How Long Can You Really Keep Thanksgiving Leftovers

Thanksgiving is a celebration of excess. You planned for 10 people, cooked for 20, and most of the food was left uneaten. Some of it will get a second chance as turkey sandwiches or soup, but the better part will head straight to the trash. After giving thanks for the food we have, we toss it out before the turkey even gets cold. Isn’t that ironic? Scientists and food experts say it doesn’t have to be this way. 

Leftovers can last longer if you know how to store them. Here’s how long you can safely keep your leftovers and what happens when we don’t love them enough to save them. 

Americans go bonkers before Thanksgiving. Grocery store shelves overflow with mashed potatoes, pumpkin pies, and cranberry sauce while carts brim with "just in case" extras. But after the feast, much of that bounty heads to the landfill. In 2023, Americans threw away 312 million pounds of Thanksgiving food, according to nonprofit ReFED — that’s $600 million worth of turkey, stuffing, and pie straight to the trash. 

On a larger scale, the USDA reports that the average American family of four discards 1,160 pounds of food annually, losing about $1,500 in the process. Thanksgiving is just the glaring peak of a year-round problem. The ReFED estimates that all of the discarded food could provide around five meals to each of the 47.4 million people experiencing food insecurity in the U.S.

Thanksgiving leftovers often get tossed out due to fear of spoilage. But you actually have enough time to plan how to use them before they become a feast for harmful bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella. 

According to the USDA, your leftovers are safe in the fridge for four days and in the freezer for six months. You can keep them in the freezer longer, but the quality will not be the same.  

“Freezers are kind of the magic pause button for your food,” Dana Gunders, executive director of ReFED told Bloomberg News.“As much as we may love leftovers on day one, by day three we’re kind of over them. That’s okay. Pop them in the freezer and in a couple of weeks, you’ll be very excited to have them.” 

Thanksgiving started as a holiday about having enough food to make it through winter. These days, we celebrate with over-the-top feasts to honor abundance — and then toss half of it in the trash. Ironic, right? So, love the leftovers and put them to work. 

You’ve got options: Donate extras to a food bank, host a leftover potluck, or repurpose them into something delicious. 

Place meat and dairy in the coldest part of the fridge — usually the center — and save less perishable items, like cranberry sauce, for the door. Freeze in small portions to ensure even cooling and avoid overloading your fridge.

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