Quick Answer
Eating soup that has been stored in the fridge for a week depends on a few factors. Soups containing meat, fish, eggs, or dairy products should not be eaten after 3-4 days in the fridge. Vegetable-based soups without these ingredients may last 5-7 days. Check for signs of spoilage like an off smell, texture changes, or mold growth before eating soup that is nearing a week old. Reheating leftover soup to a safe internal temperature can also kill some bacteria that may cause illness.
How Long Does Soup Last in the Fridge?
The shelf life of soup depends on the ingredients:
| Soup Type | Fridge Life |
|---|---|
| Soups with meat, fish, eggs, or dairy | 3-4 days |
| Vegetable-based soups | 5-7 days |
Soups containing animal products like chicken, beef, fish, eggs, and milk tend to have a shorter shelf life than plant-based soups. This is because meat, fish, eggs, and dairy can more readily grow bacteria that causes foodborne illness.
Vegetable soups without these ingredients often last 5-7 days when properly stored in the fridge. However, all soups will eventually spoil and should not be kept indefinitely.
Factors Affecting Soup Shelf Life
Several factors impact how long soup can be safely stored in the refrigerator:
- Ingredients: As mentioned above, soups with vegetables, broths, beans, lentils, or plant-based milks generally last longer than those with animal products.
- Acidity level: Acidic ingredients like tomatoes, citrus, and some vinegars help limit bacterial growth. Non-acidic soups have less protection.
- Storage container: An airtight container prevents contamination and keeps soup fresher longer.
- Temperature: A consistent fridge temp of 40°F (4°C) or below slows microbe growth.
- Time since preparation: Bacteria multiply over time, so freshly made soup keeps longer.
- Handling: Double dipping utensils can introduce new bacteria.
Following proper soup storage guidelines maximizes fridge life.
How to Tell if Soup Has Spoiled
Check leftover soup for the following signs of spoilage before eating:
- Appearance: Mold growth, thick bubbling on the surface, or major color/texture changes can indicate spoiled soup.
- Smell: An unpleasant, sour, or off odor is a warning sign not to eat the soup.
- Taste: Strange flavors like bitterness, sourness, or sharpness may mean spoilage.
If your soup shows any odd changes from when you first made or bought it, it is safest to discard it.
Preventing Foodborne Illness
Eating spoiled, old soup can potentially cause food poisoning. Symptoms of foodborne illness include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Stomach cramps
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Headache
To avoid getting sick from eating contaminated leftovers:
- Store soup in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking.
- Use shallow containers to allow rapid cooling.
- Keep soup temperatures at or below 40°F.
- Cook and reheat soup thoroughly to 165°F.
- Discard soup that is older than 4-7 days.
Following food safety guidelines when preparing, storing, and reheating soup helps prevent bacterial growth.
Can You Eat Soup After 5-7 Days?
It’s best to throw away vegetable-based soups after 5-7 days in the fridge, even if they look and smell normal. Bacteria like Listeria, Bacillus cereus, and Staphylococcus can still be present and lead to illness after a week, despite no odd appearance or odor.
For soups containing meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, or dairy, do not keep them for more than 3-4 days before throwing them out. The USDA recommends using or freezing these ingredients within this timeframe for safety.
So, it’s generally not recommended to eat any leftovers that are older than 5-7 days, even if you plan to reheat them. The longer soup sits in the fridge, the more likely it is that dangerous bacteria have multiplied to unsafe levels. Reheating cannot destroy all toxins produced by these microbes.
When Can I Eat Refrigerated Soup?
Here are some guidelines for safe soup consumption after refrigeration:
- Vegetable soup: Up to 5-7 days.
- Soup with meat: Up to 3-4 days.
- Homemade soup: 3-4 days.
- Store-bought unopened soup: By expiration date.
- Store-bought opened soup: 3-5 days.
- Soup exceeding above timeframes: Discard.
The potential for food poisoning rises after these recommended time limits. Reheating old, spoiled soup cannot make it safe to eat.
Reheating Leftover Soup
Properly reheating leftover soup can destroy some bacteria that may cause illness. Follow these tips:
- Bring soup to a full rolling boil, stirring occasionally.
- Heat soup until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Bring gravies, sauces, and stews back to a simmer.
- Only reheat small portions to maintain safe temperatures.
- Do not eat soup that does not reach 165°F upon reheating.
Microwaving soup can lead to uneven hot spots so it may be safer to reheat on the stovetop.
Can Reheating Make Soup Safe?
While important for killing some germs, reheating soup that is older than its recommended fridge life does not necessarily make it safe to eat.
Once opened, leftovers like soup should not be stored for longer than food safety guidelines advise, even if you plan to reheat them later. Over time, bacteria can multiply to dangerous levels and produce heat-resistant toxins that reheating cannot destroy.
So while thorough reheating helps, it cannot overwrite the standard fridge life for soups. Reheating does not automatically make old, spoiled soup safe again.
Conclusion
In general, vegetable-based soups may last 5-7 days when properly stored in the refrigerator. Soups containing meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, or dairy should be eaten within 3-4 days.
Always check leftovers for signs of spoilage before eating, even if they are within these timeframes. Reheating soup to 165°F can kill some bacteria but cannot make a spoiled, older soup safe to eat again. To prevent foodborne illness, stick to food safety guidelines for fridge life and throw away soups that exceed recommended storage times.