How Long Does Soy Sauce Last After You Open It?

Soy sauce is a flavor-boosting condiment and Asian food stable found on condiment shelves around the world. While it’s wildly popular, very few people know exactly how long it stays fresh. To ensure you always have fresh soy sauce at your fingertips, you need to know how to keep it fresh and how long it lasts after it's opened.

Once soy sauce is opened, it lasts anywhere from two to six months when stored in a cool and dark location. To help your soy sauce last longer, keep it sealed tight, and store it in your refrigerator. This can keep it fresh for several months longer. To check if your soy sauce has gone bad, smell it, taste it, and check for changes in texture and color.

If you are a big fan of soy sauce but aren’t sure how long it lasts, this article is for you. Contrary to popular belief, soy sauce does not last forever, especially once the seal on the bottle is broken. This article details all the factors that impact how long soy sauce stays fresh once opened and several methods to keep it fresh for longer.

How Long Will Soy Sauce Stay Fresh After It’s Opened?

Soy sauce doesn’t last forever, and like most condiments, it eventually goes bad. Unopened soy sauce can potentially last years, depending on when it was bottled. Once you open soy sauce, it is best to use it within three to six months if it's been stored in a cool and dark place. If you put your soy sauce in the fridge once it’s opened, it will last several months longer.

After six months, opened soy sauce tends to lose its flavor, and can even go bad. Many factors impact how long soy sauce stays fresh once it’s opened. There are even multiple ways (listed below) that you can keep your opened bottle of soy sauce fresh for longer.

Four Factors That Impact How Long Soy Sauce Stays Fresh 

1. The Expiration Date

One factor that impacts how long any food will last is its expiration date. Just like any food item, soy sauce expires. Ensure you check the expiration date of your sauce before you buy it, so you can pick a bottle that won’t expire for a long time.

2. Where It’s Stored

Where soy sauce is stored has a profound impact on how long it lasts once it is opened. Before your soy sauce is opened it should be stored with spices in a cool and dark place. Once it is opened, it should live in your fridge. If opened soy sauce is kept outside the fridge, it will go bad much faster.

3. Quality Of Soy Sauce And Ingredients

Not all soy sauce is the same. It can be made with slightly different ingredients, and there are certainly higher and lower-quality soy sauces. Some soy sauces are loaded with preservatives that keep them fresh longer. Some are more natural, and while delicious, go bad faster.

4. How Well It’s Sealed

The way you care for your condiments impacts their longevity. If you let your soy sauce bottle get crusty and don’t tighten the lid after you use it, then don’t be surprised if it loses flavor. Well-maintained and properly sealed bottles will keep the contents fresher for longer. You may even want to choose a soy sauce brand that has an easy-to-seal and airtight lid. Some bottles lock in freshness better than others.

Six Ways You Can Tell Soy Sauce Has Gone Bad

1. It’s Moldy

If your soy sauce is very old, or somehow got contaminated, then it can begin to grow mold. Inspect your bottle of soy sauce for mold. If you notice even small traces of mold, you should throw the bottle away immediately to avoid getting yourself and others sick.

2. It Tastes Funky

One tried-and-true way to know if your soy sauce has gone bad is to taste it. Before adding soy sauce to a recipe or putting it on the dining table, you should taste it. If it tastes funky, sour, stale, or lacking in flavor, then it might be time to toss it and open up a new bottle.

3. The Color Has Changed

Soy sauce is known for its dark color. When you are trying to figure out if your bottle of soy sauce is fresh or spoiled, check the color. If the color has become lighter or darker than normal, or looks otherwise abnormal in color, then there’s a chance it’s no longer fresh.

4. It Smells Different

When you are trying to determine if a food item has spoiled, smelling it is always a good step to take before tasting it. If your soy sauce smells funky or more like vinegar than soy sauce, then you should toss it and open up a new bottle.

5. A Noticeable Change In Consistency

If your soy sauce has become either very thick or noticeably watery, then it may be time to throw it away. Sometimes, once soy sauce goes bad, the consistency changes. To check for an issue with its texture and consistency, give the bottle a swirl before pouring it onto food and see if you notice a difference.

6. It’s Expired

One easy way to see if it’s time to throw away your soy sauce and buy a new one is by checking its expiration date. Like all food products, soy sauce should come with an expiration date. Once you open your soy sauce, it will start losing its flavor within months, but if the bottle has already expired, it should be tossed away immediately.

Four Methods To Help Keep Your Soy Sauce Fresh Longer

1. Store It In The Fridge

Soy sauce is a fermented liquid like wine, and just like wine, it is best stored in the fridge to preserve its freshness. If you have made a habit of keeping your open soy sauce on a counter or with your spices, break this habit and store it in your refrigerator instead. This will keep it tasting fresh much longer.

2. Avoid Contaminating The Bottle

Soy sauce can grow mold and start tasting strange if the bottle gets contaminated by other food particles. Keeping your bottle of soy sauce free of food residue is a great way to reduce the risk of bacteria and food particles entering the bottle.

Any time you notice crust building up near the lip of the bottle, wipe it with a clean cloth. This will help the lid seal properly and keep the bottle clean and contaminant-free.

3. Keep It Away From Light

Soy sauce and light are enemies. Keep your soy sauce in a dark place in your fridge, and when it isn’t stored in the fridge (before it’s opened for example) ensure it is kept out of the sun. Light can break down the soy sauce, so keeping it dark will also keep your soy sauce fresh.

4. Ensure It Is Sealed Tight

Lastly, ensure that the cap or your soy sauce stays on the bottle and remains tight. Soy sauce will quickly lose flavor if the lid isn’t kept on it, or is loose. It also increases the risk of bacteria entering the bottle. Sealing it tight locks in its robust flavor.

Summing Up How Long Soy Sauce Lasts Once It’s Opened

Condiments may seem to last forever, but almost all of them go bad eventually, especially once the seal on the bottle is broken. Generally, soy sauce stays fresh for three to six months once it’s opened and kept in a cool dark place. 

To help your soy sauce last even longer, you should store it in the fridge with the lid sealed tight. Always check the expiration date before buying soy sauce, and store it somewhere cool and away from direct sunlight, even when it hasn’t been opened.

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