FoodKeeper advises against freezing cream cheese: the texture falls apart, or the thawed result can't be trusted to be safe.
FoodKeeper advises against freezing cream cheese: the texture falls apart, or the thawed result can't be trusted to be safe. Your better bet is the fridge: 2 weeks.
Freezing cream cheese, step by step
FoodKeeper advises against freezing cream cheese: the texture falls apart, or the thawed result can't be trusted to be safe. Refrigerate it instead and finish it within 2 weeks.
Counter, fridge or freezer: the numbers
How freezing changes cream cheese
Hard cheeses take to freezing fairly well but turn more crumbly, so frozen cheese is best used grated or melted. Fresh and soft cheeses lose their creaminess and may become grainy or watery. Freeze cheese shredded or in small blocks, wrapped airtight, and let it thaw slowly in the fridge.
How long cream cheese keeps with each storage method
| Storage | How long | Temp | Packaging | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Counter / pantry | 2 hours | 68–72°F | Airtight | only 1 hour above 90°F |
| Refrigerator | 2 weeks | ≤ 40°F / 4°C | Airtight | 40°F (4°C) or colder |
| Freezer | Not recommended | 0°F / -18°C | Wrapped or freezer bag | hurts texture or safety |
Getting to know cream cheese
Cream cheese sits in the dairy & eggs section of our food guide. Going by USDA FoodKeeper, it lasts 2 weeks in the fridge. Freezing is not advised. As with any perishable food, it shouldn't spend more than 2 hours at room temperature. Best storage spot: choose a middle shelf over the door, which warms up each time someone opens it.
Cheese is essentially milk preserved with acid and salt, with much of its moisture pressed out, which is why it lasts far longer than milk does. Moisture is the biggest factor in its shelf life: hard, aged cheeses can keep for weeks or months, whereas fresh and soft cheeses act more like fresh dairy and last anywhere from a few days to about two weeks once opened.
What makes cream cheese spoil
Cheese most often spoils by growing mold. In hard cheese the mold can't push its roots very deep, so it is fine to cut off at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) around and beneath the spot. In soft, crumbled or shredded cheese, mold can spread invisibly through the whole thing, so all of it should go in the trash. Soft cheese that is past its prime also starts to smell of ammonia as bacteria break it down.
Mistakes people make storing cream cheese
- Sealing it tightly in plastic wrap, which holds in moisture and invites slime and mold.
- Trimming mold off shredded or soft cheese and eating what's left.
- Leaving a cheese board out in a warm room for hours.
- Freezing soft cheese and expecting it to come out with the same texture.
Choosing good cream cheese at the store
- For longer life, buy a block of hard cheese instead of the pre-shredded kind.
- Make sure packages are sealed, with no moisture or mold visible inside.
- Choose a size of soft cheese you will use up within its opened window.
Cream cheese: ways to finish it in time
- Shred hard cheese and freeze it for cooking.
- Melt it into sauces, grilled cheese sandwiches, gratins and omelets.
- Before its time runs out, fold soft cheese into pasta, a dip or a baked dish.
Making sense of expiration dates
The dates printed on cream cheese packaging mostly describe quality rather than safety. Under US rules, infant formula's use-by date is the only one federal rules require; manufacturers choose all the others themselves. A “Best if used by” date marks when flavor and texture are at their peak. A “Sell-by” date helps the store rotate its stock, and once it passes you can still keep the food at home for its usual storage time. A “Use-by” date is the manufacturer's own pick for the final day of best quality.
For that reason, the storage times on this page start counting from the moment you open, cook or buy cream cheese, not on the date stamped on the package: 2 weeks in the fridge. Food that was stored properly can still be good after a best-by date, while food that was handled carelessly can go bad long before it.
The best place for cream cheese
Choose a middle shelf over the door, which warms up each time someone opens it.
Your cream cheese storage questions
How long does cream cheese last in the fridge?
2 weeks when held at 4°C (40°F) or below. Start counting on the day it was bought, opened or cooked.
How long does cream cheese last in the freezer?
Not recommended. FoodKeeper advises against freezing cream cheese: the texture falls apart, or the thawed result can't be trusted to be safe.
How long does cream cheese last at room temperature?
2 hours at most, or 1 hour if the air is above 32°C (90°F). Throw out perishable food that has been out longer than that.
How long is cream cheese good after the expiration date?
With perishable cream cheese, time in storage counts for more than whatever the label says. Once it has spent longer than 2 weeks in the fridge, throw it out — even if the printed date hasn't arrived yet.
How do you know if cream cheese is bad?
A sharply sour or ammonia smell, stronger than that cheese normally has. A slimy surface, or cheese that has dried out and cracked right through. Edges that have yellowed or darkened, or colors that don't belong to that style of cheese.
How long can cream cheese sit out?
At room temperature the limit is 2 hours, dropping to 1 hour when the temperature tops 32°C (90°F). A whole night out is never safe.
Cream cheese myths: fact or fiction?
- You got it!Not this time.
False. Food-poisoning bacteria seldom alter how food smells. Keep to the 2 weeks window and discard anything older.
- You got it!Not this time.
False. The freezer puts bacteria on hold rather than killing them. They start up again as the food warms, so let it thaw in the fridge, then cook or reheat it all the way through.
- You got it!Not this time.
False. FoodKeeper advises against freezing cream cheese: the texture falls apart, or the thawed result can't be trusted to be safe.
- You got it!Not this time.
False. Each time the fridge is opened, the door heats up. Choose a middle shelf over the door, which warms up each time someone opens it.
- You got it!Not this time.
False. Certain bacteria produce toxins that heat cannot destroy. Reheating kills the bacteria themselves but leaves those toxins behind, so anything left out longer than 2 hours belongs in the trash.
