How Long Is Celery Juice Good For?

The flavor of celery juice may not be impressive by itself, but its nutritional value and health benefits certainly are. 

But how long is celery juice good for? Fresh celery juice can last up to 24 hours unrefrigerated. Stored in the fridge in an airtight container, the juice will last up to 72 hours. You can extend the shelf life of fresh celery juice by freezing it. 

This article gives answers to all your celery juice questions. From storage rules to shelf life and signs of spoilage, we have covered everything you need to know in this article. 

What Is Celery Juice Good for?

Celery juice might not be the best tasting juice in the world, but it is certainly very healthy. In fact, drinking celery juice is said to be healthier than eating the stalks. 

A 240-ml cup of celery juice contains only 42 calories. There are also around 10 grams of carbs and 2 grams of protein in a cup of sugar-free celery juice. 

Here are some of the health benefits of celery juice:

• Packed With Nutrients – Celery juice is rich in vitamins and minerals. It contains an impressive amount of vitamins K, A, and C. Celery juice is a source of such minerals as calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, and phosphorus. 
• Hydration – While it certainly can’t replace water, celery juice is mostly water and can provide your body with hydration alongside the vitamins and minerals in contains. And keeping your body hydrated is important for your overall health. 
• Reduces Inflammation – It contains antioxidants that can reduce inflammation in the body. This can help reduce the risks of heart diseases, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and more. Thanks to its high antioxidant content, celery juice is also good for the skin. 
• Digestive Health – Celery juice improves digestion by raising stomach acids. It is also good at reducing bloating. 

Despite all the benefits celery juice has, it can have the opposite effect on your body too.

You should never use celery juice for detox. Increased hunger, digestive issues, and malnutrition are some of the negative effects of drinking too much celery juice. 

Does Celery Juice Go Bad?

Whether you have made it yourself or bought a bottle from your local supermarket, celery juice does go bad. 

The shelf life of fresh celery juice is rather short, as it doesn’t contain any sugar or preservatives. The shelf life of store-bought celery juice is not very long either if it is all-natural and sugar-free. 

How To Store Celery Juice

If you are going to keep celery juice unrefrigerated to drink it later in the day, leave it in a glass, bottle, or mason jar. No matter what container you are using, keep it covered. 

Don’t keep celery juice at room temperature if it’s too hot where you live. And don’t keep it near the oven or the stovetop where the temperature is higher. This can cause the juice go bad within a few hours. 

When it comes to storing fresh celery juice in the fridge, the key rule to follow is keeping the juice in a tightly sealed container. Glass containers, such as mason jars, work best for this reason. You can also store the juice in a glass bottle. Just make sure it seals tightly. 

You can try adding a few drops of lemon or lime juice into the celery juice to slow down the oxidation process and minimize the loss of nutrients. A touch of fresh citrus juice will also make the grassy celery juice taste more palatable. 

Another great tip is not to use a container that is too big for the amount of juice you have. If the container is only half-full, it means that there is a lot of oxygen in it. The more oxygen there is in the container, the quicker it will deteriorate. 

So, choose a container of a suitable size and fill it all the way to the top if possible.

Store-bought celery juice should be stored the same way as fresh juice if the bottle has been opened.

If unopened, store the juice the same way as it was stored in the store, i.e. if you have purchased it from the unrefrigerated section, keep it in the fridge when you bring it home. 

How Long Does Celery Juice Last?

Fresh celery juice has a shelf life of 24 hours if stored at room temperature. Stored in the fridge, the fresh juice will keep well for 2-3 days. 

As for commercially manufactured celery juice, check the ‘Best by’ date printed on the bottle. 

How Long Does Fresh Celery Juice Hold Its Nutritional Value?

If you want to get the most nutrients out of your fresh celery juice, drink it right after juicing the celery. The nutritional value of celery juice gradually decreases as it deteriorates. 

You may be wondering if you can drink your celery juice after 3 days. The answer is yes, if the juice has been stored properly and there are no signs of spoilage. 

But while you can drink celery juice after 72 hours, you are not recommended to do so, as there will be no potent nutrients left in the juice and the flavor will be rather flat. 

Can You Freeze Celery Juice?

You can freeze celery juice. If you know you won’t be drinking it within the following two days, freezing is a good option. 

It is not guaranteed that the nutritional value of the juice will remain the same after freezing and defrosting. So, drinking it fresh is the best option anyway.

But in case you have leftover celery juice, here’s how we recommend you freeze it:

1. Pour the juice into ice cube trays and place the trays in the freezer. 
2. When the juice freezes, remove the celery juice cubes from the tray and transfer them into a zip-top bag to save space. 

Freezing the juice in cubes is helpful for two reasons. First, having cubes of frozen celery juice, you can thaw as many of them as you need for your desired amount of juice.

And second, the small cubes thaw much faster compared to the liquids frozen in large batches. 

How Do You Thaw Frozen Celery Juice?

To thaw frozen celery juice, simply transfer it from the freezer into the fridge. Depending on the size of the cubes, the juice will take a few hours to fully defrost. 

To speed up the process, you can put the frozen celery juice cubes into an airtight zip-top bag, and submerge it into a bowl of water. Leaving the water running over the cubes may help defrost them quicker. 

Drink the defrosted celery juice as soon as possible and avoid refreezing it. 

You may find the texture and flavor of thawed celery juice to be slightly different from its fresh variety. This is natural, as the freezing and thawing processes do affect the texture and flavor qualities of the juice. 

How Long Does Celery Juice Last In the Freezer?

Storing celery juice in the freezer extends the shelf life of the juice to 6 months. While the drink may remain safe for consumption past that time too, the sooner you drink it the better. 

Signs That Celery Juice Has Gone Bad

So, celery juice is rather perishable and has a short shelf life. If you have had the fresh celery juice in your fridge for longer than 3 days, it is best to discard it and make a new batch of fresh juice.

Even if drinking 4-day-old celery juice won’t hurt you, it won’t provide you with the vitamins and minerals that you are expecting to get from the juice. 

In any case, whether you have had the juice in the fridge or in the freezer and have taken it out to drink it, check for the following sign of spoilage:

• Off-Putting Smell – The first sign to give away bad celery juice is the off-putting odor. Give the celery juice the good old sniff test. If the juice smells sour, discard it. 
• Color Changes – When celery juice goes bad, it undergoes color changes too. The color of fresh celery juice is bright green. If you notice anything different, your green juice may have already gone bad. It should be noted though, that the juice that is still good may undergo color changes too. So, if that is the only change you notice in your drink, there are chances that it is still good for consumption. 
• Mold – It goes without saying that you should never drink your celery juice if you notice mold in the container and even under the cap of the celery juice bottle. Your celery juice is likely to get moldy if you have had it for too long. 

If you don’t notice any signs of spoilage and have had the juice properly stored for only a couple of days, give it a try to see how it tastes. If it tastes like normal, then you can go ahead and drink it. 

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