How long does Cream last?
- Whipped, sweetened1 day, fridge
- Half and half3–4 days, fridge from purchase
- Light1 week, fridge from purchase
- Whipping, ultrapasteurized1 week, fridge opened; 1 month, fridge from purchase
- Heavy10 days, fridge from purchase
Turning the range into a date
Enter a day and each row becomes a calendar date, worked out in your browser.
Cream, whipping, ultrapasteurized
- From purchase · in the fridgeUse by1 month after the day you bought it
- Once opened · in the fridgeUse by1 week after the day you opened it
Cream, whipped, sweetened
- In the freezerBest quality by1 month to 2 months after the day you stored it
- In the fridgeUse by1 day after the day you stored it
Cream, half and half
- From purchase · in the freezerBest quality by4 months after the day you bought it
- From purchase · in the fridgeUse by3 days to 4 days after the day you bought it
Cream, heavy
- From purchase · in the freezerBest quality by3 months to 4 months after the day you bought it
- From purchase · in the fridgeUse by10 days after the day you bought it
Cream, light
- From purchase · in the freezerBest quality by3 months to 4 months after the day you bought it
- From purchase · in the fridgeUse by1 week after the day you bought it
Every storage figure the USDA publishes for this item
USDA FoodKeeper lists 5 kinds under Cream.
Cream, whipping, ultrapasteurized
- In the freezernot recommended
- From purchase · in the fridge1 month
- Once opened · in the fridge1 week
Cream, whipped, sweetened
- In the freezer1 month to 2 months
- In the fridge1 day
Cream, half and half
- From purchase · in the freezer4 months
- From purchase · in the fridge3 days to 4 days
Cream, heavy
- From purchase · in the freezer3 months to 4 months
- From purchase · in the fridge10 days
Cream, light
- From purchase · in the freezer3 months to 4 months
- From purchase · in the fridge1 week
Common searches, answered from this table
Can you freeze heavy cream?
- Cream, heavy · From purchase · in the freezer3 months to 4 months
What the USDA adds in words
Word for word from the FoodKeeper record.
Cream, light, in the freezer. Use for cooking.
Other foods on the same USDA shelf
Food safety rules that apply to every food
- Keep the refrigerator temperature at or below 40° F (4° C). The freezer temperature should be 0° F (-18° C).
- Never allow meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, or produce or other foods that require refrigeration to sit at room temperature for more than two hours—one hour if the air temperature is above 90° F.
- Though food will be safe indefinitely at 0° F, quality will decrease the longer the food is in the freezer.
- Never thaw food at room temperature, such as on the counter top. There are three safe ways to defrost food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in the microwave. Food thawed in cold water or in the microwave should be cooked immediately.
- Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter, or in hot water and must not be left at room temperature for more than two hours.
- If you're not sure or if the food looks questionable, throw it out.
Sources: FDA: are you storing food safely · FDA: safe food handling · USDA FSIS: safe defrosting.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure and note on this page is reproduced from USDA FoodKeeper as published; the calendar date is the only arithmetic, and it runs in your browser.
Source: USDA FoodKeeper, retrieved 1 September 2026. A figure that does not match the source? Tell us. How the site is built.
No one of the 5 is shown first, so this page prints no single figure: the kinds are listed with their own windows and you pick yours.
USDA index terms: half, heavy, light, sweetened, ultrapasteurized, whipped, whipping
KeepsUntil is an independent reference built on public USDA data. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Food and Drug Administration. Storage times are reproduced from USDA FoodKeeper as published; when in doubt, follow the FDA and USDA FSIS guidance linked on every food page.