How Long Does Ground Beef Last in the Fridge? Raw vs. Cooked

Raw ground beef lasts 1 to 2 days in the refrigerator at 40°F or colder. Cooked ground beef lasts 3 to 4 days. Those are the windows the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service gives in its Ground Beef and Food Safety guide and the FoodSafety.gov Cold Food Storage Chart. If you won't cook raw ground beef within two days, freeze it.

Ground beef has a shorter fridge life than a steak or a roast, and there's a reason. Grinding spreads any bacteria on the surface of the meat all the way through it. Here's what that means for the package in your fridge, the leftovers from taco night, and the batch you meal prepped on Sunday.

The short answer

Raw ground beef, fridge (40°F or below): 1 to 2 days. Raw ground beef, freezer (0°F): 3 to 4 months for best quality. Cooked ground beef, fridge: 3 to 4 days. Cooked ground beef, freezer: 2 to 3 months for best quality. On the counter, raw or cooked: no more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F, per USDA's "Danger Zone" guidance.

USDA's Freezing and Food Safety page explains that food kept frozen at 0°F stays safe indefinitely. The freezer times above are about flavor and texture, not safety.

Raw ground beef: when the clock starts

Count from the day you bought it. Buy ground beef at the end of your shopping trip, get it into the fridge as soon as you're home, and put it on the bottom shelf in a bowl or on a plate so juices can't drip onto anything else.

If your fridge often runs warm or you shop more than a day or two before you cook, freeze it the day you buy it. It's the simplest way to keep ground beef inside the guidance.

What about the date on the package?

The "sell by" date tells the store how long to display the meat. It isn't a safety date for you. Use or freeze raw ground beef within 1 to 2 days of buying it, even if the package date is later. If the package carries a "use by" or "freeze by" date that comes first, go by that. Our guide to best before vs. use by explains what each label really means.

Does vacuum-sealed ground beef last longer?

Some ground beef is sold in factory-sealed, low-oxygen packaging, the tight film or "chub" tubes. That packaging is designed to keep the meat longer while it's unopened, so follow the date on the package as long as the seal is intact. Once you open it, the 1-to-2-day rule applies.

Vacuum sealing at home is different. It protects ground beef from freezer burn, which makes it excellent for freezing, but it doesn't add safe days in the fridge.

After thawing: how long is it good?

This is one of the most searched questions, and the answer depends on how you thawed it. Ground beef thawed in the refrigerator can stay there another 1 to 2 days before you cook it, per USDA. It can also go back into the freezer uncooked if your plans change, though it may lose some quality.

Ground beef thawed in cold water or in the microwave should be cooked right away. Thawing on the counter isn't recommended at all, because the outside warms into the danger zone while the middle is still frozen.

Cooked ground beef: 3 to 4 days

Once it's cooked, ground beef follows the same rule as most leftovers: 3 to 4 days in the fridge. That covers plain browned beef, taco meat, chili, meat sauce, burgers and meatballs. USDA's leftovers guidance recommends refrigerating within 2 hours and dividing big batches into small, shallow containers so they cool quickly. A deep pot of chili can stay warm in the middle for hours, even in the fridge.

Hot food can go straight into the fridge. You don't need to wait for it to reach room temperature.

Mixed dishes go by the ingredient with the shortest window. Ground beef and rice, for example, are both 3-to-4-day leftovers. See how long cooked rice lasts in the fridge for the rice side of that bowl.

Meal prep: 5 days or a week?

USDA's guidance stops at 4 days for cooked ground beef and at 2 days for raw. Ground beef on day five, or raw ground beef after a week in the fridge, is outside what food safety agencies recommend, and you can't tell by looking or smelling.

If you meal prep for five days, split the batch on cooking day: refrigerate three or four portions and freeze the rest. Move a frozen portion to the fridge the night before you need it. Our guide to meal prep that actually sticks shows how to plan a week this way, and how long cooked chicken lasts in the fridge covers the same question for chicken.

Ground beef turned brown in the fridge. Is it bad?

Not necessarily. Fresh ground beef is red on the surface because of contact with oxygen. The inside of the package is often grayish brown because oxygen doesn't reach it. USDA's page on the color of meat and poultry says that color alone doesn't mean the meat has spoiled.

What does suggest spoilage: beef that has turned brown or gray all over during long storage, a sour or off smell, or a sticky, tacky or slimy feel. Throw it out if you notice any of those. But the reverse isn't true. Ground beef that looks and smells fine can still carry bacteria such as E. coli, which doesn't change how meat looks or smells. Go by the dates and the two-hour rule.

Cook it to 160°F

USDA recommends cooking ground beef to an internal temperature of 160°F, checked with a food thermometer. Color is not a reliable test. USDA's page on the color of cooked ground beef explains that a burger can turn brown inside before it's safe, and a properly cooked one can still look a little pink. When you reheat leftovers, bring them to 165°F.

How to freeze ground beef

Raw: if you'll freeze it within a couple of days, the store package is fine for short storage. For longer, overwrap it or move it to a freezer bag. Press it flat, about half an inch thick, so it freezes fast, thaws evenly, and stacks neatly. Portion it into one-pound packs so you only thaw what you'll cook.

Cooked: cool it, pack it flat in freezer bags with the air pressed out, and label it with the date. Browned ground beef from the freezer is a shortcut for tacos, pasta sauce and grain bowls on busy nights. Our guide to freezing almost anything covers the rest of your freezer.

Quick ways to use it up

Cooked ground beef works well in dishes where it's one part of the meal. Two quick options from our recipe collection: a Korean beef and egg bowl and a microwave beef and cheese quesadilla.

Keeping track without remembering dates

Two days goes by fast. NTRLY's Kitchen keeps your fridge, freezer and pantry in one list, with a countdown on each item based on USDA storage guidance and a reminder while there's still time to cook it or freeze it. For more ideas on using what you already have, see Leftovers Worth Looking Forward To.