The Shocking Truth About How Long Your Halloween Candy Really Lasts—You Won’t Believe When It Goes Bad!
So, you’ve just scored a monster stash of Halloween candy—whether you were out there charming tiny ghosts and goblins or snagging those post-Halloween drugstore discounts. Now the question: do you inhale the whole lot in one sugar-fueled frenzy, or do you pace yourself like a seasoned candy connoisseur? Trust me, patience with those Reese’s Cups could save your taste buds from a crash landing well into next year. But survival isn’t just about willpower; knowing when your chocolate army goes stale is the real secret weapon. Stick around as we unpack the expiration timelines that’ll help you stretch your sugary bounty all the way to 2026 without sacrificing a nibble or two. Curious how long that candy really lasts? Let’s dive in before your sweet haul turns into a sticky regret. LEARN MORE.
Whether you’ll be trick-or-treating this Halloween or buying discounted drugstore candy the day after, this is the season to pig out. It can be tempting to burn through your Halloween bag in one sitting, but if you exercise patience around the Reese’s Cups now, you’ll thank yourself later. These are the expiration windows you need to be aware of to stretch this year’s Halloween haul into 2026.
- The Longest-Lasting Halloween Candies
- How to Properly Store Your Halloween Candy
- What to Do With Your Leftover Halloween Candy
The Longest-Lasting Halloween Candies
According to Taste of Home, the Halloween treat with the longest lifespan is dark chocolate. The lack of dairy content in dark chocolate means it will last up to two years, while a regular Hershey’s bar goes bad after eight to 10 months. Both chocolates can develop pale, chalky “blooms” over time, but this doesn’t make it inedible; it just means the product is drying out.
Hard candies and jelly candies like jelly beans stay good for up to a year, so you can keep them around until next Halloween. Softer candies like gum, candy corn, caramels, and peanut butter cups are good for roughly six to nine months. After that, it’s time to take them out of your plastic jack-o’-lantern and toss them away.
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How to Properly Store Your Halloween Candy
The caveat for all the above products is proper storage. Loose candies degrade much faster than treats in sealed wrappers, so plan to finish your candy relatively soon after opening it. Keeping a bowl in a warm, sunny spot is also bad for candy. Try storing it in a dark, cool place instead—like the back of a cabinet where the other members of your household won’t find it.
What to Do With Your Leftover Halloween Candy
Wind up with more candy than you could possibly eat? There are several things you can do with all those excess sweets.
If you don’t want to fully part ways with the candy—but are perhaps of tired of eating it in its current form—you can get a little creative in the kitchen. There are several delicious recipes floating around the internet that’ll let you incorporate your leftover Halloween candy into from everything to cookies to cakes.
If you’d rather get the sugary treats out of your house altogether, there are various organizations that’ll gladly take your Halloween haul off your hands. Look into donating it to places like your local Ronald McDonald House; you can even check to see if your nearby dentist offers a buy-back program. Cash for Candy will also pay you for your leftover Halloween sweets and then donate the tasty goods to members of the armed services.
A version of this story originally ran in 2021; it has been updated for 2025.
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