Has it ever happened to you that you picked a yogurt out of the fridge, totally forgot about it, and just left it out on the kitchen board for a long, long while? Okay, since you’re not as dumb as we are, it probably hasn’t; nevertheless, knowing the answer to this question may still come in handy:
How long can yogurt sit out? According to the USDA, yogurt cannot sit out for more than two hours because bacteria grow extremely quickly at room temperature, resulting in perishable food like yogurts spoiling so fast.
But this was just to put it briefly, so if we indeed want to understand this topic, we should dive a bit deeper into it.
So without any further ado, let’s get into it!
Table of Contents
- Does yogurt need to be refrigerated?
- How long can yogurt sit out at room temperature?
- Can yogurt be left out overnight?
- How long can you leave unopened yogurt out?
- How long can yogurt sit out at 50 degrees?
- Yogurt left out 4 hours – is it ok?
- How can you tell if yogurt is bad?
- How do you keep yogurt fresh?
- What happens when you eat bad yogurt?
- Summary
- Resources
Does yogurt need to be refrigerated?
Yes, if you know you’re going to hold onto it for a while, yogurt needs to be refrigerated because it starts to turn bad just after two hours of sitting out. When refrigerated, though, yogurt can stay good for even as long as two weeks in some cases!
How long can yogurt sit out at room temperature?
As the USDA says, yogurt can sit out at room temperature for no more than two hours before being dangerous to eat. The reason for that is that bacteria proliferate at room temperatures, resulting in many kinds of food spoiling extraordinary fast.
Can yogurt be left out overnight?
No, yogurt cannot be left out overnight because it is, in fact, dangerous to eat it just after it sits out for more than two hours. And although this stamp is often probably too strict, leaving yogurt out of the fridge overnight is simply always far too long.
How long can you leave unopened yogurt out?
According to the USDA, you can leave unopened yogurt out for no more than two hours. After that, eating it might very likely be dangerous since bacteria overgrow at temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F, resulting in perishable food spoiling in the blink of an eye.
How long can yogurt sit out at 50 degrees?
In the opinion of the USDA, temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F are the “Danger Zone” for perishable food because bacteria grow rapidly at them. Therefore, at 50 degrees, yogurt cannot sit out for more than two hours if you want to be entirely sure that it is safe to eat.
Yogurt left out 4 hours – is it ok?
As we have already explained above, yogurt can’t sit out for more than two hours to be safe to eat. Hence, yogurt left out 4 hours is not okay because eating it may be dangerous. However, in some cases, yogurt can still be eatable after four hours, so it is probably wise to check it out before blindly throwing it out.
But more about that in the following answer.
How can you tell if yogurt is bad?
If you’re not entirely sure how long your yogurt has sat out, it is probably smart to check it out before eating it. To tell if yogurt is bad, look for a mold of any kind, curdling texture at the bottom, and an excessive amount of liquid at the surface.
Besides that, also make sure that there’s no weird smell coming out of the yogurt because that would suggest it has spoiled as well.
How do you keep yogurt fresh?
Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to keep yogurt fresh – the only thing you have to do is to put it into the fridge, which will make it able not to turn bad for some time. But besides that, there’s nothing to be done.
What happens when you eat bad yogurt?
When you eat bad yogurt, there is a high chance that you will be sick. What does that mean specifically? When you eat bad yogurt, you may likely be vomiting or having a stomach ache or diarrhea.
Summary
As the USDA says, yogurt can sit out (even when unopened) for just a little while – if you want to be entirely sure it is safe to eat, you should never leave your yogurt out of the fridge for more than two hours.
After that amount of time passes, eating the yogurt might be very dangerous since bacteria proliferate at room temperatures, resulting in perishable food spoiling unprecedentedly fast.
Related:
- How Long Can Greek Yogurt Sit Out?
- How Long Can French Toast Sit Out?
- How Long Can Smoked Salmon Sit Out?
- How Long Can Tomato Sauce Sit Out?
- How Long Can Spaghetti Sauce Sit Out?
Resources
Image credits – Canva
