A fully cooked whole ham keeps about 1 week in the fridge. A spiral-cut or sliced ham keeps 3–4 days, and a half ham 3–5 days. A cooked ham vacuum-sealed at the plant keeps until its use-by date (or 2 weeks if undated) as long as it stays sealed. Leftovers keep 3–4 days.
These times count from the day you buy the ham, open it or cook it, not from the date printed on the package. USDA's two ham references, the FoodKeeper data and the FSIS ham chart, disagree on a few types. Where they do, this page gives the shorter time.
Storage Facts
Ham in the refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below
- Fully cooked ham, whole
- 1 week
- Fully cooked ham, half
- 3–5 days
- Spiral-cut or sliced cooked ham
- 3–4 days
- Vacuum-sealed cooked ham, unopened
- Use-by date
- Vacuum-sealed cooked ham, opened
- 3–5 days
- Leftover cooked ham
- 3–4 days
- Cooked ham, freezer (best quality)
- 1–2 months
Ham storage times by type
Read the label first. FSIS says a ham that must be cooked carries cooking instructions, and one that looks ready to eat but isn't must say so on the front, for example “cook thoroughly.” “Fully cooked” or “cooked” means it can be eaten straight from the package. “Fresh” or “uncured” means no cure was added: a fresh ham is raw pork leg, and a cooked one must say “cooked uncured ham.”
| Type of ham | FoodKeeper | FSIS ham chart | Plan on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh (uncured) ham, raw | 3–5 days | 3–5 days | 3–5 days |
| Fresh (uncured) ham, cooked | 3–4 days | 3–4 days | 3–4 days |
| Cured ham, cook-before-eating, raw | 1 week | 5–7 days or the use-by date | 5–7 days, or the use-by date if sooner |
| Fully cooked ham, whole | 1 week | 7 days | 7 days |
| Fully cooked ham, half | 1 week | 3–5 days | 3–5 days |
| Spiral-cut or sliced cooked ham | 3–4 days | 3–5 days | 3–4 days |
| Cooked ham, vacuum-sealed at the plant, unopened | 2 weeks | Use-by date; 2 weeks if undated | Use-by date; 2 weeks if undated |
| Cooked ham, vacuum-sealed, opened | Not listed | 3–5 days | 3–5 days |
| Canned ham labeled “Keep Refrigerated,” unopened | 6–9 months | 6–9 months | 6–9 months |
| Canned ham labeled “Keep Refrigerated,” opened | 3–5 days | 7 days | 3–5 days |
| Shelf-stable canned ham, unopened (pantry) | 6–9 months | Up to 2 years at room temperature | 6–9 months, the shorter figure |
| Shelf-stable canned ham, opened (fridge) | 5–14 days | 3–4 days | 3–4 days |
| Country ham, whole and uncut | Not listed | Up to 1 year at room temperature | Up to 1 year, uncut |
| Country ham, uncooked, cut | 1 week (one entry for all country ham) | 2–3 months | 1 week to be cautious |
| Country ham, cooked | 1 week (one entry for all country ham) | 7 days | 7 days |
| Prosciutto, Parma or Serrano ham, cut | 2–3 months | 2–3 months | 2–3 months |
| Leftover cooked ham | 3–4 days | 3–5 days | 3–4 days |
Where the two disagree, the gaps are real. FoodKeeper gives a cooked half ham 1 week but FSIS, and FDA's storage chart, give it 3–5 days. FoodKeeper also lists raw fresh ham legs at 1 week, longer than its own 3–5 days for uncured fresh ham and FSIS's 3–5 days. For opened “Keep Refrigerated” canned ham, FSIS allows 7 days, while FoodKeeper and FDA say 3–5 days. For an opened shelf-stable can, FoodKeeper says 5–14 days and FSIS 3–4 days. The shorter time is the one to plan around.
Country ham is the odd one. FoodKeeper has a single row for it, 1 week in the fridge, without saying whether the ham is cooked or cut. FSIS splits it up: a whole, uncut country ham can be stored at room temperature for up to a year (it stays safe after that, but quality may suffer), a cut uncooked one keeps 2–3 months in the fridge, and a cooked one 7 days. Once a dry-cured ham is sliced, FSIS says it must be refrigerated, because the moister inside lets staph bacteria grow.
Canned ham comes in two kinds, and the label tells you which. A shelf-stable can, generally no more than 3 pounds, is processed to kill spoilage bacteria and pathogens and can sit in the pantry. FSIS's ham chart says up to 2 years unopened (its shelf-stable food page says 2 to 5), while FoodKeeper gives 6–9 months; using it within that time is the cautious plan. A can labeled “Keep Refrigerated” is not safe at room temperature: FSIS explains that its cooking process doesn't destroy Clostridium botulinum or C. perfringens spores, which can grow if the can warms up.
Lunch-meat ham is a different product. Packaged deli ham keeps 2 weeks unopened and 3–5 days once opened; see how long deli meat lasts.
What the use-by or sell-by date on a ham means
Federal rules don't require a date on ham. When a maker adds one, FSIS defines a use-by date as “the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality” and a sell-by date as a date for the store's stock. On a ham, though, the use-by date is the one to go by. The FSIS ham chart says to keep a dated, plant-sealed cooked ham until its use-by date, and gives no extra time past it. As FSIS puts it, the company “determines its use-by date and stands by it.”
- Sealed ham with a use-by date: cook, eat or freeze it by that date.
- Ham with only a sell-by date, or no date: use the storage times above, counted from the day you bought it.
- Opened ham: the opened time takes over, even if the use-by date is weeks away. A vacuum-sealed ham opened on December 24 is good for 3–5 days, not until its January date.
The rest of the label matters too. “Keep Refrigerated” on a can means it is not a shelf-stable can, so it goes straight into the fridge. More on use-by and sell-by dates, and on reading codes on cans.
Bought the holiday ham a week early? Scan the use-by date when it goes in the fridge. If the wrapper has both a sell-by and a use-by date, FreshScan lists both and asks which one to track.
Free on theApp StoreReheating ham: 140°F or 165°F
The safe temperature depends on where the ham was packaged, per FSIS:
- 140°F (60°C): cooked hams packaged in a USDA-inspected plant, including whole and half vacuum-packed, spiral-cut and canned hams. These can also be eaten cold, straight from the package.
- 165°F (74°C): leftover cooked ham, leftover spiral-cut ham, and cooked ham repackaged anywhere outside the processing plant, such as at a store counter.
- 145°F (63°C) with a 3-minute rest: fresh ham and cook-before-eating ham, which are raw.
Check with a food thermometer, and set the oven no lower than 325°F. For a spiral ham, FSIS suggests covering it completely with heavy foil and heating at 325°F for about 10 minutes per pound; it also notes spiral hams are best served cold, since heating can dry out the slices. Single slices can be warmed in a skillet or microwave.
Christmas and Easter ham leftovers
Leftover cooked ham keeps 3–4 days in the fridge, counted from the day you serve it. FoodKeeper and FSIS's leftovers guidance both say 3–4 days; the FSIS ham chart allows 3–5. In 2026, Christmas Day is Friday, December 25, so plan to finish or freeze the ham by Monday, December 28, and no later than Tuesday, December 29. Easter 2027 falls on Sunday, March 28: finish by Wednesday, March 31, or Thursday, April 1 at the latest.
- Refrigerate within 2 hours of taking the ham out of the oven or fridge, or 1 hour if it is above 90°F. A ham left on the buffet all afternoon should be thrown out.
- Divide it up. Pack large amounts into shallow containers so they cool fast, then wrap or cover them airtight.
- Freeze what you won't eat in 3 days. Sliced or diced in portions, it keeps its best quality for 1–2 months. FoodKeeper gives leftovers with meat 2–3 months and FSIS's leftovers page 3–4 months, but its ham chart says 1–2 months. Frozen ham stays safe indefinitely; only the quality fades.
- Reheat leftovers to 165°F. Thaw frozen ham in the fridge, in cold water or in the microwave; ham thawed in the fridge should be used within 3–4 days.
Hosting more than one holiday? The same rules run through Thanksgiving leftovers, and the food expiration calculator turns a cooking day into an eat-by date for other dishes.
Freezing ham
FSIS says frozen ham stays safe indefinitely; freezer times are for quality. Most cooked ham, whole, half, spiral or vacuum-packed, keeps its best quality for 1–2 months. For raw cook-before-eating ham, FoodKeeper says 1–2 months and FSIS 3–4 months. Country ham and prosciutto are best within a month.
How to tell if ham has gone bad
FSIS says food with an off odor, flavor or texture has spoiled and should not be eaten. But FSIS also separates spoilage bacteria, which cause those changes, from the pathogenic bacteria that cause illness, so a ham that looks and smells normal can still be past its time limit. Go by the days above, not a sniff test, and never taste ham to decide.
- Mold on cooked ham or leftovers: throw it out. FSIS puts cooked leftover meat in the discard column because mold can reach below the surface of moist foods.
- Mold on a dry-cured country ham: FSIS says this is often found on country ham and is mostly harmless. Don't discard the ham; wash it with hot water and scrub the mold off with a stiff vegetable brush.
- A swollen or soured shelf-stable can: don't eat it. FSIS says storage above 122°F (50°C) can make canned ham swell or sour, and if that happens it should not be eaten. Don't buy bulging, leaking or deeply dented cans.
When in doubt, throw it out. For other meats and dairy, the shelf life chart lists USDA times side by side.
Questions people ask
How long is spiral ham good in the fridge?
Plan on 3 to 4 days once it is opened or if it was wrapped at the store, and eat leftovers within 3 to 4 days of serving. USDA's FoodKeeper gives sliced and spiral-cut cooked ham 3 to 4 days; the FSIS ham chart says 3 to 5, so the shorter figure is the safer plan. If your spiral ham is still sealed in its plant packaging, go by the use-by date printed on it.
How long is ham good after the use-by date?
Plan to cook, eat or freeze a sealed ham by its use-by date. FSIS's ham chart says to keep a dated, plant-sealed cooked ham until the use-by date and gives no extra time after it; the company sets that date and stands by it. If the date has passed and you are not sure how the ham was stored, throw it out.
Do you have to heat up a fully cooked ham?
No. FSIS says cooked hams packaged in USDA-inspected plants, including spiral-cut and canned hams, can be eaten cold. If you warm one, heat it to 140°F. Leftover ham, and cooked ham repackaged somewhere other than the processing plant, should be reheated to 165°F.
How long is leftover Christmas ham good?
3 to 4 days in the fridge, counted from the day you serve it, so ham from Christmas Day on Friday, December 25, 2026 should be eaten or frozen by Monday, December 28 to Tuesday, December 29. Get it into the fridge within 2 hours of serving. Frozen, it keeps its best quality for 1 to 2 months.
Can you freeze ham?
Yes, most kinds. Cooked ham keeps its best quality for 1 to 2 months in the freezer and stays safe indefinitely at 0°F, per FSIS. The exception is canned ham labeled "Keep Refrigerated": FSIS says not to freeze it unopened.
Sources
- Hams and Food Safety — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. FSIS blocks automated requests, so the current page text (storage chart, footnotes, cooking and reheating temperatures) was confirmed through a text-reader copy of the live page. The same chart is reproduced by Iowa State University Extension's AnswerLine: https://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/answerline/2014/04/07/ham-storage-times/
- FSIS FoodKeeper Data — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (data.gov, public domain)
- Refrigerator & Freezer Storage Chart — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Leftovers and Food Safety — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
- Food Product Dating — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
- Shelf-Stable Food Safety — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
- Molds on Food: Are They Dangerous? — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. The FSIS handling chart is reproduced in WSU Extension's Molds on Food handout: https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2057/2021/03/Molds-on-Food-LC.pdf