Do Peanuts Go Bad? – Full Analysis

Peanuts are a tasty and healthy snack that can be found in the homes of many. Many people love peanuts so they usually do not even stay around on the pantry shelves long enough to go bad.

Do peanuts go bad? Yes, they can go bad, or stale, and lose their flavor due to their high-fat content. If stored properly, peanuts can have a shelf life of a couple of months. You can even store them in the refrigerator and freezer to give them a longer shelf life.

How to Tell if Peanuts are Bad?

Although peanuts do go bad, or stale, they won’t go bad like other food does, such as dairy. Generally there will not be any visual signs of spoilage like mold, for a long time. It will take longer than the actual storage times. The reason that peanuts have such a short shelf life, especially in the pantry, is that because of the high amount of oil in them. They will go rancid.

To see if peanuts are bad or not, you can do the following:

• Smell them: If they smell sour, like sour milk, instead of smelling like a peanut, then they would be considered rancid.
• Taste them: Eat a couple of them and focus on what they taste like. If there is no nutty flavor and it is more bitter or sour, then they are probably rancid. If they are rancid, eating a couple of them will not make you sick.

Also check to see if the peanuts appear to be shriveled instead of solid and in rare instances, shelled peanuts may have discoloration or mold on the surface of the peanut like black spots. 

How Long Do Peanuts Last? Shelf Life [Chart]

The shelf life of peanuts depends on the storage temperature and whether they are shelled or unshelled. When they are in the shell, the seeds, or nuts, are protected, which helps them to keep their quality for an extended period of time. They are much more vulnerable out of the shell so they lose quality quicker.

When you purchase packages of peanuts, they will usually have a best-by date. This will help you know approximately how long they will keep their best taste.

How to Store Peanuts

When storing peanuts, it is similar to how you store peanut butter or other nuts. There are two options for storing peanuts; chilling them in the refrigerator or in the pantry at room temperature. Both of them has their own pros and cons. The easier option would be to keep them in the pantry because there is more room in there but they can deteriorate quickly because of the temperature in there.

In the refrigerator, they will keep their quality much longer but many times, people do not have the extra space in their refrigerator to store peanuts. You can also keep peanuts in the freezer but this is something that most do not do. If you do store them in the freezer make sure that they are well sealed in a zip lock freezer bag or any container that is airtight that is freezer safe.

If you store peanuts in the pantry, make sure that they are stored in a dry place. Since the refrigerator is not a dry place, they should be stored in an airtight container. You will need to check the container vey couple of weeks to see if there is any condensation. If there is, use paper towels to remove it.

What are Peanuts?

Peanuts are not really nuts but are legumes, which are types of beans like navy, pinto, and more. In the culinary world they are classified as nuts because they behave more like a nut than a legume.

The peanut plant is native to South America. This plant is classified as an annual and produces peanuts one time before they die back. A peanut is often referred to as a groundnut in different parts of Africa. In the southern part of the United States, they are referred to as goobers.

Are Peanuts Available Around the World?

This little nut, which actually is not a nut at all, is one of the most popular foods all around the world. You won’t find a culture that does not have peanuts.

Peanuts can be found in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and North America. And because they are so popular, there’s many different ways to include this food into the dishes of each cuisine. Some cultures will mashup the peanuts and use them as a sauce while others like to roast the peanuts and toss them in with fried rice.

If you are from the United States, then you probably think that peanut butter is a popular food all over the world. Surprisingly, peanut butter is only popular in the United States and in some parts of Canada.

Many tourists, college students, and immigrants want to try peanut butter when they come to the United States because they have heard a lot about the food from the internet but it isn’t available in their country. So the next time you see a tourist, ask them if they have tried peanut butter yet!

So Peanuts are Healthy, Right?

Although they contain a lot of great vitamins and minerals, don’t sit down with a can of them and watch tv. Peanuts have a lot of fat.

You would be surprised at just how much fat is in a handful of peanuts! Peanuts are so small and yet this food can really pack on the calories rather quickly. A handful of peanuts contains 170 calories. This may not sound like a lot, but when was the last time a person just ate a handful of peanuts and then put away the container?

Most people like to please a can of peanuts next to them and just mindlessly eat. So if you’re not trying to gain weight, eating all those peanuts is a bad idea!

Health Benefits of Peanuts

• Boost energy and concentration levels at work, school, and home
• For pregnant women, a handful a day give them the nutrient folate to help with the development of the baby’s nervous system.
• Anti-aging components 
• Helps in weight loss and management
• Helps to lower your blood pressure, and keep your heart strong and healthy with the nutrient arginine found in peanuts
• Can help to reduce risk of inflammation, gall-stones, hunger reduction, diabetes, and more
• Have a high satiety value, which means they give you a feeling of fullness.

Conclusion

• To ensure fresh peanuts, you should not buy more than you can eat in a month or make sure you store them in the refrigerator.
• Always make sure that you sore shelled peanuts in an airtight container to help prevent oxidation, which will change their flavor and make them go rancid.
• Keep your peanuts away from high-odor foods like garlic or onions. Peanuts take up the smell of foods around them.
• When taking peanuts out of the freezer, let the sit out until they become room temperature
• If the peanuts have absorbed moisture from being in the refrigerator, you can remove it by putting what you are going to eat on a baking tray and put them in an oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.