How long does Celery juice last? Shelf life and storage

Celery is 95% water, 20 calories per stick, meaning it can only be 5% nutrients. But those nutrients are so powerful that celery was used as a medicine before it was a food. Celery juice has a relaxing effect on muscles and can lower your blood pressure without any side effects. Celery has many health benefits, but how long can you store it?

Did you know that you expend more calories eating a celery stick than the celery can give you? The nutrients in celery remain for five days after the celery is harvested. After five days, the celery loses its potency. It’s the perfect food for shedding pounds.

Celery has long been used for its medicinal benefits, such as being an excellent anti-inflammatory, and it tastes fantastic. This article unveils the secrets of celery juice and how you can store it for longer. We answer many frequently asked questions providing you with the best factual information.

Let’s get into it.

Does celery juice expire?

Yes, it has a short shelf life which is not conducive to making large batches that may need to be discarded.

For most of you, making celery juice is a daily task. You either place it in a juicer and get a cup of celery juice from a whole heart which seems somewhat wasteful, or you put the celery in a suitable blender that will deliver more juice than the juicer, but it’s messier.

Fresh celery juice lasts for two days if stored in an airtight container in the fridge. The container has to be airtight to prevent the celery juice from being exposed to the air and oxidizing. Once the celery juice oxidizes, it has to be discarded.

If you push the limits of storage time for celery juice, it will not spoil instantly, so you still have a chance to consume it. A typical sign of the celery juice turning is the color.

When celery juice is on the road to expiration, it will first change color. It can still be consumed in the fridge for two days or less in an airtight container.

If your celery juice has bubbles floating on the top that the turbulence of blending or juicing has not created, consider the celery juice to have expired.

Bacteria are creating bubbles in the juice, almost like fermentation but not as good. Discard the celery juice at this point.

Should your celery juice have a funky smell, don’t drink it; it should smell like celery and nothing else.

If you leave celery sitting out at room temperature, you can expect it to spoil quickly, and it can develop mold from the bacteria the celery juice surrounds it.

If celery juice tastes sour, it has gone bad. This will happen in a couple of days or faster, depending on the temperature of your fridge.

Does celery juice need to be refrigerated?

If you have not consumed the celery juice after blitzing it in the blender or juicer, it should be placed in an airtight container, something like a mason jar if it’s clean, and placed immediately in the fridge. Place the juice towards the back of the fridge; this is the coolest place.

If you have juiced a few hearts of celery, you may have enough juice for six glasses, so proper storage is imperative. The fridge should be under 40℉, say at 35℉ or below.

The lower the interior temperature of the fridge, the fewer chances bacteria can take a foothold and grow.

Fresh celery loses its potency after five days of being picked, and you will just be juicing water without the benefits of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Does celery juice have to be covered or uncovered? Does it make a difference?

Celery juice should be covered as soon as it is poured. If you are not going to drink the juice, immediately place the celery juice in a sterile, airtight container.

Celery juice will harbor bacteria, and once the bacteria become active and start to multiply, it is only a short time until the juice is spoiled.

Covering scenery juice and keeping it topped up to avoid big airspace in the storage container will help preserve the celery juice longer.

How long does unopened celery juice last?

Unopened celery juice could refer to the heart of the celery and the stalks. In terms of keeping rigid and not becoming inedible, they last for a long time, like most vegetables being stirred in a cool, dry place. The celery heart will;l last for two weeks in the fridge, maybe longer, before it becomes limp.

Knowing how fresh the celery is is essential if you want to reap the benefits of this incredible food. However, as previously mentioned, the nutrients in celery do not last forever. They are good for about five days before they diminish, and you just drink water.

Can you put warm celery in the fridge?

Why you may consider celery as salad, it’s also used in many dishes that are eaten daily, such as bolognese and lasagne, and celery is always part of the mirepoix, whatever hemisphere you come from.

Let the celery recipe cool to room temperature before placing them in the fridge. Once you introduce heat into the fridge, the interior temperature could rise. For food safety reasons, warm food should not be placed in the fridge.

Your fridge temperature hovers just below 4℉. Temperatures above this are considered to be the food danger zone. The food danger zone is a temperature range from 40 to 140℉.

In this temperature range, bacterial growth accelerates. After just two hours, the bacteria will have reached significant levels, potentially making any other food stored in the fridge inedible due to its risk of causing food poisoning.

How long can celery juice sit out?

2 hours. After you have juiced your celery, it has a pretty short shelf life and should be in an airtight container. If you have a breakfast get-together where you share the juice with friends, you should understand it has a very short life outside the fridge.

In two hours, the bacteria growth in celery juice will have accelerated to enormous proportions making the food unfit for consumption.

The information is from the USDA and can be checked on their website.

How long does celery juice last in the fridge?

Two to three days. Celery is a robust vegetable. It can be stringy and has a long shelf life. But when juiced, the humble and widely eaten vegetable transforms into a delicate liquid that must be handled with care as it seems to be on life support. 

The cooler the fridge, the better the celery juice will last.  If it can be kept at around 30℉, this should maximize the shelf life of the celery juice, and it will be delightfully refreshing at such a cool temperature.

Does frozen celery juice go bad?

Not really, in theory, any food frozen at or below 0℉ has an indefinite shelf life, but when it comes to certain foods, the truth is different front the expectations. Freezing celery juice is not different. The expectations are you can remove it at any time and have a nutritious drink when the truth is the nutrients might have diminished.

When freezing celery juice, you must have the best ingredients. Otherwise, the process is futile, and you will never achieve what you set out to do.

This is how you freeze celery juice.

Freezing celery juice

• Assuming you have the very best celery just harvested, you will need to cut and wash the stems into suitable sizes for the juicer.
• Place your freshly juiced celery into a pouring jug, and if the juice is warm from the process, you can place it in the fridge for twenty minutes while it cools sufficiently.
• Have sealable freezer bags ready for the juice.
• It will be an advantage if you can jerry-rig a stand to hold the bag upright while pouring.
• Pour the fresh celery juice into the freezer bags until a couple of inches from the top. 
• Carefully remove the air from the freezer bag and seal it firmly, ensuring no leaks.
• Mark the bag with the freezing and expiration dates, which will be six months from freezing.
• Place in the freezer.

How to defrost celery juice?

Place the bag under cool running water or a bowl to expedite the thawing process. You can use the celery juice in the slushy stage for something different and cooling.

How do you make celery juice?

Preparing celery juice at home is easy if you wish to include it in your diet.

The simplest method to make it is to use a juicer. Simply wash three to four celery stalks and juice them. Enjoy with ice cubes if you like.

If you don’t have a juicer, slice up to four cleaned stalks of celery, then puree them. Pour the liquid into a strainer or mesh cloth placed over a jug with a wide rim, then push down to squeeze out all the juice. You can continue to add fiber to the beverage.

Try adding green apples, ginger, cucumber, mint, or lemon juice for some zest and flavor.

Final thoughts

Celery is a wonderful vegetable that has many health benefits, and freezing celery juice is a great way to make this referring drink in advance. But there are some caveats you should know about drinking celery juice. It’s high in sodium which could raise your BP and affect your heart.

You should only drink celery juice in moderation and as part of a healthy diet.