You’ve probably had this happen: a jar of Nutella ends up in the fridge, maybe because anything with milk in it feels safer cold, and the next morning you’re trying to dig a knife into what feels like a hazelnut-flavored brick. That’s not bad luck. Ferrero, the company that makes Nutella, tells you not to refrigerate it, and says exactly why.
Does Nutella need to be refrigerated?
The short answer: No. Ferrero says to store Nutella at room temperature, 64 to 75°F (18 to 24°C), in a cool, dry place with the lid closed tightly, and not to refrigerate it because it will harden and become difficult to spread. It’s a texture issue, not a safety one. If yours has already been in the fridge, Nutella’s U.S. FAQ says to leave it at room temperature for 24 hours and it will soften.
For shelf life and how to tell if a jar has actually gone bad, see our companion post: does Nutella go bad. For a complete pantry storage reference, see our Food Storage Guide.
Key Takeaways
Nutella doesn’t need refrigeration, and Ferrero advises against it. Its food service FAQ gives 64 to 75°F (18 to 24°C) as the storage range.
Cold makes it hard and difficult to spread. Nutella’s U.S. FAQ says the texture changes below about 65°F, so a chilly winter pantry can do it too.
Heat causes the opposite problem: Ferrero says excessive heat speeds flavor loss and can make the oils separate. Stirring well should bring it back together.
Opening the jar doesn’t change any of this. Ferrero says Nutella’s 12-month shelf life holds even after opening, at room temperature.
Why the Fridge Turns Nutella Into a Brick
The answer is palm oil, Nutella’s second ingredient. Ferrero says it chose palm oil partly because it’s naturally semi-solid at room temperature, which gives the spread its smooth texture without hydrogenation (Nutella’s palm oil page explains this). Chill it and that fat firms up further, taking the whole spread with it. Ferrero’s food service FAQ puts it plainly: “Do not refrigerate Nutella, otherwise it will harden and become difficult to spread.” Refrigerating it isn’t dangerous. It just defeats the point of a spread.
What Too Much Heat Does
Warmth causes the opposite problem. Ferrero says excessive heat speeds up flavor loss and can make the oils in Nutella separate, leaving a layer of oil on top. Nutella’s U.S. FAQ says stirring well should bring it back together. That’s why the guidance lands on a moderate range rather than “keep it cold” or “keep it warm.”
Why It’s Safe Out of the Fridge
Nutella’s U.S. ingredient list is sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, skim milk powder, fat-reduced cocoa, soy lecithin and vanillin. The milk is a dried powder, not fresh milk, and Ferrero says the spread has no artificial colors or preservatives. A spread that’s mostly sugar and fat with very little water leaves spoilage microbes little to work with. That’s our explanation of the food science rather than a Ferrero statement, but it’s w
