ShelfLife
How long do bagels last?
Fresh-baked bagels keep 1 to 2 days at room temperature before going stale. In the freezer, they keep about 3 months. Packaged supermarket bagels with preservatives keep longer: follow the date on the bag.
| Food | Freezer | Pantry |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh-baked bagels | 3 months | 1–2 days |
| Store-bought frozen bagels | 3 months | — |
Fridge at 4 °C (40 °F) or colder, freezer at −18 °C (0 °F). Freezer times are for best quality: food kept frozen stays safe, but slowly loses taste and texture. These times are USDA guidance, not a guarantee. When in doubt, throw it out.
How to tell if bagels have gone bad
- Mold: fuzzy spots of any color. Throw out the whole bag.
- A sour or musty smell.
- Hard, dry bagels are stale, not spoiled: toast them or turn them into chips.
How to store bagels
- Keep bagels in a paper bag at room temperature for a day, or a sealed plastic bag to keep them softer.
- Avoid the fridge: it makes them stale faster.
- Freeze any you won't eat within 2 days.
Can you freeze bagels?
Yes, for about 3 months. Slice them first, then freeze them in a sealed freezer bag. Toast them straight from frozen.
Questions
Should bagels be refrigerated?
No. The fridge dries them out faster; the freezer is better for anything you won't eat soon.
How do you refresh a stale bagel?
Run it briefly under the tap, then bake it at about 180 °C (350 °F) for 5 minutes.
How long does a bagel with cream cheese last?
Refrigerate it within 2 hours and eat it within a day; the bagel will soften.
Add bread and bagels to ShelfLife, and freeze them before they go stale.
Related foods
Storage times: USDA FoodKeeper (Food Safety and Inspection Service), public domain. Text by ShelfLife.