List of Foods to Store in Mylar Bags (& What to Skip)

The best foods for Mylar bags are dry and low in fat, under about 10% moisture and 10% fat.

Think white rice, beans, pasta, flour, sugar, and oats: shelf-stable staples that Mylar keeps fresh for years once sealed with an oxygen absorber.

Oily or moist foods are the ones to keep out.

Here is the full list of what stores well, what to avoid, and how long each food lasts. New to all this?

Start with our guide on what a Mylar bag is and how it works.

The Two Rules That Decide Everything

Before the list, the logic. A food stores well in Mylar if it meets two conditions:

• Low moisture (under about 10%). Trapped moisture breeds mold and spoilage, even with the oxygen gone.
• Low fat (under about 10%). Fats and oils go rancid over time on their own, no matter how good the seal.

Get those two right and almost any dry staple keeps for years. Miss either one and the bag cannot save it.

List of Foods to Store in Mylar Bags

The proven, long-haul staples, grouped by type so you can build a balanced supply.

Grains and rice

• White rice
• Wheat and wheat berries
• Rolled oats
• Dried corn
• Quinoa, millet, and other dry grains

Beans and legumes

• Dried beans (pinto, black, kidney, navy)
• Lentils
• Split peas

Pasta and baking staples

• Dried pasta
• White flour
• White sugar (dry)
• Baking soda and powder
• Salt

Freeze-dried and dehydrated

• Freeze-dried fruits, vegetables, and meals
• Fully dehydrated fruits and vegetables (only if completely dry)
• Powdered milk and powdered eggs

Other dry goods

• Whole spices and herbs
• Loose-leaf tea
• Hard candy
• Drink mixes and bouillon

For bulk staples like rice and wheat, 1-gallon and 5-gallon bags hold the most per seal. For smaller items like spices, tea, or a single ingredient, a quart bag is the right fit.

Mylar Bag Shelf Life Chart

Sealed properly with an oxygen absorber and stored cool, dark, and dry, here is roughly how long common foods last:

Food	Shelf life (sealed and stored well)
White rice	Up to 25 to 30 years
Wheat and hard grains	Up to 30 years
Dried beans and legumes	Up to 25 to 30 years
Rolled oats	Up to 25 to 30 years
Pasta	Up to 25 to 30 years
White flour	10 to 15 years
White sugar and salt	30+ years
Powdered milk	Up to 20 years
Freeze-dried foods	Up to 25 to 30 years
Dehydrated fruits and vegetables	10 to 20 years
Cornmeal and ground grains	5 to 10 years

These are estimates, not guarantees. Heat and humidity cut them down fast, so storage conditions matter as much as the food itself.

Whole Beats Ground

One detail most people miss: whole foods store longer than ground ones.

Whole corn outlasts cornmeal, wheat berries outlast flour. Grinding exposes more surface area and releases oils, which speeds spoilage.

Storing for the long haul? Buy whole and grind as needed.

Foods to Avoid in Mylar Bags

These fail because of oil or moisture, and no bag fixes that. Keep them out of long-term storage:

• Oily nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds), rancid in months
• Brown rice, the bran oils go off in 1 to 2 years
• Jerky and oily meats, short shelf life regardless of seal
• Roasted coffee beans, oils degrade, better frozen
• Anything with moisture, fresh produce, dairy, soft dried fruit
• Sticky or moist items, molasses, honey, brown sugar that has not fully dried

Short version: if it is oily, moist, or sticky, store it short-term and rotate it, or skip the Mylar bag entirely.

Match the Bag to the Food

The right size keeps food fresh and your pantry tidy. A quick guide:

• Bulk grains and beans you buy in volume → 5-gallon bags line a bucket and hold the most per seal.
• Mid-size batches and single staples → 1-gallon bags for rice, flour, sugar, and oats.
• Everyday portions → quart & 2-quart bags for coffee, snacks, and smaller ingredients.

Tip: size the oxygen absorber to the air left in a packed bag, not the bag's full volume. Dense rice leaves little air, fluffy pasta leaves a lot.

 

Frequently Asked Questions About List of Foods to Store in Mylar Bags

Can you store flour in Mylar bags?

Yes. White flour keeps 10 to 15 years sealed with an oxygen absorber. For longer storage, keep whole wheat berries and grind to flour as needed.

How long does rice last in a Mylar bag?

White rice lasts up to 25 to 30 years when sealed and stored cool and dry. Brown rice does not, its oils go rancid within 1 to 2 years.

Do you need oxygen absorbers for every food?

For long-term storage, yes. The absorber removes the oxygen trapped inside at sealing, which is what protects the food. The bag holds that environment in place.

Can you store sugar and salt in Mylar bags?

Yes, and they last the longest of all, 30 years or more, as long as they go in completely dry.

Final Verdict

The rule is simple: dry and low-fat stores for years, oily and moist does not.

Build your supply around grains, beans, pasta, flour, sugar, and freeze-dried foods, match each one to the right bag, and seal it with an oxygen absorber.

When you are ready to start, Roylo Globe carries Mylar bags and oxygen absorber kits in every size, so you can match the bag to the food and seal your first batch this week.