Raw ground beef is usually only good in the fridge for about 1–2 days, while cooked ground beef keeps for about 3–4 days if stored properly at or below 40°F (4°C).

Quick Scoop

  • Raw ground beef in the fridge: 1–2 days from purchase, tightly wrapped, at 40°F or colder.
  • Cooked ground beef in the fridge: 3–4 days in shallow, airtight containers.
  • Raw vacuum-sealed packs (unopened): sometimes up to a day or two longer than store-wrapped, but still safest within 1–2 days.
  • Frozen raw ground beef: best quality for about 3–4 months.
  • Frozen cooked ground beef: about 2–3 months for best quality.

How to tell if it’s gone bad

Check a few things before you cook or eat it:

  • Smell: Sour, rotten, or overly strong odor = throw it out.
  • Color: Brown/gray through the whole package, especially with a dull, lifeless look, can mean spoilage (a bit of brown on the surface alone is not always bad, but be cautious).
  • Texture: Sticky, slimy, or tacky feel is a big red flag.
  • Time: If it’s past 2 days raw or 4 days cooked, it’s safer to discard, even if it looks okay.

When in doubt, it’s cheaper to toss a pack of ground beef than to deal with food poisoning.

Simple safety rules

  • Keep your fridge at or below 40°F (4°C) and consider using a thermometer inside to be sure.
  • Put ground beef in the fridge or freezer within 2 hours of buying or cooking (1 hour if it’s very warm in the room).
  • Cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160–165°F to kill harmful bacteria.
  • Store leftovers in shallow containers so they cool quickly.

If you want to stretch the time

  • Not cooking it within 1–2 days? Freeze it instead of risking the extra day in the fridge.
  • Label packages with the date so you’re not guessing later.

Bottom line:

  • Raw: 1–2 days in the fridge.
  • Cooked: 3–4 days in the fridge.
    Beyond that, or if anything smells, looks, or feels off, it’s safest to throw it away.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.