Coconut oil is a great ingredient and I often use it for baking, cooking and frying. It can easily replace dairy butter in most recipes and is particularly lovely in baking.
It's important to know that Virgin (or unrefined) coconut oil has a mild coconut flavor and is great for most baking and low-heat cooking. Refined coconut oil has a neutral flavor, meaning no coconut taste, and can handle higher heat for frying. Because it has a lot of saturated fat, coconut oil is super stable and doesn't spoil as quickly as other oils like olive or vegetable oil.
Coconut oil can be a little pricey, especially if you like to buy raw, cold-pressed or organic coconut oil, which why you want to make sure that you that you keep your coconut oil stored correctly, so that it doesn't go off. It can actually last a very long time—up to two years or even longer—if you store it correctly!
So, here are my top tips to stop coconut oil going bad
1. Use it within it's used by date
When you buy your coconut oil, check the used by date on the side of the packaging. I sometimes write it down in big numbers somewhere on the product label to remind me.
If you do have coconut oil, that's passed it's sell-by date and use by date, open it and smell it first. Does it have a pleasant or not pleasant smell? If you taste it, does it have a faint coconut flavour, feels a bit oily, but otherwise has a pleasant taste? A good sign that it's gone bad is if it has a yellow tint, dark spots, or if it smells sour, bitter, or like old paint.
If it does, then you are O.K to carry on using it, but if it smells rancid (sour) and the taste is bitter, don't use it in cooking. I would probably not use it for other non-culinary uses either. Similarly like a spoiled pancake flour mix when you get the rancid smell it can't be covered with any other flavour.
RECIPES WITH COCONUT
- Coconut smoothie bowl >>
- Coconut & Chocolate Fat Bombs (no cook recipe) >>
- Vanilla & Coconut Chia Seeds Pudding >>
2. Use up the coconut oil for non-cooking uses
If you have a big jar of coconut oil and are worried you won't use it all in the kitchen before the "best by" date, remember that it has many uses outside of cooking! You can use your extra coconut oil to upgrade your personal care routine.
Scoop out a bit and use it as a great, natural moisturizer for dry skin, elbows, or feet. You can also melt some in your hand and rub it into your hair before you shower—it acts as an excellent, deep hair conditioner to help keep your locks shiny and strong.
A dab of oil on a cotton ball is also a gentle and effective make-up remover, especially for waterproof mascara! Using it up this way is a smart, zero-waste way to keep your oil from ever going bad.
3. Make sure you store coconut oil correctly
The best place to store your coconut oil is a cool kitchen cupboard, out of the heat and direct sunlight. The coconut oil should be kept in an airtight container (I use to keep it in its original jar) with the lid firmly screwed in.
Also, try to keep the jar as full as possible. The more air there is between the oil and the lid, the more oxygen is trapped. Oxygen causes oxidation, which is the main way oil goes rancid. If you have two half-full jars, combine them into one smaller, full jar to leave less air (headspace) for the oil to touch!
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4. Avoid varying temperatures
The worse thing you can do is to store your coconut oil in different areas of your kitchen, where the temperature changes a lot. For example, keeping the coconut oil in the fridge one day, then leaving it out next to the oven to melt, then forgetting it on the window sill where the sun is shining on the bottle all day or placing it in the cupboard where it's very humid (like next to a sink).
Coconut oil naturally melts into a liquid when the temperature is above about 76 F or 24 C and becomes solid below that. This melting and re-hardening is totally normal and doesn't hurt the oil, but keeping it at a steady temperature is the best way to help it last longer.
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5. Always use a clean spoon to take out the coconut oil
When taking out the coconut oi from the jar, always use a clean spoon to make sure you prevent any cross-contamination or don't leave any bits of other ingredients in the oil, that could eventually go off and then start spoiling the coconut oil.
6. Prevent the coconut oil from oxidation
The main reason coconut oil (or any fat) goes bad is a process called oxidation. This is when the oil's molecules react with oxygen in the air, which makes the oil go rancid and bitter. While you already know to use an airtight lid, there is one more thing you can do to really fight off oxidation.
Try to buy coconut oil in a size you'll use up. The more space there is between the top of the oil and the lid of the jar (the "headspace"), the more oxygen is trapped inside. This trapped air is what attacks the oil over time. As you use the oil, that headspace gets bigger.
If you have two half-full jars, it is best to combine them into one small, full jar so there is less air left for the oil to touch. This simple step reduces the amount of oxygen sitting right on top of the oil, keeping it fresh for longer!
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Safely Disposing of Spoiled Coconut Oil
If you determine that your coconut oil has gone rancid (sour or bitter) and you need to throw it out, it is very important that you do not pour it down the sink drain, even if it is currently liquid.
Coconut oil solidifies at room temperature (below about 76 F or 24 C), and pouring it down the drain means it will solidify inside your pipes, which can cause serious clogs and expensive plumbing problems.
Instead, let the oil fully solidify (if it's not already solid). Once it's hard, scoop it into a sealed, non-recyclable container, such as an old yogurt tub, a plastic takeaway container, or a zipper-lock bag, and throw it directly into your household trash. This is the safest way to dispose of any old cooking fat.
This recipe blog post was originally written on 17 June 2021 and last tested and updated on 17 November 2025
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