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

The pot roast recipe called for two cups, so you opened a 32-ounce carton of beef broth, and the rest has been sitting in the refrigerator ever since. Or there is a jar of homemade beef stock from the weekend that you can’t quite place. It still looks dark and rich. But how long does it really last? Here is what USDA and extension guidance says about opened and unopened beef broth, homemade stock, freezing, and when to pour it out.

Does beef broth go bad?

For a complete pantry and fridge reference, see our Food Storage Guide. The same rules apply to chicken broth, and for a related staple, see whether gravy goes bad.

How Long Does Beef Broth Last?

Unopened shelf-stable broth keeps to the date on the package, and may remain usable beyond it when stored properly and intact. Opened store-bought broth keeps 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator by USDA’s general guidance unless the carton says otherwise. Homemade broth is shorter, with a beef-specific USDA figure of 1 to 2 days. USDA’s Beef From Farm to Table chart lists cooked beef gravy or beef broth at 1 or 2 days in the refrigerator and 2 to 3 months in the freezer. It lists home cooked beef, soups, stews or casseroles at 3 to 4 days. USDA’s Keep Food Safe cold storage chart lists gravy and meat broth at 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. New Mexico State University Extension, in an undated fact sheet, says homemade broth, including bone broth and stock, should be kept at 40°F or below for up to about 3 days. FoodSafety.gov’s cold food storage chart, reviewed in 2023, has no broth row. It 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.

Why Does USDA Give Different Times for Beef Broth?

Its pages disagree, and the pages we read do not explain why. The beef chart says 1 or 2 days for cooked beef gravy or beef broth. The general Keep Food Safe chart says 3 to 4 days for gravy and meat broth, and the leftovers page says 3 to 4 days for leftovers in general. We treat the beef-specific figure as the cautious one for homemade broth, and the general figure as the ceiling. For store-bought broth with no label time, we use the general 3 to 4 days, which also matches USDA’s figure for opened low-acid canned food.

Those timings assume the broth went into the refrigerator promptly and the refrigerator is at 40°F or colder. Choosing 2 days for homemade broth is our own conservative lean toward USDA’s beef-specific figure. A time on a package is the manufacturer’s direction for that product, not a general safety limit, so follow it when it gives one and use the USDA figures when it doesn’t.

Does Unopened Beef 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 gives no shelf life for aseptically packaged cartons, so for cartons we’d use the best-by date and the package’s storage directions as the guide.

How Long Does Opened Beef Broth Last?

Three to four days in the refrigerator, unless the label says otherwise. That is USDA’s figure for opened low-acid canned food, a category that includes soups, and for gravy and meat broth, and it matches the leftovers rule. Neither is a carton-specific rule, so we treat 3 to 4 days as our default when a carton gives no time. 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, while a retailer listing for its 32 oz beef broth carton reproduces a direction of 10 days. A retailer listing for the 32 oz Swanson beef broth carton reproduces 14 days and prompt refrigeration below 41°F. Pacific Foods’ FAQ says to refrigerate and use opened broth within 7 to 10 days, and 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. The jar and date tips are our own.

Is Beef Stock Stored Differently From Beef 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. It says nothing about storage. Swanson’s FAQ says its stocks, broths and bone broths are all made with some animal bones. NMSU’s fact sheet lists “homemade broth (including bone broth/stock)” as one category. Because both are cooked, liquid, protein-containing foods, we apply the same guidance to beef stock, bone broth and beef broth.

How Long Does Homemade Beef Broth Last?

Plan on 2 days, and treat 3 to 4 days as the outer limit. USDA’s beef chart lists cooked beef gravy or beef broth at 1 or 2 days. Its general chart and leftovers page say 3 to 4 days, and NMSU says up to about 3 days. Penn State Extension’s page covers chicken and turkey stock and says finished stock can be refrigerated for up to three days. We apply that to beef stock ourselves. Using the shorter beef figure is our own conservative choice. The bigger risk with homemade is how it cools. USDA says to divide large amounts of food into shallow containers so they cool quickly. The CDC says C. perfringens outbreaks most often involve food cooked in large batches and held between 40°F and 140°F, and lists beef and pork among the foods commonly involved. Improper cooling of a large pot is the kind of handling problem that makes rapid cooling important.

So cool it fast, and don’t wait for it to reach room temperature. USDA says hot food can be placed directly in the refrigerator or rapidly chilled in an ice or cold water bath before refrigerating. We’d ladle the broth into several shallow containers rather than refrigerating the whole pot. Refrigerate it within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour if the room is above 90°F.

How Long Can You Keep Beef Bones Before Making Stock?

Not long. NMSU’s fact sheet says raw or cooked bones should not be refrigerated for more than two days before use. It says freezing is the correct way to save bones for future batches, ideally in a sealed container or bag. If the bones come from a roast you served, plan the stock for the same weekend, or freeze the bones first. See our guide to whether roast beef goes bad for the leftover meat.

Can You Leave Beef 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. Broth kept hot at 140°F or above is a different situation, and the CDC says to keep food heated to 140°F or hotter until serving. A pot cooling on the stove is not hot holding. Boiling it again doesn’t change the 2-hour rule in USDA’s guidance, so we would pour it out.

Can You Freeze Beef Broth?

Yes. USDA’s Keep Food Safe chart lists gravy and meat broth at 2 to 3 months in the freezer. USDA says food stored constantly at 0°F remains safe and that recommended freezer times are for quality only. 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 and texture may fade. USDA says freezing makes microbes dormant and that they can become active again once thawed, so it does not repair earlier mishandling.

Cool the broth rapidly in shallow containers first. Penn State Extension says to leave space at the top of the container for expansion. 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. 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. Given the beef chart’s shorter figure for cooked beef broth, we’d use thawed homemade broth within a couple of days, which is our own judgment.

How Can You Tell if Beef 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 beef 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. Don’t sniff anything with visible mold. 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. Beef broth is naturally dark, and we found no agency source that lists darkening or cloudiness as a spoilage sign. We can’t tell sediment or dissolved collagen from spoilage by looking, so we count days instead.

How to Reheat Beef 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 Beef Broth Last?

Three to four days in the refrigerator and 2 to 3 months in the freezer. That is what USDA’s beef chart lists for home cooked beef soups and stews, and what FoodSafety.gov’s soups and stews row lists. 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 Beef 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. If a soup comes out thin, see how to thicken soup without cream. Cooking rice in broth instead of water, or thinning leftover gravy with it, are our own suggestions for using up the last cup. If the broth was within its time and handled safely, refrigerate the finished dish promptly and use it within 3 to 4 days.

Does Beef Broth Go Bad FAQ

Can you freeze beef broth?

Yes. USDA’s chart lists gravy and meat broth at 2 to 3 months for best quality, and USDA says food kept constantly at 0°F stays safe. Leave room for expansion and freeze in small portions.

See also

Food Storage

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

Further Reading

• Does Chicken Broth Go Bad?
• Does Gravy Go Bad?