USDA's FoodKeeper gives cream cheese 2 weeks in the refrigerator, counted from the day you buy it, not from the printed date. Kraft Heinz, which makes Philadelphia, says to use it by the date on the package and, once opened, within 10 days or by that date, whichever comes first.
So cream cheese that is weeks or months past its date, opened or not, should go in the trash. Any mold means the whole package goes, too. Freezing is possible, but the quality suffers, so frozen cream cheese is for cooking, dips or icing, not for spreading.
Storage Facts
Cream cheese and cheesecake, at 40°F (4°C) or below
- Cream cheese, fridge from purchase
- 2 weeks
- Cream cheese, freezer
- Not recommended
- Cheesecake, fridge
- 5–7 days
- Cheesecake, freezer
- 3–6 months
Is cream cheese good 6 months after the date?
No. Here is what USDA and the maker of Philadelphia say:
| Item | USDA FoodKeeper | Kraft Heinz (Philadelphia) |
|---|---|---|
| Unopened | 2 weeks from purchase | Use by the date on the package |
| Opened | No separate time given | 10 days, or the package date if sooner |
| Freezer | Not recommended | Not recommended (quality, not safety) |
| Cheesecake, fridge | 5–7 days after opening | Up to 5 days |
| Cheesecake, freezer | 3–6 months | Up to 2 months |
You may also read that Philadelphia is good for a month past its date. Kraft Heinz's current FAQ doesn't say that. It says the product should be eaten by the date and that it can't assure freshness after it, because taste and texture may have deteriorated. Neither source gives cream cheese anything close to six months.
A storage handout from UConn's Healthy Family Connecticut program, adapted from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, says to eat cream cheese within 2 weeks of opening. That is longer than the maker's 10 days. Use the 10 days.
What the date on cream cheese means
No federal rule requires a date on cream cheese, so the maker picks both the date and the wording. Philadelphia uses an unusual phrase, BEST WHEN PURCHASED BY. It sounds like a sell-by date, which USDA describes as a date that tells the store how long to display a product, not a safety date. Kraft Heinz, though, asks you to use the same date as your guide to freshness at home, and its FAQ says the cream cheese should be eaten by the date on the package. In practice, treat it as the last day to use the package, not the last day to buy it.
Other brands print best-by or use-by dates. USDA says none of these is a safety date (infant formula aside), but for a soft cheese with a two-week fridge life, the gap between “past peak quality” and “time to throw it out” is small. The date also assumes the package stayed cold. FDA says perishable food shouldn't sit out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F, and that includes cream cheese left on the counter to soften for baking. Sour cream works differently again: FoodKeeper gives it no days at all, just the package use-by date (see how long sour cream lasts).
Stocking up on blocks for holiday baking? FreshScan reads the date printed after BEST WHEN PURCHASED BY and saves it as the date on the package, then reminds you two days before. Opened a tub? Enter your 10-days-from-opening date by hand instead.
Free on theApp StoreBlock, tub, whipped and Neufchâtel
USDA's FoodKeeper doesn't separate block, tub and whipped cream cheese; all three fall under its single cream cheese entry. We found no USDA or extension source that gives them different storage times, so use the same 2 weeks from purchase for each, and the printed date and the maker's opened guidance for each package.
- Block (brick). Kraft Heinz says its brick is meant mainly for cooking and baking.
- Tub. The soft tub spread is made to spread on bagels and crackers. A tub gets opened and reopened many times, so use a clean knife each time and keep crumbs and other food out of it.
- Whipped. Lighter and softer, but FoodKeeper has no separate entry or time for it.
- Neufchâtel. Under federal standards, cream cheese has at least 33% milkfat and no more than 55% moisture, while Neufchâtel has 20% to under 33% milkfat and up to 65% moisture. FoodKeeper has no separate entry for it. It is a soft cheese for the mold rule below.
How to tell if cream cheese has gone bad
- Mold of any color, anywhere. Throw out the whole package. USDA's mold chart lists cream cheese and Neufchâtel with the soft cheeses to discard, because high-moisture foods can be contaminated below the surface, and moldy soft cheese can have bacteria growing along with the mold. This is the opposite of the rule for hard cheese, where you can cut mold away; see how long cheese lasts.
- A change in color, consistency or texture, the signs FDA tells you to look for once food is past its date.
- A sour or off smell that isn't the cheese's usual mild tang.
USDA also warns against sniffing a moldy item, since that can cause breathing trouble. Don't taste cream cheese to decide. When in doubt, throw it out.
Can you freeze cream cheese?
The sources agree that you can, but that you probably shouldn't if you want to spread it. FoodKeeper lists freezing as not recommended. Kraft Heinz says it doesn't recommend freezing, “not because it is a health or safety hazard,” but because freezing can affect quality. The National Center for Home Food Preservation says cream cheese doesn't freeze well.
NDSU Extension says cream cheese can be frozen for later use in cooking, dips or icing. NCHFP gives a narrower exception: cream cheese combined with heavy cream can be frozen for dips or icing. So a block you won't use in time can go into the freezer for a casserole, a dip or a sauce, not for bagels. FDA says food kept at 0°F (-18°C) stays safe indefinitely and freezer times are for quality, but none of these sources gives a quality time for frozen cream cheese. NDSU's advice for frozen dairy: thaw it in the refrigerator, use it soon after thawing, and don't refreeze it.
Cheesecake season
Cheesecake, dips and frostings make cream cheese a holiday staple, and blocks bought early can sit at the back of the fridge past their date. A few habits help:
- Check the date before you buy. For a cheesecake on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26, 2026, the printed date should land after your baking day.
- Buy within about two weeks of baking. That keeps you inside FoodKeeper's 2 weeks from purchase. Bought too early? Freeze the extra blocks for cooking rather than letting them pass their date.
- Soften it quickly. Kraft Heinz suggests microwaving an unwrapped block in a microwave-safe bowl on high for 15 seconds. If you soften it on the counter, stay within FDA's 2-hour limit.
- Plan the finished cake. Baked cheesecake must be refrigerated. Kraft Heinz says up to 5 days in the fridge (FoodKeeper says 5–7 days) and up to 2 months in the freezer (FoodKeeper: 3–6 months). Kraft Heinz advises against freezing cheesecakes that contain sour cream and no-bake cheesecakes made with gelatin.
For the rest of the holiday table, see Thanksgiving leftovers and how long sour cream lasts. The food expiration calculator turns a purchase or opening date into a use-by day, and the shelf life chart covers the rest of the dairy drawer.
Questions people ask
Is cream cheese good 6 months after the expiration date?
No. USDA's FoodKeeper gives cream cheese 2 weeks in the refrigerator from the day you buy it, and the maker of Philadelphia says to use it by the date on the package. Six months past the date is far outside any guidance, so throw it out, even if the package was never opened.
How long is cream cheese good after opening?
USDA's FoodKeeper doesn't give a separate time for opened cream cheese. Kraft Heinz says to use opened Philadelphia within 10 days or by the date on the package, whichever comes first. Keep it sealed and refrigerated at 40°F or below between uses.
Can you freeze cream cheese?
You can, but the quality suffers. USDA's FoodKeeper doesn't recommend freezing it, and Kraft Heinz advises against it for quality reasons, not safety. NDSU Extension says cream cheese can be frozen for later use in cooking, dips or icing. Thaw it in the refrigerator and use it soon.
What does best when purchased by mean on cream cheese?
It is the maker's freshness date, a phrase used on Philadelphia cream cheese. It reads like a sell-by date, but Kraft Heinz also asks you to use it as your guide at home, and it does not recommend eating the cream cheese after that date. No federal rule requires a date on cream cheese, so the maker chooses both the date and the wording.
Can you scrape mold off cream cheese?
No. USDA's mold chart lists cream cheese with the soft cheeses to discard if moldy, because mold can spread below the surface of high-moisture foods and bacteria can grow along with it. Throw out the whole package or tub.
Sources
- FSIS FoodKeeper Data — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (data.gov, public domain)
- Philadelphia: Frequently Asked Questions — Kraft Heinz (maker of Philadelphia cream cheese). Storage section: opened packages, freezing, Best When Purchased By, cheesecake storage
- Molds on Food: Are They Dangerous? — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. The FSIS handling chart is reproduced in WSU Extension's Molds on Food handout: https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2057/2021/03/Molds-on-Food-LC.pdf
- Freezing Cheese — National Center for Home Food Preservation, University of Georgia
- Food Freezing Basics: Freezing Dairy Products, Eggs and Other Foods — NDSU Extension
- Food Product Dating — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
- Refrigerator & Freezer Storage Chart — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Tips to Reduce Food Waste — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- 21 CFR 133.133, Cream cheese — Code of Federal Regulations, via Cornell Law School LII
- 21 CFR 133.162, Neufchatel cheese — Code of Federal Regulations, via Cornell Law School LII
- Ensure Freshness and Dairy Safety with These Simple Storage Tips — UConn Healthy Family Connecticut (adapted from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)