How Long Can Spices Last? Shelf Life by Type

Dried spices last for years, but they don’t stay at their best for years. They don’t spoil the way fresh food does; they lose aroma and color, and the named sources that give figures put the best-quality window for ground spices at 1 year (University of California Cooperative Extension, America’s Test Kitchen) to 2 to 4 years (McCormick), and for whole spices at 2 years to 3 to 4 years.¹²³ Those are windows for flavor, not safety dates: McCormick defines shelf life for spices as the length of time they are most aromatic and delicious for cooking.³ The sources disagree, so this page shows them side by side, then goes spice by spice.

For whether old spices are safe and how to tell a jar has faded, see do spices go bad?. For what to keep them in, see the best containers for spices.

Shelf life by type: the named figures

Type	UC Cooperative Extension, 2002¹	America’s Test Kitchen²	McCormick (spice company)³
Whole spices (peppercorns, allspice, seeds such as caraway)	2 years	2 years	3–4 years
Ground spices (cumin, ginger, paprika, chili powder)	1 year	1 year	2–4 years
Dried leafy herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary)	1 year (grouped with ground)	1 year	1–3 years
Most seasoning blends	not given	not given	1–3 years
Salt	not given	not given	indefinite

McCormick also gives a single rule of thumb: dried seasonings, herbs and spices in jars last about 1 to 2 years.³ Every one of these sources gives whole spices the same or a longer window than ground ones, and America’s Test Kitchen advises buying spices whole whenever possible and grinding them just before use.²

The figures are general guidance, not measurements of individual spices in home kitchens. We found no study that measured shelf life spice by spice under home conditions.

When a source sets a shorter clock

America’s Test Kitchen says the volatile oils in cayenne lose potency within a few months and advises replenishing it regularly.⁴ That is much shorter than McCormick’s 2 to 4 years for ground spices, a category in which McCormick names paprika and chili powder.³ The two are not measuring the same thing: one is a cook’s freshness advice for a single spice, the other a brand’s best-quality window for a category. Both are shown here rather than reconciled.

Salt

Salt is the exception. McCormick lists it as indefinite.³ Morton says salt itself has no expiration date, but gives its iodized salts a 5-year recommended use-by because iodine can dissipate over time, and 3 years for its natural sea salt without an anti-caking agent, which may cake.⁵ Those are one manufacturer’s figures for its own products; the full table is on do spices go bad?.

Spice by spice

None of the sources above gives a figure for a single named spice except by the category it falls into. The ranges below apply each source’s category figure to that spice, so read them as category guidance.

Spice	Form	Category figures (UC Extension / ATK / McCormick)
Cinnamon	Ground	1 year / 1 year / 2–4 years¹²³
Cinnamon	Sticks (whole)	2 years / 2 years / 3–4 years¹²³
Ginger	Ground	1 year / 1 year / 2–4 years (McCormick names ginger as an example)¹²³
Cloves	Whole	2 years / 2 years / 3–4 years¹²³
Cloves	Ground	1 year / 1 year / 2–4 years¹²³
Cumin	Seed (whole)	2 years / 2 years / 3–4 years¹²³
Cumin	Ground	1 year / 1 year / 2–4 years (McCormick names cumin as an example)¹²³
Bay leaves	Dried leaf	1 year / 1 year / 1–3 years (leafy herbs)¹²³
Paprika, chili powder	Ground	1 year / 1 year / 2–4 years; refrigeration advised for color (below)¹²³
Cayenne pepper	Ground	ATK: potency fades within a few months; McCormick ground figure 2–4 years⁴³

A few points on particular spices:

Cinnamon and cloves. Sticks and whole cloves sit in the whole-spice category, with the longer window. If you use them often, buying whole and grinding as needed follows America’s Test Kitchen’s general advice.² See ground cinnamon vs. cinnamon sticks and ground cloves vs. whole cloves.
Cumin. America’s Test Kitchen recommends buying whole seeds and grinding them yourself where possible because the flavor is more potent.⁴
Paprika, chili powder and red pepper. Color is the first thing to go, and it is measurable. In a 1992 laboratory study, untreated paprika powder lost an estimated 27% of its color in 150 days at room temperature and 15% under refrigeration.⁶ The UC Cooperative Extension recommends refrigerating paprika, chili powder and red pepper for best color retention, especially in hot weather.¹
Bay leaves. Advice to keep dried bay leaves in the freezer circulates widely; we found no named source for it, and none against it.

Fresh ginger is a different product

Fresh ginger is a fresh rhizome, not a dried spice, and it keeps for weeks, not years. Tasting Table says peeled mature ginger lasts two to three weeks in the refrigerator, longer if left unpeeled, and that young ginger is perishable and doesn’t keep well.⁷ We found no named source for the shelf life of crystallized ginger or of frozen ginger. For methods, see how to store ginger and can you freeze ginger?.

What shortens a spice’s life

The UC Cooperative Extension names air, light, moisture and heat as the four things that speed the loss of flavor and color.¹ McCormick adds that repeated heat is an enemy of spice longevity, whole and ground, and that spices last longer in a dark cabinet.³ In practice:¹³

Keep spices in tightly covered containers in a dark cupboard or drawer.
Keep them off the ledge above the stove and away from the dishwasher, microwave, sink and heating vents.
Use a dry spoon, and don’t sprinkle straight from the jar over a steaming pot.
Buy small containers until you know how fast you use a spice.

Write the date on the lid when you open a jar; McCormick and America’s Test Kitchen both recommend labeling jars, and McCormick prints a best-by date on its own lids.³⁸

How to tell a spice is past its best

Smell it. The UC Cooperative Extension says that if a spice smells strong and flavorful, it is probably still potent; crush whole spices such as peppercorns or cinnamon sticks first.¹ For dried herbs, America’s Test Kitchen suggests crumbling a little between your fingers: if aroma and color have faded, it is time to restock.² A faded spice is still usable; you will need more of it for the same effect.

Not yet measured

Shelf life measured spice by spice under home storage. Every figure on this page is category guidance.
Whether freezing helps or harms dried spices such as bay leaves.
The shelf life of crystallized ginger.

Add a Little Spice to Your Life! Part II, University of California Cooperative Extension, 2002. ucanr.edu · Reference work ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵
Keeping Spices and Dried Herbs Fresher Longer, America’s Test Kitchen. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴
How Long Do Spices Last?, McCormick, 2025. mccormick.com · Merchant ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹
Savory Spices, America’s Test Kitchen. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩ ↩² ↩³
Morton Salt Expiration Guide, Morton Salt. mortonsalt.com · Merchant ↩
Biacs, Czinkotai and Hoschke, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 1992. agris.fao.org · Peer-reviewed ↩
September Grace Mahino, “Young Ginger Vs Mature: What’s The Difference?”, Tasting Table, 2023. tastingtable.com · Publication ↩
Chase Brightwell, The Best Spice Storage Solutions, America’s Test Kitchen. americastestkitchen.com · Publication ↩

How Long Can Spices Last? Shelf Life of Whole, Ground and Dried Herbs, Spice by Spice