That little tub can spark a bigger question than you expect. Labels, look, smell and timing rarely line up neatly. You want dinner on the table, not a night of stomach cramps. Here’s what that date really signals, what your senses can confirm, and when you should stop second-guessing and reach for a safer option.
The date on the pot: what use-by really means
Crème fraîche carries a use-by date. That is a safety deadline, not a quality hint. After it, risk rises. Some home cooks stretch unopened cream a little longer when it looks and smells right. Others refuse outright because dairy can harbour germs that grow even in the cold.
Use-by is a deadline. After it, every extra day raises the odds that bugs beat your fridge.
Processing changes the starting clock. Raw cream expires far sooner than pasteurised cream. Ultra-heat-treated (UHT) cream lasts longest before opening, then behaves like the rest once air gets in.
| Type | Unopened shelf-life (typical) | After opening (fridge 0–4 °C) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw cream | About 7 days | 3–4 days preferred | Higher starting bacterial load |
| Pasteurised cream | About 30 days | 3–4 days preferred | Steadier flavour, safer baseline |
| UHT cream | Up to ~4 months | 3–4 days preferred | Long life unopened; treat like fresh once opened |
Unopened versus opened: the clock speeds up
Once you break the seal, air, utensils and the fridge environment seed microbes into the tub. From that point, aim to finish crème fraîche within 3–4 days for best safety and flavour. Some stretch to 10–15 days if the cream looks pristine and smells fine, but each day adds risk. A pot open for 10 days may taste rancid and can irritate your stomach.
Opened crème fraîche: aim to finish within 3–4 days at 0–4 °C, lid on tight, and no double-dipping.
Stash it low and at the back of the fridge, where temperatures stay closest to 0–4 °C. Keep the lid clean. Use a fresh spoon. A small practical trick many cooks rely on: store the pot upside down so the cream forms a seal against the lid, which can slow surface contamination.
Smell, sight, texture: the quick checks that matter
Your senses catch early change. Fresh crème fraîche looks white and uniform. It smells clean and creamy, with a gentle tang. It tastes rich but not sharp.
- Strong, sour or cheesy odour: bin it.
- Yellowing, oil separation or a gritty feel: bin it.
- Spots of mould on the surface: if isolated and tiny, some scrape; if several or widespread, bin the lot.
- Fizziness on the tongue: bin it immediately.
Strong smell, yellowing or visible mould? Do not salvage. The safest spoonful is the one you do not eat.
Some people skim a small mould fleck when no other signs show. That remains a gamble because roots can run deeper than you see in soft, wet foods. If more than a pinhead or two appear, it is not worth the risk.
When risk turns real: what can go wrong
As cream ages, acidity shifts and protective cultures lose ground. Cold-tolerant bacteria and moulds gain space. Listeria can grow in the fridge. Staphylococcus can produce toxins that cooking will not reliably neutralise. Bacillus cereus spores can survive and wake up in warm kitchens.
Results range from tummy cramps and nausea to a full-blown bout of gastroenteritis. Healthy adults often recover at home, but young children, pregnant people, older adults and anyone with a reduced immune response face higher stakes.
Heat, cold and the freezer myth
Heating helps in recipes because most vegetative bacteria die when sauces reach steaming-hot temperatures. That said, heat does not fix everything. Toxins can remain. If the cream smells off or shows mould, cooking it does not make it safe.
Freezing sounds like a fix but rarely is for crème fraîche. The ice crystals break the emulsion. Thawed cream tends to split, turning grainy and watery. It can work in a cooked sauce where you whisk it smooth, but it disappoints in cold uses. If texture matters, keep it in the fridge and plan to use it fast rather than banking on the freezer.
Smart storage: tiny habits, big payoff
Keep it colder, cleaner, shorter
Cold slows microbes. Clean spoons keep them out. Short storage starves them of time.
- Fridge zone: 0–4 °C. Avoid the door shelves where temperatures rise.
- Seal: close the lid firmly; consider an extra layer of foil for a snug fit.
- Hygiene: no fingers, no used spoons, no crumbs into the tub.
- Label: write the opening date on the lid. Decide a finish-by date and stick to it.
Use it up without gambling
Plan quick wins within three days of opening. Stir into soup, fold through mash, lace a pan sauce for chicken, or spoon into a gratin. These cooked routes lower the risk window while giving you rich results.
Where the date meets real life: should you eat it today?
Ask three questions and act on the first “no”.
- Is it within the use-by date? If no, risk rises. Unopened may look OK for a short while; opened should be treated as high risk.
- Does it look and smell right? If anything jars, do not taste.
- How long has it been open? Past 3–4 days, your odds get worse by the day.
If you would hesitate to serve it to a child or a guest, do not serve it to yourself.
Extra context that helps you decide
Numbers you can use tonight
Unopened pot just over the line by 2–3 weeks, stored cold, no smell, no yellowing, no bloating of the tub: lower risk, but not risk-free. Opened pot at day 5 with a clean lid and fresh aroma: many cooks proceed in a hot dish, not in a cold dip. Opened pot at day 10, even if it looks fine: consider it a write-off.
Alternatives and swaps when the pot looks suspect
For cold dishes, swap crème fraîche with thick Greek yoghurt or a mix of yoghurt and a little mascarpone. For hot dishes, a splash of milk reduced with butter can stand in. If you often waste cream, buy smaller pots or UHT packs, keep one unopened as backup, and open only what you will use within three days.
Waste versus risk: a quick calculation
A 200 g pot costs less than a takeaway coffee in many supermarkets. The cost of a night off work or a sick child dwarfs that saving. If doubt lingers after the sniff-and-look test, the bin wins. Your stomach will thank you.
