difficult to make.

The most common flavorings you’ll find are vanilla, chocolate, banana, and strawberry . Other popular flavors are caramel or a citrus-based flavor.

Homemade puddings do not contain commercial stabilizers.

There are two methods used to create these homemade flans.

The first is to simmer and essentially thicken the mixture in a double boiler over the stove. The second method used consists of cooking the base in a bain-marie inside the oven.

Instant Pudding Ingredients

Instant pudding, or at least from what we’ve seen, is the most popular and common form of pudding you can find. This is because it is extremely easy to do and saves you a ton of time.

Normally, all you have to do is combine the packet of powder with the milk, mix the two together and chill in the fridge.

These puddings are made up of sugar, flavoring agents, and thickeners—lots of it! The thickener is the key ingredient in instant puddings, as they have to set very quickly.

The most commonly used thickener in instant puddings is gelatinized starch. This type of starch forms a gel when combined with a liquid such as milk. Gums such as alginate are sometimes included to aid the thickening process.

In most varieties of instant pudding, artificial food colors and flavorings (in powdered form) are added. In the case of chocolate pudding, cocoa powder is often added for chocolate flavor and color, rather than artificial ones.

What affects the shelf life?

So now that we’ve seen the different types of puddings and what their ingredients are, let’s see what affects the shelf life of these puddings.

Ingredients

First of all, naturally, homemade or freshly made puddings will not have the same shelf life as powdered instant puddings. This is because homemade pudding uses fresh ingredients such as milk or cream, and almost always eggs.

These are highly perishable ingredients, and once cooked, their shelf life is further diminished.

Looking at the ingredients used in instant pudding, the dry powder form has a very long shelf life . This is because it has an extremely low moisture content , and as you may already know, moisture causes ingredients to spoil.

So this also means that once the pudding powder has been mixed with milk or cream (all highly perishable ingredients) the shelf life is instantly reduced.

Preparation method

As we’ve already mentioned, homemade puddings often use heat to help thicken the mixture, while instant pudding doesn’t require any heat.

However, differences in preparation methods do not affect the shelf life of the pudding.

Although perishable ingredients go bad faster once cooked, this does not have a significant effect on shelf life compared to other factors.

storage method

The storage method you use has the most impact on the shelf life of your puddings, regardless of whether it’s fresh or instant puddings.

The main factors affecting shelf life (in terms of storage) are power source, humidity, temperature and oxygen.

Bacteria and mold only need one of these elements to thrive. The food source for the bacteria is the sugar inside the pudding, and all puddings contain sugar. Sugar provides them with energy and nutrients.

Next, we look at humidity. You have to reduce the amount of moisture your pudding is exposed to. There are a couple of ways to do this, which we’ll talk about in more detail later.

Then we have the temperature. The temperature ranges from extreme heat, room temperature, refrigerator temperature, and finally freezing temperatures.

There is a temperature danger zone in which bacteria thrive. It ranges from approximately 46.5-140°F. Below this temperature, the bacteria are inhibited by the cold, and above this they die.

Finally, we have oxygen. Since bacteria and mold are living organisms, just like us, they need oxygen to survive. If their oxygen is taken away, they will die, or at least their multiplication will slow down.

So how long does pudding last?

Now finally, after looking at all the things that can affect shelf life and why, let’s see how long the pudding lasts.

At room temperature

Ambient temperature is considered to be between 68-72°F. This is usually the average temperature in the room, or when food is stored in a cabinet, or on a counter.

You can and should store instant pudding powder at room temperature, either on a counter or in a cabinet.

This is because refrigerators and freezers have high percentages of humidity. If you recall, the thickening agents used in most instant puddings only need a drop of moisture to begin to form a gel, which reduces their shelf life.

When stored in a pantry or counter under the best conditions, your unopened dry instant pudding can last almost 3-4 weeks past the best before date.

This best before date can be between 9 and 18 months after the manufacturing date.

Made and curdled instant pudding will only last a day on the counter or pantry. This is because milk is very perishable and is exposed to the danger zone of accumulating temperature, oxygen and moisture.

The same goes for room temperature homemade pudding, although to be completely honest, we wouldn’t even risk keeping it at room temperature for a day, especially if you used eggs as a thickening agent!

Boiled eggs are very dangerous if left out at room temperature. Also, along with the cream or milk used, and the fact that no commercial stabilizers or preservatives were added, no thanks!

in the fridge

You can also store dry instant pudding in the fridge, as long as the package is not opened.

We’ve already covered the whole instant pudding gelling thing, so if you get some moisture inside that packet, the texture of the powder will change.

Always store only unopened packages of instant pudding in the fridge, or be sure to wrap the opened package well. They should last about 3-4 weeks in the fridge if stored correctly.

Both homemade and homemade instant pudding contain perishable items (such as milk or cream and eggs), so the best place to store them is in the fridge.

The refrigerator must be at a temperature equal to or less than 40°F. At this temperature, bacteria and mold cannot grow, or at least grow very slowly. The changes are that the ingredients will deteriorate before you see any sign of the mold.

The fridge also helps protect the pudding from any light (and therefore heat) that can cause condensation, adding more moisture and making the pudding more vulnerable.

If you store ready-made instant pudding or homemade pudding in the fridge, it will keep for 4-7 days.

When it comes to homemade puddings specifically, when there are eggs in the recipe, the shelf life is automatically shortened, as eggs have a shorter shelf life than milk.

In the freezer

We’ve never heard of anyone freezing instant pudding powder - it’s just like freezing canned goods.

A bit useless when you consider that it already has a very long lifespan. However, we don’t see why the powder can’t be frozen, but then again, as long as the package remains unopened.

A freezer still has moisture in it and can activate the thickeners in the powder and start to form a gel.

For added protection, store unopened packet in an airtight container. It should last 3-4 weeks after the expiration date.

As for the pudding made, we do not recommend freezing it: you can, but it is not recommended. Have you ever eaten custard thawed a year ago? It’s not fun, let us tell you!

Freezing changes the molecular structure of food and ingredients. When it thaws, that structure changes again and not always for the better.

There are many articles on how to properly defrost or defrost pudding, but it will never be as delicious as freshly made.

Frozen pudding (regardless of whether it’s instant or homemade) will still be relatively good for up to two weeks. Lots of people claim theirs are fine for up to 6 weeks, but again from personal experience we wouldn’t recommend it.

Shelf life of puddings of different flavors

In the case of instant pudding, the flavor is added with an artificial flavoring powder or in the form of cocoa powder for chocolate-flavored pudding.

Since all flavorings are essentially the same and have a very low moisture content, their shelf life is pretty much the same regardless of whether they have been made or not.

However, when it comes to homemade pudding, the flavorings used can affect how long it lasts.

If you use artificial flavorings, such as essences and extracts, all flavors will last the same. Even cocoa powder won’t necessarily have a longer or shorter shelf life than them.

However, if you use fruit purees to add flavor, they will have a much shorter shelf life than extracts.

How to tell if the pudding has gone bad

Although we’ve given a general guideline on how long your pudding will last, it’s important to know what the signs are that your pudding is spoiled. This will allow you to avoid food poisoning.

Your senses are the most reliable tool to know if something has gone wrong.

If you look at instant pudding powder, always check the expiration date first . Remember that the powder should still be good for 3-4 weeks after this date; however, better safe than sorry if you’re not sure.

If the texture of the powder has changed in any way, for example if it looks crumbly or coarse, then moisture has entered the container and bacteria have started to grow.

When looking at the prepared pudding, regardless of whether it is instant or homemade pudding powder, there are a lot of very obvious signs.

If you look at the pudding itself or even its texture, when you see liquid floating in your ramekin or container, it means that the bonds between the ingredients have deteriorated.

This only happens when the pudding is past its date, so don’t risk it.

Another visible sign that the pudding is bad is mold growing on its surface. Remember that mold thrives on sugar, so when it starts to appear it is already too late.

In less than 24 hours your pudding can go from a blob of mold to completely covered in it.

Sometimes you can also smell that your pudding has gone bad, especially the homemade ones that have fruit puree. You will feel an almost acid and sour smell.

Then of course the taste, but please don’t try the pudding which already looks visibly bad. It will taste very rancid, sour, sour, and bitter from the dairy that has gone bad.

How to extend the shelf life of pudding

The only way to extend the shelf life of pudding is through proper storage techniques. The terms we have provided are best case scenarios under best storage conditions. Anything less than perfect will affect the service life.

Powdered instant pudding should be stored in a cupboard or pantry, away from sunlight. Sunlight will cause heat to build up inside the package, creating moisture that condenses and ultimately affects the dust.

For made pudding, place a plastic sheet or saran wrap directly on the surface of the pudding. This will reduce the amount of oxygen the pudding comes into contact with, as well as prevent the top from drying out.

Next, wrap the entire container in plastic wrap to prevent any items from contaminating the pudding. You can also store the pudding in an airtight container. Store the pudding in a refrigerator with stable temperatures.