Keep your raw or cooked ground beef fresh and safe longer with our useful guide.
We’re a ground beef-loving family around here — taco night is one of the few times where I announce what’s for dinner and everyone cheers. Do you think I will let a win like that slip through my fingers? Absolutely not! Tacos, and therefore ground beef, it is! (I do mix ground turkey in, but don’t tell the kids — if turkey can be bacon, it can be a taco.)
If you’ve ever purchased ground beef and opened it a short time later to find it has that grotesque, sickly sweet smell that we all know means we’re about to toss that meat — and our cash — into the bin, you know it goes bad all too quickly. But… how quickly?
To save you time, heartache, and the hassle of coming up with a new last-minute dinner plan, we’ll answer the most common questions about how long ground beef lasts in the fridge or freezer, either cooked or raw.
How Long Does Raw Ground Beef Last in the Fridge?
Understanding how long your ground beef is safe to eat is an important part of choosing to cook with fresh ground beef.
Ground beef is a versatile meat, but it is particularly susceptible to bacteria for multiple reasons. Primarily, ground meat has the unique characteristic of being chopped into tiny pieces and mixed—this means that any bacteria present on the surface was stirred throughout the meat’s content. This is true for all types of ground meat, including chicken, turkey, pork, and lamb.
Ground beef also has high moisture levels and the perfect pH levels for bacterial growth. It’s so good at being a breeding ground for illness that it would be something to be proud of if it wasn’t such a dangerous combination!
While storing your ground beef safely in the fridge is an excellent way to slow the growth of these nasty little pathogens, it doesn’t halt growth the way a freezer would. In time, these bacteria will grow to the point that they will cause foodborne illnesses or spoilage.
I hate to say it, but nothing lasts forever… at least when it comes to perishable items. Check out our guide to fridge shelf life for all your favorite foods, because we’re not just picking on ground beef!
Ground beef is good for up to 2 days past the sell-by date in the fridge, and ideally should be used the day of purchase. If that’s bad news, read on… we’ve got some tips for making your ground beef work for you in the future!
How to Make Ground Beef Last Longer
While you cannot prevent meat from going bad indefinitely, you can do your best to ensure a longer shelf life and food safety if you don’t have immediate plans to use it.
If you won’t use your raw ground beef for another week to three months, the best option is to freeze it.
Portion your ground beef into freezer bags and seal most of the zip top of the bag. You do not want to freeze the meat in the original packaging from the grocery store — this isn’t meant for long-term storage.
Let out as much air as possible, and then seal the bag completely. Lay the bag down and press into a flat, thin square. Freezing your beef like this will allow it to be stackable, and is the best way to shorten the thawing time.
If you want to use your ground beef within 3-4 days from purchase but not immediately, the best bet is to cook it in advance.
Prepare your ground beef and store it in an airtight container in the fridge after it has cooled. It’s a safe bet this will last up to 4 days, though my personal cutoff is 3 to be extra safe.
I do this often with taco meat when I know it’s on my menu for the week but not for a couple of days after grocery day!
You can also cook and freeze it to extend the shelf life of your ground beef.
How Long Does Cooked Ground Beef Last in the Freezer?
So, you’re cooking ground beef and want to save some for later. The freezer is a perfect choice!
This is perfect for meal prep. Having already cooked ground beef ready to thaw out will make dinner SO much easier- check out our list of 16 easy ground beef recipes for exciting new ways to use your cooked ground beef!
Tip: Next time your grocer has a sale, it’s a good idea to stock up and cook your ground beef in a slow cooker to easily prepare large batches for future recipes!
Store ground beef in the freezer using our helpful directions:
- Cook your ground beef as preferred, such as with a dash of salt and pepper, or other spices.
- Drain the grease from the ground beef into a glass jar or bowl (NEVER down the sink!) to remove the fat that will ruin your recipe and avoid abdominal pain.
- Line a cooking sheet with parchment or wax paper and lay the ground beef out to allow it to cool quickly.
- Once the ground beef is room temperature, immediately place into a freezer bag (or two or three).
- Fill halfway, remove as much air as possible, then seal.
- Lay flat for proper storage.
Frozen, cooked ground beef lasts in the freezer for 2-3 months and will save you TONS of time in the future! If possible, use a vacuum-sealed bag for optimal freshness.
How Long Can Ground Beef Stay in the Fridge After Thawing (And… How Should I Thaw Ground Beef)?
For safety, ground beef should always be thawed in the refrigerator. While it may be tempting to run your ground beef package under hot water or leave it on the counter to hurry the process along, these choices would only increase the risk of food poisoning or other illnesses.
How? The answer is simpler than it seems. Refrigerators maintain a safe, even temperature of under 40 degrees, making them ideal places to thaw food without the introduction or excessive growth of bacteria.
However, warm water, hot water, or the countertop will place your beef in the “danger zone,” a temperature range between 40 and 140 degrees where bacteria multiply rapidly and can cause serious, even fatal, illness.
These safe temperatures have been carefully researched and studied, leading to a greater understanding of safe food storage practices, proper cooking times, and final temperatures. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has compiled information about how to safely and effectively thaw your food so you and your loved ones are at a lower risk of serious foodborne illness.
The safest way to thaw your ground beef and avoid any risk of foodborne illness is to place your frozen package of ground beef on a plate or in an extra plastic bag to prevent leakage and set it in the fridge for 12-24 hours to thaw completely, depending on the thickness of the package and the amount of beef you are thawing.
(Even when using precautions such as a second layer of bags or a plate, clean your fridge regularly to prevent illness. There’s a lot going on in there!)
Once the ground beef has thawed in the fridge, you can store it for 1 to 2 days before cooking.
If you use the cold water method or the microwave to thaw your ground beef, it should be cooked as soon as it is thawed.
You can also cook your meat from frozen! While this is not ideal and increases cooking time by approximately 50%, it is still safer than warm thawing.
How Long Can Raw Ground Beef Sit Out?
We’ve already addressed what a breeding ground your ground beef can be — so why tempt fate?
For the best possible safety results, don’t leave your raw meat sitting out at room temperature for more than an hour.
Remember — the higher the temperatures are in the room, the more accelerated the rate of bacterial growth on your delicious food.
The bottom line: it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Use or safely store your meat as soon as possible, and always toss it if you see, smell, or taste signs of spoilage, such as a slimy texture, color change, or strong odor (or really any bad smell). It’s not worth a few dollars to be seriously sick! Otherwise, enjoy your ground beef tonight in a variety of satisfying ways.
Don’t forget to use safe handling practices when working with raw meat!