How long are leftovers good for?
Most cooked leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge under US guidance and 2 days under UK guidance. Here is a chart for common leftovers, how to store and reheat them, and the official pages behind every number.
Short answer: US guidance from the USDA says cooked leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge, or 3 to 4 months in the freezer for best quality. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency says to eat leftovers within 2 days or freeze them, and the NHS says cooked rice should be eaten within 24 hours. Cooked food goes into the fridge within 2 hours in the US and within 1 to 2 hours in the UK.
US and UK advice differ
The USDA’s number for most cooked leftovers is 3 to 4 days; the UK Food Standards Agency’s is 2 days. The two agencies simply set different limits. Follow the guidance where you live, and if you want one rule for everything, the UK’s 2 days is the shorter one.
How long common leftovers last in the fridge and freezer
US guidance from the government’s cold food storage chart and the USDA’s turkey guide (see the sources below), for a fridge at 40 °F (4 °C) or below and a freezer at 0 °F (−18 °C) or below. Freezer times are for quality: food kept frozen at 0 °F can be kept indefinitely, but it slowly loses moisture and flavor.
| Food | Fridge | Freezer | Use it up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooked meat and poultry, such as roast or rotisserie chicken, turkey and cooked ground beef | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 6 months | Recipes with chicken |
| Turkey, stuffing and gravy | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 6 months | Thanksgiving leftover plan |
| Pizza | 3 to 4 days | 1 to 2 months | — |
| Soups and stews | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 3 months | — |
| Casseroles with eggs, once baked | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 3 months | — |
| Pumpkin or pecan pie, once baked | 3 to 4 days | 1 to 2 months | — |
| Chicken, egg, tuna or macaroni salad | 3 to 4 days | Does not freeze well | — |
| Hard-cooked eggs | 1 week | Do not freeze | Recipes with eggs |
| Raw ground beef, turkey or chicken | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 4 months | Recipes with ground beef |
| Raw chicken or turkey pieces | 1 to 2 days | 9 months | — |
| Raw salmon and other oily fish | 1 to 3 days | 2 to 3 months | — |
UK guidance: 2 days, and 24 hours for rice
- Leftovers: eat them within 2 days (48 hours) or freeze them, says the Food Standards Agency.
- Cooling: let cooked food cool and put it in the fridge within 1 to 2 hours; small portions cool faster.
- Temperatures: keep the fridge between 0 and 5 °C and the freezer at about −18 °C.
- Defrosted food: use it within 24 hours once it has fully defrosted.
- Freezer quality: meat is best eaten within 2 to 3 months; baked goods, fruit and vegetables within 3 to 4 months.
- Rice: the NHS says to put cooked rice in the fridge within 1 hour, eat it within 24 hours and throw away rice left out overnight. Ideas for cooking with rice.
How to store leftovers so they keep
- Cool them quickly. Split big batches, like a pot of soup, into shallow containers, and cut a roast turkey into smaller pieces before it goes in the fridge.
- Cover them. Lids or airtight wrap keep the moisture in and stop leftovers picking up smells from the rest of the fridge.
- Watch the clock. In the US, refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour when it is above 90 °F (32 °C); perishable food left out longer should be thrown away. In the UK, refrigerate within 1 to 2 hours.
- Label the freezer. Write the date on what you freeze, so the oldest gets eaten first.
How to reheat leftovers
US guidance: reheat leftovers to 165 °F (74 °C), checked with a food thermometer. Bring sauces, soups and gravy to a rolling boil. Cover the dish so it heats all the way through. In a microwave, cover the food, stir or turn it, and check the temperature in a few places, because microwaves leave cold spots.
UK guidance: reheat food until it is steaming hot all the way through, not just warm, and only reheat it once. For rice, the NHS gives 70 °C for 2 minutes, steaming hot throughout.
Freezing and thawing leftovers
The freezer pauses the clock. US guidance gives 3 to 4 months for most leftovers for best quality; after that they keep, but lose moisture and flavor.
Thaw leftovers in the fridge, in cold water or in the microwave. Eat leftovers thawed in the fridge within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them again. Soups, stews and casseroles can also be reheated straight from frozen; it just takes longer.
How PantryWeave helps
PantryWeave starts every plan from what is already in your kitchen.
Tracked by freshness
PantryWeave keeps track of what is in your fridge, freezer and pantry by its freshness or expiry date, or by your own updates, and suggests using food before it goes off.
What needs eating soon
Freshness checks with a Use first shelf show which ingredients need eating soon.
A week from what you have
You pick the recipes; PantryWeave places them across the week, checks what you already have and builds the grocery list.
An estimate, not an official date
The app’s freshness check is an estimate, not a guarantee. The official storage times are the ones on this page. Always check the food itself too.
Where the numbers come from
Read on October 30, 2026.
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service: leftovers (fridge and freezer times, cooling, reheating, thawing)
- US government cold food storage chart (the rows of the chart above)
- USDA turkey guide (turkey, stuffing and gravy)
- Food Standards Agency: chilling, freezing and defrosting
- Food Standards Agency: using and reheating leftovers
- NHS: storing and reheating rice
Frequently asked questions
How long are leftovers good for in the fridge?
In the US, 3 to 4 days for most cooked leftovers, according to the USDA. In the UK, 2 days, according to the Food Standards Agency, and 24 hours for cooked rice, according to the NHS.
How long does cooked turkey last in the fridge?
3 to 4 days, according to the USDA, and the same goes for stuffing and gravy. In the freezer, use it within 2 to 6 months for best quality. UK guidance is 2 days for leftovers.
How long is leftover pizza good for?
3 to 4 days in the fridge and 1 to 2 months in the freezer, according to the US cold food storage chart.
How long does cooked ground beef last in the fridge?
3 to 4 days, like other cooked meat in the US cold food storage chart. Raw ground beef keeps only 1 to 2 days.
How many times can you reheat food?
UK guidance says once: the Food Standards Agency says to only ever reheat leftovers once, and the NHS says the same for rice. The USDA gives no number; it says leftovers reheated from frozen to 165 °F can be frozen again.
Can you freeze leftovers?
Yes. US guidance gives 3 to 4 months for most leftovers for best quality, and food kept frozen at 0 °F (−18 °C) can be kept indefinitely. Thaw them in the fridge, in cold water or in the microwave.
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