How Long Does Celery Juice Last?

How long does celery juice last? The answer to this question depends largely on the way you store it, and how long you leave it out at room temperature before putting it on chill.

As a general rule though, celery juice lasts well for the following periods of time, under different storage scenarios:

• Room Temperature – Celery juice lasts in a drinkable condition for around 24 hours when it’s left at room temperature. “Room temperature” is obviously a very subjective thing though. If you live in a particularly hot environment, you shouldn’t leave celery out for more than a few hours at most. Even then it might be rather unpleasant to drink!
• Refrigerator – Once prepared and stored quickly, celery juice will last in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours. Make sure you store it in an airtight container. This 72 hour window also reduces quickly, the longer you’ve left it at room temperature first.
• Freezer – Sealed in an airtight container, celery juice is fine to store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Just make sure you leave a little bit of room on top for the celery juice to expand as it freezes.

That’s the very simple answer to the question! 

In the rest of this article I’m going to go into more detail about how to store your celery for the best results. 

I’ve also included some tips at the end for storing your celery before you turn it into a drink. You can also check out my guide to choosing a celery juicer if you’re looking to dive into this side of juicing.

Does Celery Juice Ever Go Bad?

Very much so, and even in the best case scenario it won’t taste very nice once it’s turned either.

This also happens surprisingly quickly at room temperature. It’s worth making the effort to store your celery juice in the refrigerator as quickly as possible after you make it.

How Will I Know If My Celery Juice Has Gone Bad?

There are some telltale signs of celery juice that’s gone past its best.

Discoloration & Smell

For a start, it will look markedly different from when you first made it. It won’t look very nice, basically, and you’ll likely see some kind of dark discoloration. 

Even at this early stage it’s probably fine to drink, but don’t do so until your celery juice has also passed the good old smell test.

You’ll know very quickly if your celery juice has started to turn. There’ll be a noticeably sour smell to the drink, and you should throw it away immediately.

Watch Out For Bubbles

If your celery juice has been laying still, yet has a layer of bubbles sitting on the surface, throw it out.

These bubbles indicate the presence of bacteria, and the only thing to do here is throw the celery juice down the sink. Make yourself a fresh batch and enjoy that instead. Your body will thank you for it!

Any Other Advice?

If your celery juice is more than 24 hours old, and even if it’s passed the obvious checks, take a small sip before glugging down the whole thing.

You’ll get a sense very quickly if there’s something not quite right. If in doubt, get rid of it and make a proper fresh celery juice.

I encourage you to either refrigerator or freeze your celery juice, rather than leave it out at room temperature. A second serving of the drink is so much better if it’s chilled quickly after preparation.

Grab a pack of sticky labels too, and take the time to write the preparation date on it, and slap the label on the container before putting it into storage.

That will make it much easier to track the best-by dates of the celery juice you’ve prepared.

How Can I Keep My Celery Juice Tasting Fresh?

First things first, always use an airtight container to store any celery juice you plan to drink at a later date.

Oxygen is the enemy of all juices, and so it’s important to keep as much of it away from the drink as possible.

For the most part, you should aim to completely fill the container with your celery juice, with the lid just about fitting on.

The only exception to this rule is if you plan to put your celery juice on ice in the freezer.

It will expand inside the container, and so you need to allow just a little bit of room for that to happen.

What’s The Best Way To Store Whole Celery?

One of the best ways of making your celery juice last longer is, of course, to make the produce itself last longer.

That way you can prepare your celery juice in smaller batches, which means you don’t even have to think about storage.

If your celery is packaged from the store, get it out of its plastic wrapping as soon as you get home, and wrap it up in aluminum foil instead.

As your celery ripens, it will produce ethylene, which is a natural chemical that’s produced as fruit and veg ages. The problem is it can’t escape the plastic wrapping, and so hastens the rotting of your fresh produce.

Aluminum foil allows this gas to escape, which in turn keeps the celery fresher for longer.

Do this quickly after going to the store and you’ll find your whole celery lasts anywhere up to four weeks longer than it usually would in the refrigerator.

What’s The Best Way To Store Chopped Celery?

What can you do if you haven’t used up all of your whole celery?

Once the stalks have been cut through, celery loses its moisture content extremely quickly.

To preserve that essential juice, make sure you store the leftovers in an airtight container, filled with just enough water to cover the celery entirely. Then place it in the refrigerator.

Your leftover celery will remain nicely hydrated and ready for juicing the next time. As for when that next time should be, I recommend using it within 24 hours for the best results.

You can also take this approach if you just want to prep your celery for juicing the next morning. 

A lot of people find it tough to glug a big old drink of celery juice first thing each day, so doing the prep work the night before can make the habit much easier to pick up!

Wrapping Up

Now you know how long celery juice lasts, and what you can do to keep your pre-juiced celery in top condition, ready for your next drink.

Happy juicing, and have a read through my juicing archive if you’d like to learn more about this side of kitchen life!