Eggs in the shell and hard-cooked eggs: fridge and freezer times
Updated
Eggs are the one place on this site where the two charts disagree on the refrigerator for every row. Both give a range for raw eggs in the shell, but the ranges start at different points. For hard-cooked eggs each chart prints a single figure, and the figures are not the same.
We print both charts’ refrigerator figures side by side and credit each one. We do not average them or pick the shorter one.
| Food | Refrigerator | Freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Raw eggs in the shell | 3–5 weeks Clemson HGIC2–5 weeks PNW 612 | Not recommended |
| Hard-cooked eggs | 1 week Clemson HGIC2 weeks PNW 612 | Not recommended |
✓ 2 sources checked per row A single figure means both charts print the same time. Red cells show each chart’s figure where they differ; we do not average them.
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center, Food Storage: Refrigerator & Freezer (HGIC 3522) (revised March 31, 2020) — verified 2026-09-27
- Pacific Northwest Extension (University of Idaho, Oregon State University, Washington State University), Storing Food for Safety and Quality (PNW 612) (revised March 2023), Table 2, p. 13 — verified 2026-09-27
Good to know
- Neither chart recommends freezing eggs in these forms. Clemson marks the freezer cell with an asterisk, which its footnote explains as storage not recommended for safety or quality reasons; Pacific Northwest Extension prints “Not recommended.”
- Pacific Northwest Extension says that to freeze eggs, you break them out of the shell and stir until the yolk and white are blended.
- Pacific Northwest Extension also lists separated yolks and whites. Clemson has no line for them, so they are left off this page.
- The same chart says decorated Easter eggs should be kept in the refrigerator if you plan to eat them.
Out of eggs for a recipe? What stands in for a whole egg.
Both charts give these times for best quality and call them guidelines, not hard limits. How the rows are matched: our method. Spotted a row that does not match its chart? Tell us and we will recheck the original.