USDA-based · Sean Bernath · How this page was made · Last reviewed July 10, 2026 · Sources ↓
Lettuce
Leaf lettuce lasts 3–7 days in the fridge; whole head lettuce lasts 1–2 weeks. Do not freeze it.
How long it keeps — Fresh
Fridge times here are mostly quality windows from USDA FoodKeeper and related federal guidance — past them, flavor and texture decline; discard when mold, slime, off odors, or other spoilage signs appear. Freezer times are also quality windows at 0°F (FoodKeeper / FDA where cited). Not medical advice.
How to store lettuce
Leaf lettuce keeps 3–7 days refrigerated; a whole head keeps 1–2 weeks. Store it in the crisper drawer, set to high humidity if your drawer has a slider.
Lettuce fails by drying out and by rotting, and the trick is to allow neither. Wrap a head loosely in a slightly damp paper towel inside a partly open bag — enough moisture that it does not dehydrate, enough airflow that it does not sit in condensation.
Keep it away from apples, bananas, tomatoes, and avocados. Lettuce is highly sensitive to ethylene gas, which those fruits emit, and exposure produces the rust-colored spotting along the midribs that ruins a head early.
Bagged salad is a different product: it has been washed, cut, and packed in a modified atmosphere, and it should be used by its date. Once opened, the clock is 3–5 days.
Lettuce does not freeze. The cell walls rupture and it thaws to slime.
By state & packaging
Why lettuce goes bad
Lettuce is over 95% water held inside rigid cell walls, and everything about how it fails follows from that.
The crispness is turgor pressure — water pushing outward against the cell walls. As lettuce loses water it goes limp, and this is entirely reversible early on: a wilted head revived in ice water for 20 minutes will crisp up again, because the cells simply reabsorb water.
What is not reversible is bacterial soft rot. Once the cell walls are breached — by damage, by freezing, or by bacteria producing pectin-degrading enzymes — the cells release their contents and you get the characteristic slime. Slimy lettuce is not revivable and should be discarded.
Lettuce is also unusually sensitive to ethylene, the plant hormone that ripens fruit. Exposure triggers russet spotting, the tan-brown lesions along the ribs, which is why storing lettuce near apples is a genuine mistake.
The safety dimension is real and separate. Leafy greens are among the most common vehicles for E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella outbreaks in the US, because they are eaten raw and grown close to soil and irrigation water. Washing reduces but does not eliminate the risk, and pre-washed bagged greens should not be re-washed — that introduces more contamination than it removes.
Signs it has gone bad
Any of these means discard it. Do not taste food to check (FDA / CDC). Fridge times above are mostly quality guidance — use these spoilage signs (and package condition) to decide when to toss, rather than treating the day count as a raw-meat-style safety cliff.
What the date on the package means
Clamshell or bag "best by" dates on packaged produce are quality estimates, not USDA safety kill switches. FDA produce guidance still controls: refrigerate cut produce, wash under running water (never soap), and discard moldy, slimy, or off-smelling items.
Once cut or opened, ignore the printed date and use the refrigerator windows on this page.
FAQ
Are brown edges on lettuce safe to eat?
Browning from cut edges or age is a quality issue, not a safety one — trim it. Slimy or foul-smelling leaves mean discard.
Should I wash lettuce with soap?
No. Rinse under running water only. Never use soap or detergent on produce.
How long does bagged salad last after opening?
Use leaf lettuce within about 3–7 days refrigerated; discard if slimy or foul-smelling even before the printed date.