Is It Safe to Eat Expired Canned Beans? Experts Weigh In

Sometimes when you don’t know what to do for dinner, a rummage through your pantry is your best bet. Scrounging up some kind of meal using canned beans and rice could work—especially if you want a protein-packed dinner. But that dream of a burrito bowl or soup for dinner slowly fades when you check the expiration date on those canned beans. They are expired. They aren’t safe to eat, right?

Here’s the truth: You’re probably totally fine. In fact, many pantry items are shelf-stable, and dates on some packaged foods signify peak freshness and taste, rather than spoilage. As long as the food was stored properly, that can of beans should be safe to eat. With a few exceptions, of course.

We spoke with food safety experts to get all of the details on how to know if your canned beans have gone bad or if they’re perfectly fine to consume.

Do Canned Beans Expire?

When it comes to canned beans, the date listed on a can indicates its peak quality. It’s typically not the date the food expires and goes bad. 

“Canned foods, such as beans, often display what’s called a quality date, such as ‘best before,’ ‘best if used by’ or ‘durable life date,’” says Matt Taylor, senior manager of food consulting at NSF. “A quality date such as this is not an indication of safety but instead a manufacturer’s guarantee of quality up until that date. It refers to how long an unopened food product will remain at peak quality and freshness,” he explains.

So what does “quality” mean? “Typically, expiration dates on cans of beans signify the date at which the taste, texture, flavor and other quality factors have deteriorated to a level unacceptable to the consumer,” adds food scientist Bryan Quoc Le, Ph.D., author of the book 150 Food Science Questions Answered. This means an expired can of beans may not be at its best, but it may still be edible, he says.

Can You Use Expired Canned Beans?

Yes! In short, it is safe to eat expired canned beans, as long as they have been stored properly. “Cans of beans undergo a process of heat treatment known as retorting, where the temperature of the can is raised well above the boiling point of water,” explains Quoc Le. “This process sterilizes the contents of the can,” he says.

As long as the can doesn’t have any significant damage that could compromise the vacuum seal, then the beans are safe to consume, says Mitzi Baum, CEO of Stop Foodborne Illness.

Potential Risks

There are potential issues with foodborne illness in some instances. Plus, expired beans may not taste amazing. Here’s more about the two potential risks.  

Foodborne Illness

Damage to the can may break the seal that helps keep canned beans shelf-stable, which can result in contaminated beans. In rare situations, a canned or preserved food that has been compromised may contain a bacteria called Clostridium botulinum, which produces the toxin botulinum. In some instances, eating this toxin can cause botulism, a serious illness of the nervous system that can lead to difficulty breathing, muscle paralysis and, in severe cases, death.

Altered Taste and Texture

Sure, they’re still edible, but because the dates provided on the canned beans are meant to signify the peak freshness and best quality, if it’s past that date, the texture and taste of the beans might not be up to the highest standards. 

How to Store Your Canned Beans

Keep them in a pantry or on a shelf. “Canned beans typically last for about two to five years if stored in a cool and dry place,” says Taylor. Of course, once those canned beans are open, you’ll want to refrigerate them and consume them within four days. You can also freeze leftover beans in an airtight container or a plastic storage bag for up to six months.

How to Tell If Your Canned Beans Have Gone Bad

The first sign that your expired canned beans have gone bad is from a quick glance on the outside. Any can that has been punctured or dented or is rusty, leaking or bulging could impact the quality of the beans. It may also be an indication that the seal in the can, which keeps the contents self-stable, is broken, increasing the risk of foodborne illness. 

Next, if your can of beans doesn’t have any of these problems on the outside and it looks perfectly normal, then you’ll want to inspect the inside. Open it up and give it a thorough scan. Any beans that show mold or discoloration—or that smell off—should be discarded.

Nevertheless, if the can has not been compromised and the beans on the inside look perfectly normal, and it’s within two to five years of the printed date, then they still should be good to consume. 

After that, though, Taylor recommends tossing it for the sake of food safety. “While there is a push to reduce food waste and a temptation to use food beyond these manufacturers’ dates, it is important to take caution—there could still be a food safety risk to anything consumed after these dates,” he says.

The Bottom Line

Even though canned beans have an expiration date, that doesn’t mean the beans have spoiled. Canned beans go through a process of sterilization and are vacuum-sealed, allowing them to have a long shelf life. Dates provided on the can signify peak freshness, but canned beans are often still good to use two to five years after their printed date.

However, if the can has not been stored properly or the vacuum seal has been compromised (dents, rusting, leaks, bulging) and the beans smell or look funky, then they are no longer good to eat. 

Otherwise, if that can is good to go, toss the beans into one of these 20 Easy Soup Recipes That Use a Can of Beans.