Should You Refrigerate Dried Fruit?

There are lots of reasons to eat dried fruit. Sweet and sugary, fruit is often called nature's candy and unsurprisingly, it's better for you than "real" candy (via Science Norway). Dried fruit, just like its moist counterpart, is full of nutrients. Yet, its fiber, minerals, and vitamins are more concentrated, according to Healthline. This is achieved via dehydration, which also reduces the size, whether it be an apple, apricot, banana, cranberry, date, fig, mango, pineapple, prune, or raisin. Eating these parched treats can also improve blood flow, bone health, and digestive function, as well as decrease your risk for cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, per BBC Good Food.

The most obvious advantage of buying dried fruit, though, is its non-perishability. Dried fruit simply lasts longer than fruit that's fresh and wet (via Healthline). Its relatively smaller size and long-lasting nature makes it a convenient option for lengthy trips when packing space is low.

If you do stock up on dried fruit, you may be wondering the best way to store it. According to CNET, dried fruit can keep well in the pantry alone. This is because dried fruit has a lot less water in it than in its undried state. As a result, you can store the stuff as is, at room temperature, for numerous months, without it going bad.

But if you want to further increase the number of months dried fruit can be stored, is the fridge a viable option?

It turns out, not only can you refrigerate dried fruit, but you should do so if you want it to last even longer than normal (via CNET). 

Toss it in the fridge, and many months can go by before you need to eat it. Per Eat Right, dried fruit lasts half a year, as long as it's in the fridge's main compartment. Just don't bury it back in there and forget about it for seven months or more, as dried fruit will eventually go bad. So, there's also the freezer, which can indeed be used to store dried fruit. Unfortunately, per the USDA, it will only last one month in those icy conditions, which makes the fridge the best option if you want your dried fruit to stick around a while. 

The verdict is in: Refrigerating dried fruit is pretty cool!