Does Vegetable Broth (or Stock) Go Bad? How Long It Lasts

The soup recipe needed one cup, so you opened a carton of vegetable broth, and the rest has been in the refrigerator ever since. Or a jar of homemade vegetable stock from last weekend is sitting behind the milk, and you can’t remember the day. It looks fine. But how long does it really last? Here is what USDA and extension guidance says about opened and unopened vegetable broth, homemade stock, freezing, and when to pour it out.

Does vegetable broth go bad?

For a complete pantry and fridge reference, see our Food Storage Guide. The same rules apply to chicken broth and beef broth, though USDA lists meat broth separately.

How Long Does Vegetable Broth Last?

Unopened shelf-stable broth keeps to the date on the package, and may remain usable beyond it when stored properly and intact. For opened broth, 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator is a conservative default drawn from USDA’s general guidance, and some manufacturers give longer, product-specific times. Homemade vegetable stock keeps about 3 to 4 days. USDA’s Keep Food Safe cold storage chart has a row for gravy and meat broth, which we don’t apply here, and we found none for vegetable broth. Its soups and stews row says 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and 2 to 3 months in the freezer. USDA’s Shelf-Stable Food Safety page lists low-acid canned goods, including soups, at 2 to 5 years on the shelf and opened low-acid food at 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. USDA’s leftovers guidance gives 3 to 4 days for cooked leftovers. FoodSafety.gov’s cold food storage chart, reviewed in 2023, lists soups and stews with vegetable or meat added at 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and 2 to 3 months in the freezer. Oregon State Extension’s kitchen scraps vegetable broth recipe, published in 2021, says broth can be stored safely in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days and that frozen broth is best within 2 to 3 months. A University of Maine Extension recipe sheet for vegetable stock, which is undated, gives the same 3 to 4 days and 2 to 3 months.

Those timings assume the broth went into the refrigerator promptly and the refrigerator is at 40°F or colder. Choosing 3 days for homemade is our own conservative lean. A time on a package is the manufacturer’s direction for that product, not a USDA recommendation, so follow it when it gives one and use the 3 to 4 day default when it doesn’t.

Does Unopened Vegetable Broth Go Bad?

Eventually, but slowly, and the date on the package is mostly about quality. USDA’s food product dating guidance says that apart from infant formula, product dates are not an indicator of safety. A sealed shelf-stable carton or can that has been stored properly and is intact may be usable for some time past the date. Swanson’s FAQ says the date shows the expected shelf life and that the unopened product should be used before it for the best flavor, texture and quality. Kitchen Basics’ site says its stock has a two year shelf life. USDA says to store canned and shelf-stable foods in a cool, dry place, and that temperatures below 85°F are best. It lists low-acid canned foods, including soups other than tomato, at 2 to 5 years on the shelf. That is a shelf-storage figure, not time past the printed date. The page lists broths among aseptically packaged products but gives no shelf life for them, so for cartons we’d use the best-by date and the package’s storage directions as the guide.

How Long Does Opened Vegetable Broth Last?

Check the carton first. When it gives no time, 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator is a conservative default. That is USDA’s figure for opened low-acid canned food, a category that includes soups, and it matches the leftovers rule. Neither is a carton-specific rule, and USDA doesn’t publish a separate time for opened broth cartons, so this default is our application of its general guidance. Manufacturers give their own directions for their own products, and they differ. College Inn’s FAQ says to use broth within 4 to 5 days refrigerated and 60 days frozen. A retailer listing for the 32 oz Swanson vegetable broth carton reproduces a direction to refrigerate promptly below 41°F and use within 14 days. Pacific Foods’ FAQ says to refrigerate and use opened products within 7 to 10 days, though that answer covers its products in general. Kitchen Basics’ site says its stock should be used within 7 days. These are product-specific directions that assume prompt, cold storage, and USDA’s general guidance is shorter. Check the carton in your hand, and if it gives no time, we’d stay with 3 to 4 days.

Once the carton is open it is no longer sealed, so refrigerate it promptly. We’d pour what you don’t use into a clean jar or airtight container, or keep it in the carton with the cap tight, and write the opening date on it. USDA says unused portions of canned food may be refrigerated in the can, though glass or plastic containers are better for quality and flavor. USDA also says to cover leftovers or seal them in airtight containers. Writing the opening date on the container is our own suggestion.

Does Vegetable Broth Keep Longer Than Meat Broth?

The sources we read don’t support a longer window. USDA’s Keep Food Safe chart lists gravy and meat broth at 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, the same window the Oregon State and University of Maine recipes give for vegetable broth and stock. USDA’s separate beef chart is shorter for cooked beef broth, as our beef broth post explains. Vegetable broth has no row of its own, and the closest figures we found are the same 3 to 4 days that USDA gives for opened canned soup, leftovers and soups with vegetables added. Some websites say vegetable broth lasts 5 days or a week, but we found no agency source behind that. Without meat, vegetable broth is still a cooked, liquid food, so our default is the same 3 to 4 days.

Is Vegetable Stock Stored Differently From Vegetable Broth?

We found no storage guidance that separates them. OSU Extension’s Chow Line column describes stock as generally made from bones and simmered for two to six hours, and broth as made with meat and generally simmered for no more than two hours. That framing covers meat and bones, and it says nothing about storage. The University of Maine Extension sheet gives one refrigerator time for vegetable stock. We apply the same 3 to 4 day guidance to vegetable stock and vegetable broth, store-bought or homemade.

How Long Does Homemade Vegetable Broth Last?

Three to four days in the refrigerator, and we’d plan on 3. Oregon State Extension and the University of Maine Extension recipe sheet both say 3 to 4 days, and so does USDA’s leftovers guidance. NMSU Extension, in a fact sheet on homemade bone broth, says up to about 3 days. NMSU’s sheet is about bone broth, so we cite it only as a consistent figure for homemade broth in general. Choosing 3 days is our own conservative lean.

The bigger risk with a big pot is how it cools. USDA says to divide the pot of soup into smaller containers so it cools quickly. It also says hot food can be placed directly in the refrigerator or rapidly chilled in an ice or cold water bath before refrigerating. So don’t wait for the pot to reach room temperature. We’d ladle the broth into several shallow containers, and get it into the refrigerator within 2 hours, or 1 hour when the air temperature is above 90°F.

Can You Leave Vegetable Broth Out Overnight?

No. USDA’s Danger Zone guidance says bacteria grow most rapidly between 40°F and 140°F and that food shouldn’t be left out of refrigeration over 2 hours, or over 1 hour above 90°F. USDA’s leftovers guidance says to throw away perishable food left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. This applies to perishable broth: opened, homemade or refrigerated. A pot of stock cooling on the stove is not an exception. Boiling it again doesn’t change the 2-hour rule in USDA’s guidance, so we would pour it out.

Can You Freeze Vegetable Broth?

Yes. Oregon State Extension says to use frozen broth within 2 to 3 months for best quality, and so do the University of Maine sheet and FoodSafety.gov’s soup row. Oregon State says to pour broth into recipe-sized freezer-safe containers and label them with the date. USDA’s leftovers page gives 3 to 4 months for frozen leftovers, and says they are safe indefinitely but can lose moisture and flavor. Broth that was handled safely before freezing and has stayed at 0°F remains safe past the quality window, though flavor may fade. Freezing does not make older broth fresh, so freeze it while it is still within its days.

Cool the broth first, in an ice bath, which Oregon State’s recipe describes, or in shallow containers. Leave space at the top of the container, since liquid expands as it freezes. That headroom tip is our own. A Swanson direction reproduced in a retailer listing says not to freeze it in the carton and suggests an ice cube tray. Kitchen Basics suggests a freezer-safe container and use within 60 days for best flavor. Freeze it in small portions.

How Do You Thaw and Refreeze Vegetable Broth?

USDA’s leftovers page lists the refrigerator, cold water and the microwave as safe ways to thaw. It says thawed food should be used within 3 to 4 days or refrozen. Leftovers thawed in the refrigerator can be refrozen without reheating. Cold water thawing needs a leak-proof package or bag, and food thawed that way should be cooked before refreezing. Food thawed in the microwave can be refrozen after heating to 165°F. Quality may decline with each freeze, which is our own note.

Is It Safe to Make Broth From Vegetable Scraps?

It can be, with limits. Oregon State Extension says to label a freezer container “Broth Scraps” with the date and to save scraps in it over the next several days or weeks, until you have enough for broth. It also suggests washing vegetables that are past their peak but still safe to eat before saving them. The University of Maine sheet likewise keeps a resealable bag of washed raw scraps in the freezer. Oregon State says scraps that are moldy, slimy or otherwise unsafe to eat should not be used. It also notes that cabbage-family vegetables and leafy greens can make broth bitter, and that potato, sweet potato and winter squash can make it too thick, which it describes as quality issues rather than safety issues. Neither source sets a time limit beyond Oregon State’s several days or weeks, so we’d stay within that range, which is our own judgment. Once the broth is made, the same 3 to 4 day refrigerator guidance applies.

How Can You Tell if Vegetable Broth Is Bad?

Look for mold, a sour or off smell, or a package that is bulging, swollen, leaking or deeply dented. USDA lists leaking, bulging or badly dented cans, and a foul odor, among its warning signs for canned food. A Swanson vegetable broth carton direction reproduced in a retailer listing says to discard a damaged or unusually inflated carton. These are reasons to discard broth, and their absence does not prove it is safe. USDA’s mold guidance says not to sniff a moldy item because it can cause respiratory trouble. We don’t suggest tasting broth to find out, and USDA says not to taste food from a suspect can. USDA says you can’t see, smell or taste harmful bacteria, so rely on the number of days since opening and how it was stored.

Color is a weaker clue. Vegetable broth varies in color with the vegetables used, and we found no agency source that lists darkening or cloudiness as a spoilage sign. We can’t tell sediment from spoilage by looking, so we count days instead. Swanson’s FAQ says bone broth may gel in colder temperatures and that the gelling disappears when heated. That is specific to bone broth, so don’t use it to judge vegetable broth. A slimy or stringy texture in vegetable broth is a warning sign to us, which is our own judgment, not an agency list.

How to Reheat Vegetable Broth

USDA says to reheat sauces, soups and gravies by bringing them to a rolling boil. It separately says leftovers should reach 165°F as measured with a food thermometer. Reheating is for flavor and a safety margin on correctly stored broth. It does not rescue broth that has been left out too long or kept too many days.

How Long Do Soups Made With Vegetable Broth Last?

Three to four days in the refrigerator and 2 to 3 months in the freezer, per FoodSafety.gov’s soups and stews row. Refrigerate freshly cooked soup promptly and use it within that time. Start with broth that is still within its recommended storage period and has been handled safely. Cooking is not a way to rescue questionable broth. If you plan to make soup, see common soup mistakes.

What Can You Make With Vegetable Broth Before It Goes Bad?

Opened broth has a short window, so plan to use it within its days or freeze it. Soup is the obvious use, and we have several recipes on the site: red lentil soup, tortilla soup, clam corn chowder, cauliflower soup with scallops and New Orleans seafood gumbo. Check each recipe for the type and amount of broth it calls for, since some may call for another kind. If a soup comes out thin, see how to thicken soup without cream. Cooking rice or grains in broth instead of water is our own suggestion for using up the last cup. Cooked rice has its own storage rules in our guide to whether rice needs to be refrigerated.

Does Vegetable Broth Go Bad FAQ

How long does homemade vegetable broth last?

Three to four days in the refrigerator, per Oregon State Extension, a University of Maine Extension recipe sheet and USDA’s leftovers guidance. We’d plan on 3 and freeze the rest.

See also

Food Storage

Does Chicken Broth (or Stock) Go Bad? How Long It Lasts

Further Reading

• Does Beef Broth Go Bad?
• Does Chicken Broth Go Bad?