Keeping Dry Fruits Fresh at Home: What Goes in the Fridge and What Doesn't
Nuts go rancid, dried fruit goes hard, and both pick up smells. A practical guide to storing walnuts, almonds, cashews, raisins, figs and apricots so they last.
NutsAndCrafts
23 October 20264 min read
Dry fruits feel like they should last forever. They're dry, after all. But anyone who has bitten into a stale walnut knows they don't. Nuts go rancid, dried fruit hardens, and both quietly absorb the smell of whatever is sitting next to them.
Here's how to keep them as good as the day you opened the pack.
Nuts and dried fruit need different things
Nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans) are full of oil. Over time, heat, light and air turn that oil rancid. The nut doesn't look different, but it tastes bitter and smells a bit like old paint.
Dried fruit (raisins, figs, apricots, dates) is full of sugar. Its problems are drying out and hardening, or, in humid weather, getting sticky and occasionally growing mould.
How long each one keeps
Dry fruit | Cool cupboard | Fridge | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Walnut kernels | 1 to 2 months | 6 months or more | The most delicate. The fridge is best |
Walnuts in shell | 3 to 4 months | 6 to 12 months | The shell protects them |
Almonds | 3 to 6 months | 9 to 12 months | Mamra keep especially well |
Cashews | 2 to 3 months | 6 months | Go soft and stale in humidity |
Pistachios | 2 to 3 months | 6 months or more | Keep them in their shells if they came that way |
Pecans | 2 months | 6 months | As delicate as walnuts |
Raisins and kishmish | 3 to 6 months | 6 to 12 months | The fridge stops them clumping |
Figs and apricots | 2 to 3 months | 6 months or more | Soften again with a short soak |
These are rough guides for packs that have been opened. A sealed pack lasts longer.
The basics
Airtight containers. Glass jars with good lids are best. Once a pack is open, the zip doesn't keep air out for long.
Cool and dark. A cupboard away from the stove, the oven and any sunny window.
Away from strong smells. Nuts pick up smells easily. Don't store them next to onions, garlic, spices or the masala dabba.
Dry hands, dry spoons. A wet spoon in a jar of raisins is how mould starts.
When to use the fridge
In much of India, summer is too hot and humid for nuts in a cupboard. Move them to the fridge from about April to September, or all year if your kitchen is warm.
- Use a sealed jar or box, so they don't pick up fridge smells.
- Take out what you need for the week and leave the rest in.
- For long storage, the freezer works too. Nuts don't freeze solid, so you can use them straight away.
How to tell if nuts have gone off
- Smell them. Fresh nuts smell mild and nutty. Rancid ones smell sharp, sour or like paint.
- Taste one. Bitterness is the giveaway.
- Look closely. Any fuzzy spots, webbing or tiny holes mean moths or mould. Throw those out.
A slightly stale but not rancid nut can be revived by toasting it in a dry pan for a few minutes. A rancid one can't.
Buy for how fast you eat
The simplest rule: buy what you'll eat in a month or two, store it well, and buy again. Smaller packs that you finish taste better than big ones that wait.
Our [walnut kernels](/products/kashmiri-walnut-kernels), [almonds](/products/kashmiri-almonds), [figs](/products/dried-figs) and the rest of the [dry fruits range](/categories/dry-fruits) come in sizes from 250 g, so you can do exactly that.