How to Store Dry Fruits So They Stay Fresh (After Diwali and All Year)

After Diwali, most homes have more dry fruits than they can eat in a week, often in decorative boxes that were never meant to keep them fresh. Nuts are full of natural oil, and oil goes stale with heat, light and air. Stored well, they keep for months. Stored badly, a box of walnuts can taste of old paint within weeks. Here is how to store each kind.

The Four Rules That Matter Most

1. Airtight: move dry fruits out of gift boxes and loose bags into airtight glass or steel jars. Air is what turns nut oil stale.
2. Cool and dark: keep them away from the stove, the window and the top of the fridge, which is warm.
3. Dry: humidity makes nuts soft and invites mould. Use a dry spoon, and never put them back in a jar that is still damp from washing.
4. Small amounts out: keep a small jar for daily use and the rest sealed, so the main stock is opened as little as possible.

Which Dry Fruits Need the Fridge?

The more oil a nut has, the faster it goes off. As a rough guide, from most delicate to most robust:

• Walnut kernels, pecans and pine nuts: the most delicate. Keep opened packs in an airtight container in the fridge, where they keep for several months, or freeze them for longer. See our walnut kernels, pecans and pine nuts.
• Walnuts in shell: the shell protects them, so they keep for several months in a cool, dry cupboard. Move them to the fridge in a hot, humid summer. Our Kashmiri walnut guide has more.
• Cashews and pistachios: fine in an airtight jar in a cool cupboard for a couple of months; in the fridge, considerably longer.
• Almonds: the most forgiving nut. An airtight jar in a cool, dark cupboard keeps them for months; the fridge extends that further. This applies to Mamra, Kagzi and California almonds alike.
• Dried apricots (khubani): airtight, in a cool place. In humid weather they can turn sticky, so the fridge helps. If they dry out and harden, soak them before cooking. See our dried apricots.

Seeds and Saffron

• Chia, sabja and pumpkin seeds: whole seeds keep well for months in an airtight jar in a cool cupboard.
• Flax seeds: keep whole seeds in a jar, but once ground, store the powder in the fridge and use it within a few weeks; ground flax goes stale quickly. Our chia, sabja and flax guide explains the differences.
• Saffron: an airtight container in a dark cupboard. It does not need the fridge, and the fridge can add moisture each time you open it. Well-stored saffron keeps its aroma for one to two years.

Using the Freezer

For anything you will not eat within a few months, the freezer is the best option. Pack nuts in airtight bags with as much air pressed out as possible. They do not freeze solid and need no thawing: use them straight from the freezer in cooking or baking. Let a container come to room temperature before opening it, so moisture does not condense on the nuts.

How to Tell When Dry Fruits Have Gone Off

• Smell: a sharp smell of oil paint, old cooking oil or soap means the oil has gone rancid.
• Taste: a sharp, lingering bitterness. A slight bitterness in walnut skins is normal; harshness is not.
• Texture: soft, bendy almonds or cashews have taken on moisture.
• Insects: fine powder in the corner of the jar, webbing or tiny holes in the kernels.

Rancid or infested dry fruits should be thrown away; roasting does not fix them. Our Hindi checklist, ड्राई फ्रूट्स खरीदते समय 7 बातें, covers how to spot old stock before you buy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should dry fruits be stored in the fridge?

Walnut kernels, pecans, pine nuts and opened cashews and pistachios keep much longer in the fridge, especially in summer. Almonds, walnuts in shell, seeds and saffron are fine in a cool, dark cupboard.

How long do dry fruits last?

It depends on the nut and how it is stored: from a few weeks for ground flax to many months for almonds and walnuts in shell. Airtight, cool and dark storage makes the biggest difference.

Can I store different dry fruits together?

Mixed dry fruits are fine together for a few weeks, but they last only as long as the most delicate nut in the mix. For longer storage, keep each kind in its own jar.

We pack our Kashmiri dry fruits in Srinagar in sealed packs and ship across India. Keep them in those packs, or move them to jars as soon as they are opened.