How Long Does Homemade Tuna Salad Last In The Fridge?

If you're big on meal-prepping, how long can you expect that tuna salad you whipped up over the weekend to last in the fridge? Regardless of what tricks you used to upgrade your tuna salad, you can't eat out of the same container of homemade salad forever. Similar to how long pasta salad can last in the fridge, tuna salad will stay fresh in the fridge for three to four days.

While some foods can have their lifespan prolonged by freezing, prepared salads (like tuna salad) freeze poorly and shouldn't be stored this way. It's important to know how to safely store tuna salad for freshness, otherwise you might not even get a few days out of it. If your tuna salad has sat at room temperature for over two hours, you should toss it post-haste due to the risk of foodborne illness — even if it's only been a day or two since you made it. Regardless of date or time, if the tuna is discolored, has a weird texture, or smells bad, put it in the trash.

First of all, tuna salad needs to be stored in an airtight container. Don't think you can simply cover a bowl with foil or plastic, as this won't get the job done. Further, your fridge should be set to a temperature of below 40 degrees to keep all the food inside out of what is called the "danger zone" where contaminants can breed and develop. When you get your salad ready for the fridge, consider labeling it with the date so you don't accidentally keep it beyond its "best-by" time. Make sure you're stashing your tuna container in the coldest part of your fridge; like the back corner, as opposed to the door, where regular changes in temperature can occur due to it opening and closing.

Beyond these kitchen safety tips, you can optimize your tuna salad for great taste for longer by using fresh ingredients. Veggies that are near the end of their lifespan will make your tuna spoil faster. Avocado is an ingredient that tends to go bad rapidly, so you shouldn't expect an avocado tuna salad to make it more than a few hours in the fridge. On the other hand, lemon juice is a natural preservative that not only tastes yummy, but will (slightly) increase the lifespan of your salad.