Where Is the Best Place to Store Onions — Fridge, Pantry, or Elsewhere?

Fresh onions should last for at least 30 days and possibly months with proper storage. The best place to store your onions is usually in a dry and cool place.

Onions are a popular vegetable often used as a spice. They have a pungent smell and flavor, particularly if they’ve gone bad. If you know how to store onions properly, though, you can make them last longer and avoid that problem.

Fresh onions should last for at least 30 days and possibly months with proper storage. The best place to store your onions is usually in a dry and cool place, though that can depend on the type. 

Regular raw onions

Regular onions are red, yellow, or white. You can typically find them at the grocery store. In fact, you may find lots of different onion varieties, but they generally fall into two categories: sweet or strong flavor. These onions are best stored in a cool, dry, and dark area, like your pantry. A cool basement, garage, or closet will also work well under the right conditions. 

Ideally, store regular onions at 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit with 65 to 70% humidity. You don’t want the room to be too warm, or your onions will sprout. On the other hand, if it’s too cold, they’ll become injured and spoil. 

Spring onions

Spring onions are young onion shoots. You can pick these early in the season before the bulb matures. They’re also called green onions, salad onions, or green bunch onions. 

In most cases, you don’t want your onions to get too cold, but spring onions are an exception to this rule. They go bad very quickly and wilt or turn yellow within 7 to 10 days. Store spring or green onions in the fridge in a plastic bag to keep them cool, moist, and fresh. 

Shallots

Shallots are a common variety of onions with a stronger flavor and smaller, pear-shaped bulbs. Like regular onions, it's best to store shallots in a cool, dry area to avoid sprouting. Keep these in your pantry or cabinet between 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. 

If you grow onions, you’ll need to take a few extra steps after harvest. These steps, along with proper storage, will help you prevent rot and food waste. 

Cure your onions first

Once you pick your onions, cure them for two weeks before you pack them in your garage or pantry. Curing is the process of drying your onions, which helps avoid neck rot, water loss, and bacterial infection. 

You can cure your freshly picked garden onions in a few ways. After harvest, leave them on the ground in your garden for 2 to 3 weeks in warm weather until they’re dry. You can leave them out in the sun as long as it doesn’t get too hot. Temperatures around 80 degrees Fahrenheit are best. To avoid rain, bring them into your garage, shed, or greenhouse and spread them out to dry. 

Your onions are cured when the necks are dry and tight and the outer bulb or skin sounds or feels crinkly. 

Then, hang or shelve your onions

Once your onions dry, braid the tops together and hang them on a hook or from a rafter in your storage area. Alternatively, you can cut longer necks off, place the loose onions in a mesh or nylon bag, and hang them. This lets air flow around them and keeps them dry. 

If you don’t have anywhere to hang onions, use a crate, wire basket, or nylon bag and store them on a shelf. Make sure the room temperature and humidity are ideal and that air can circulate around your onions. 

You can store your store-bought onions this way, too. 

You don’t need to use up chopped or cooked onions right away. You can freeze and refrigerate them and use them at a later time, though they will not last forever. 

Sliced or diced onions

If you like to prepare your food in advance, you can pre-cut onions and store them in your fridge for up to 7 to 10 days. Beware, though. Chopped, raw onions have a strong smell that can take over your fridge and make other foods taste like onions. Store your onions in an airtight, food-safe container to avoid this problem. 

Cooked onions

It’s best to refrigerate your cooked onions within 2 hours of serving. Store them in a food-safe container and keep them in the fridge. Leftover cooked onions will go bad after a few days, so use them up within 3 to 4. 

Leftover peeled, raw onion

If you peel an onion but don’t chop it or cook it, you can still use it later. Just pop it in the fridge in an airtight container and use it within 10 to 14 days. 

Freezing onions

While it’s usually not recommended, you can freeze onions, too. Peel and chop your onions, place them in sealed plastic bags or airtight containers, label them, and freeze them. They’ll last up to 3 months in the freezer. 

Onions can last longer if you avoid these common mistakes. 

Pre-washing stored onions

It’s important to wash your fruit and vegetables to get rid of any germs, but don’t wash your onions before storing them. Instead, place your onions directly into your pantry or storage room and keep them dry to prevent mold and rot. Once you’re ready to use an onion, peel it and wash it in plain water. 

Sealed bags in the pantry

Keep your onions in a mesh bag, open box, wire box, or crate instead of sealing them in a plastic bag in the pantry. This helps air move around and through the onions, keeping them dry and avoiding spoilage.  

Storing near other vegetables

Onions have a strong flavor and smell that can transfer to other fruits and vegetables in your pantry, so keep your onions away from fruit and vegetables with thin skin, like apples, pears, and potatoes. 

Most raw onions can last for months in the right conditions. Keep them cool and dry and out of the sun. 

Also, bear in mind that while chopped, raw onions can last a week or so in the fridge, cooked onions are only good for 3 to 4 days.