Does Jello go bad? I am pretty sure you ended up here because you might either be worried about some boxes of Jello you have stored away in the pantry, or maybe you made a batch, had in the refrigerator for a couple of days and now you are not sure if it is good or not. Well, you are in luck, as I am going to highlight if Jello can go bad, as well as the different ways you can tell if it is still worth eating or it needs to be thrown in the trash.
Can Jello Go Bad?
Without a doubt Jello can definitely go bad. In the box it has a pretty good shelf life and you will find that if stored properly, you could end up keeping it for years. In the refrigerator, the storage time is drastically reduced, but it should still be good for around 7-10 days. When it comes to the Jello cups, they do not need to be refrigerated, once they are not opened. They will be good up until their ‘best buy’ date.
Jello in the Box
With regards to Jello in the box, it has a ‘best by’ date and that is usually years. When stored properly, you should be able to keep this product for a long period of time before you are ready to use it. It is important that you keep it in an area that is dry and at room temperature. How Jello in a box goes bad is if it is exposed to moisture or it is past its expiry date.
If you have an opened package, it will still be good for up to 2-3 months. Once it is not exposed to any moisture, the opened packaged can be used.
Jello You Make
The Jello that you make has to be stored in the refrigerator. Once it is inside the fridge, you can generally expect it to last 7-10 days before it starts to liquefy or gets hard. At that point it is definitely not something you would want to eat, as the texture would either be runny or rubbery. To enjoy it at its best, it is always good to consume the Jello a couple of days after it is first made.
How to Tell Jello Has Gone Bad?
If you are unsure if your Jello is good or not, you just do a couple of visual tests to see if you should toss it or not.
Jello in a Box
The first thing you should do is to check the box to see if it is expired. If it is only a couple of days after the expiry date, then you should still be in the safe zone. Any time after that, you should probably toss it out just to be on the safe side.
Another thing to look at is if the powder inside the box has become clumpy. If moisture has gotten inside, the Jello powder will become hard and unusable and at this point, you might as well throw it in the trash.
Jello That Is Made
You can tell that Jello is going bad when it starts to liquefy. The longer you keep it in the refrigerator, is the more it is going to breakdown and no longer have the same texture. While it goes back to the liquid form, it is not bad, it just won’t be edible, as the taste and texture will still be off. It is at this point that people often discard the Jello, because it is not fit to eat.
For Jello that you make, you should discard it if it has any off smell or taste. If there is mold on it, you should also throw it away. This generally won’t be the case if it is consumed within a week, but if you see any of those signs, it is best to discard it.