Can I whip cream that is past its use by date?

Can I whip cream that is past its use by date? - High angle crop anonymous female chef in apron beating eggs and preparing fluffy whipped cream in bowl while cooking in light kitchen

I was going to make a dessert with whipped cream but events interfered and I now have a large (sealed) pot of double cream left in the fridge. My next opportunity to make the dessert will be next weekend when the cream will be about five days past its use by date.

Experience tells me that cream will still taste fine well past its use by date, so I am not worried the cream will taste sour. However I have never tried to whip cream that is past its sell by date. Googling has found sites with advice ranging from "it'll be fine" to "OMG throw it away now" so I'm no further on. The question Can sour cream be whipped? tells me that soured cream won't whip, but this cream is going to be nowhere near sour by next weekend.

Does anyone know if I'll face problems trying to whip it? If so I'll try to find another use for it or throw it away (though that seems a shame).

I should add that this is ordinary pasteurised (not UHT) double cream from a UK supermarket, so it's 48% fat, and it has not been opened so no bugs will have got in since pasteurisation.



Best Answer

It depends on how the cream was treated. If it has buttered up, or is just on the cusp of either buttering or turning sour, you can no longer whip it, it will coalesce and curdle instead of creating a foaming. It is a gradual thing, you cannot say when a given batch of cream will whip well and when it will curdle. The most you can do is to note the relative probability of 'not whipping' compared to a cream that has been treated in a different manner.

These probabilities are, in increasing order of success:

  • raw milk from the cow, left to cream up
  • cream that has undergone traditional pasteurization, no further treatment
  • cream that has undergone some heavier pasteurization method, like UHT
  • cream that has been stabilized by microfiltration
  • cream that has had chemical stabilizers added (usually carrageenan)

The effect of the treatment interacts with the effect of the aging (the older the cream, the less likely it will whip - this effect exists even before the expiry date) and with how strictly you follow best practices when whipping.




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Quick Answer about "Can I whip cream that is past its use by date?"

Whipped Cream Has a 3-Week Shelf Life Store-bought whipped cream in an aerosol can has a shelf life of up to 3 weeks after the date printed on the container.In a tub, unopened whipped topping will survive up to 2 weeks past the expiration date marked on the container or up to 10 days after opening.

Can I use whipping cream after use by date?

How long does unopened heavy cream last in the fridge? Unopened heavy cream will generally stay at best quality for about 2 to 3 weeks after the date on the package, assuming it has been continuously refrigerated.

How can you tell if whipping cream is bad?

How To Tell If Heavy Cream Is Bad?
  • mold or discoloration, either on the surface or on the neck of the container.
  • heavy separation.
  • sour smell \u2013 if it's a fresh cream product (e.g., half and half), this should smell fresh \u2013 if it reminds you of sour cream, it's gone.
  • off taste \u2013 eat a tiny bit to make sure it's okay.


  • Can you eat unopened expired whipped cream?

    But remember tha whipped cream, like a lot of other dairy products, usually has a "sell by date" which is simply when it should be sold, not consumed. Because of this distinction, you may safely use whipping cream on your strawberries even after its "sell by date" has lapsed.



    Expired Cream?




    More answers regarding can I whip cream that is past its use by date?

    Answer 2

    If cream is still fresh enough to eat then it will whip just fine, there aren't any mechanisms at work which will prevent whipping. If it's been opened in the fridge for a few days it may thicken up a bit, I usually add a splash of whole milk to thin it out a bit or it can get a bit claggy.

    Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

    Images: Katerina Holmes, Julia Filirovska, Julia Filirovska, Julia Filirovska