Safflower oil (not to be confused with sunflower oil) is a liquid vegetable oil that is rich in heart-healthy fats, including linoleic acid. You can use it for high-heat cooking like frying, or even use it as a carrier oil for essential oils!
Whatever you decide to use safflower oil for, know that it will stay good for around two years when sealed or and 1-2 years once opened, depending on how it’s stored.
How can you maximize the shelf life of safflower once you open it? We have the answer to that question and much more in this article!
What is the shelf life of safflower oil?
The shelf life of safflower oil will vary based on when it was manufactured, as well as the best-by or use-by date printed on the bottle. In general, it should last around two years unopened, whether it’s stored in the pantry or the fridge.
These guidelines won’t apply to safflower oil that is significantly past its best-by or use-by date, but applies to safflower oil that is within the range of its printed best-by date.
How long does safflower oil last after opening?
As with most vegetable oils, the shelf life of safflower oil starts to shorten once you open the container and break the airtight seal. Once you open a bottle of safflower oil, it becomes exposed to oxygen and other elements that can slowly start to break down the fats, which can make it go rancid (bad) over time.
After you break the seal on your safflower oil, expect it to stay good for around one year when stored in the pantry, or up to two years if you store it in the fridge or freezer.
| Pantry | Refrigerator | Freezer | |
| Sealed safflower oil | 2 years | 2 years | 2 years |
| Opened safflower oil | 1 year | 1-2 years | 1-2 years |
Can you use safflower oil after its expiration date?
It’s likely fine to use safflower oil when it’s past its best-by or use-by date. After all, this date isn’t a hard-and-fast expiration date, but instead a general guideline in terms of when the oil is estimated to start to lose some of its quality.
If you have a bottle of sealed safflower oil past its best-by date, you’re likely fine to use it for a few months longer. However, if the bottle of “expired” safflower oil has been opened and shows signs of rancidity (more on that next), then it’s probably a good idea to replace it with a fresher bottle.
How to tell if safflower oil went bad
The fats in safflower oil can go rancid over time, just like any other vegetable oil. How can you tell if the fats have gone rancid in safflower oil? Here are a few things to watch out for, which could indicate that the safflower oil has gone bad.
- It has an unpleasant odor, such as a chemical smell, smelling sour, musty, or any scent other than neutral.
- It tastes rancid (bitter, “off”, anything besides neutral, which is how vegetable oils like safflower and canola oil should taste).
- The appearance/color has changed drastically since you purchased it.
What’s the danger in using safflower oil after it’s gone bad?
Eating safflower oil that has gone bad isn’t ideal, but it’s not likely to cause any serious harm.
Remember the signs we just went over to tell if safflower oil has gone bad? Those signs will help protect you from eating too much safflower oil after it’s gone bad (who wants to take more than a couple of bites of a dish made with bitter or chemical-tasting oil?!).
If you do end up eating a bit of old safflower oil, you might get a sour or upset stomach. The likelihood that you’d get seriously sick from eating a little bit of old safflower oil is pretty low, though.
Best storage practices for safflower oil
- Keep safflower oil stored in a tightly sealed container, preferably in a cool, dark place, such as a pantry.
- Avoid storing safflower oil in areas close to direct heat, such as near the stove or oven. In addition, avoid storing safflower oil in areas that are prone to extreme heat, such as uninsulated garages.
- Avoid storing safflower oil next to direct sunlight.
- To prolong its shelf life even more after you break the seal, consider storing your safflower oil in the fridge or freezer, which will help protect the fats from going rancid.
FAQs:
You can freeze safflower oil (and many other types of cooking oils) to help keep it fresh longer. Safflower oil won’t freeze into a solid state like ice cubes, but it will likely thicken and get a bit cloudy, which will go away once you return it to room temperature.
Sealed safflower oil should last around two years when stored properly (away from heat, direct sunlight, etc). Once opened, safflower oil can last anywhere from 1-2 years, depending on how it’s stored.
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