You get home from the store with a full bag and a carton of chicken broth, and the refrigerator is already packed. The carton wasn’t cold on the shelf at the store, so does it really need to take up fridge space? And what about the half-used one from last week, or the pot of stock on the stove? The answer depends on which kind of broth you have and whether it has been opened. Here is what USDA, extension and brand guidance says, and how to read your label.

Does chicken broth need to be refrigerated?

The Short Answer
It depends on the carton. Shelf-stable broth, the kind sold on the ordinary pantry shelf, doesn’t need refrigeration until it is opened, and USDA says to store shelf-stable foods in a cool, dry place. Once opened, refrigerate it promptly. USDA gives 3 to 4 days for opened low-acid canned food and for gravy and meat broth, and the brand directions we read range from 5 to 14 days, so follow the time on your label. Broth sold refrigerated or frozen must stay cold. Homemade broth should be refrigerated within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F.

For a complete pantry and fridge reference, see our Food Storage Guide. For how long broth lasts once it is open, see whether chicken broth goes bad.

How to Tell Which Kind You Have
As a rule of thumb, which is our own reading, a carton on an ordinary shelf whose label says to refrigerate after opening is shelf-stable. A carton from a refrigerated or frozen case, or one whose label says keep refrigerated or keep frozen, needs to stay cold. If you can’t tell, read the label, and if it still isn’t clear, we’d refrigerate it as a precaution, which is our own suggestion. For a related staple, see whether gravy needs to be refrigerated.

Does Unopened Chicken Broth Need to Be Refrigerated?

Not if it is shelf-stable. USDA’s Shelf-Stable Food Safety page describes aseptic packaging as filling sterilized packages with a commercially sterile food product and sealing them in a hygienic environment. It says the package’s aluminum layer is a barrier that eliminates the need for refrigeration. It lists broths among aseptically packaged products and says to store canned and shelf-stable foods in a cool, dry place. USDA lists soups other than tomato among low-acid canned goods, so we apply the same pantry rule to canned broth. Pacific Foods’ FAQ says its broths are shelf stable and don’t require refrigeration before opening.

USDA also says not all canned goods are shelf stable. Some, such as some canned ham and seafood, are labeled Keep Refrigerated and are not safe at room temperature. That is a canned-food example, but it shows why the label matters. Broth sold from a refrigerated or frozen case is a different product, and we’d keep it cold, which is our own reading, so go by the label. Bonafide Provisions, for example, sells frozen bone broth, and its FAQ says its frozen products are good for up to seven days once thawed and refrigerated.

Does Chicken Broth Need to Be Refrigerated After Opening?

Yes. USDA says unused portions of opened canned food must be refrigerated, and its chart lists opened low-acid canned food, a category that includes soups, at 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. USDA’s Keep Food Safe page lists gravy and meat broth at 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and 2 to 3 months in the freezer. It also says to refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours, or 1 hour when the temperature is above 90°F, and that the refrigerator should be at 40°F or below. Those rows are for canned food, leftovers and meat broth, and we apply them to opened chicken broth and cartons, which is our own reading. Every direction in the table below also says to refrigerate after opening. Pour out what you need and put the rest back promptly. See our chicken broth shelf-life guide for how many days it lasts.

These directions come from the manufacturers’ own pages where we could open them, a SmartLabel page for Stater Bros. and a Hannaford retailer listing for Swanson, all checked in November 2026. A Hannaford listing for Bonafide Provisions’ 16.9 oz organic gluten free chicken broth says 5 days, not the 7 on its FAQ, which is one more reason to read your own carton. Labels change, so treat the table as a reason to check your package, not as a time for your product. Swanson’s FAQ says that once the product is opened, you should follow the directions on the label for storage. Follow the manufacturer’s direction for your specific product when it gives one. USDA’s 3 to 4 days comes from its opened canned food, gravy and meat broth and leftovers figures, and it does not set a separate time for each carton. Where the label gives none, we use USDA’s 3 to 4 days.

Should You Keep Opened Broth in the Carton or Pour It Into a Container?

Opened canned broth can stay in the can in the refrigerator, per USDA, but USDA says to place the unused portion in a glass or plastic storage container to preserve quality and flavor. For a carton, USDA’s page doesn’t say. We’d keep it in the carton only if it reseals tightly, and otherwise pour it into a clean jar or airtight container. Either way, write the date you opened it on the container. Those tips are our own.

How Should You Store Unopened Broth in the Pantry?

Somewhere cool and dry, away from heat. USDA says to keep canned and shelf-stable foods away from the area above or beside the stove and from under the sink, and that temperatures below 85°F are best. It says temperatures over 100°F are harmful to canned goods and that the risk of spoilage rises sharply as storage temperatures climb. Swanson’s FAQ is stricter and recommends a spot where temperatures rarely exceed 70°F, while Pacific Foods’ FAQ gives a range of 32 to 80°F. We’d aim for the cooler end.

In winter, don’t leave broth where it could freeze. A Swanson direction reproduced in a retailer listing says not to freeze it in the carton. USDA says a frozen can that has not thawed can be defrosted in the refrigerator and used, but that swollen cans should be discarded because swelling can also come from contamination. It also says to discard frozen cans that thawed at 40°F or higher. Those rules are for cans. For a carton that froze, we’d discard it if it is swollen or leaking, which is our own judgment.

Does Homemade Chicken Broth Need to Be Refrigerated?

Yes, promptly. USDA’s leftovers guidance says to divide large amounts into shallow containers. It also says hot food can be placed directly in the refrigerator or rapidly chilled in an ice or cold water bath first. You don’t need to wait for a pot to cool on the stove. The 2-hour rule applies here too, or 1 hour above 90°F. Penn State Extension says finished stock can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days, and NMSU Extension says up to about 3 days for homemade broth, including bone broth and stock. USDA’s chart lists gravy and meat broth at 3 to 4 days. Stock and bone broth follow the same rules as broth, as far as we found.

How Long Can Chicken Broth Sit Out While You Cook?

Perishable broth shouldn’t sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. USDA’s Danger Zone guidance says bacteria grow most rapidly between 40°F and 140°F and that food shouldn’t be left out of refrigeration over 2 hours. That applies to perishable broth: opened, homemade or refrigerated. An unopened shelf-stable carton in the pantry is a different case. So is broth kept hot at 140°F or above, and the CDC says to keep food heated to 140°F or hotter until serving, or cold at 40°F or below. A pot cooling on the stove is not hot holding. If you leave opened broth out overnight, we would pour it out.

Is It Normal for Refrigerated Broth to Turn Solid?

For bone-based broth, yes. Swanson’s FAQ says bone broth may gel in colder temperatures because of the high concentration of stock, and that the gelling disappears when heated. We’d expect homemade stock to behave the same way. A jelly-like set is not a spoilage sign by itself, but it doesn’t show the broth is safe either. Melting when warmed and a normal smell don’t prove it, because USDA says you can’t see, smell or taste harmful bacteria. Keep counting the days since opening. Penn State Extension says the fat will solidify on top once stock has cooled, and to skim and discard it.

What Can You Make With Opened Chicken Broth?

Soup is the easiest way to use up an open carton within its days. We have red lentil soup, tortilla soup, cauliflower soup with scallops, clam corn chowder and New Orleans seafood gumbo. Check each recipe for the type and amount of broth it calls for. If a soup comes out thin, see how to thicken soup without cream, and for more on soup, see common soup mistakes. Cooking rice or grains in broth instead of water is our own suggestion. Refrigerate the finished dish promptly and see our guide to how long leftovers last.

How We Checked This
In November 2026 we read USDA’s Shelf-Stable Food Safety page, its Keep Food Safe page and cold storage chart, its leftovers guidance, its Danger Zone page and its food product dating guidance. We read Penn State Extension’s page on homemade chicken or turkey stock, updated July 2026, an undated NMSU Extension fact sheet on homemade bone broth storage, the CDC’s C. perfringens pages and Swanson’s FAQ. We read the FAQs of Pacific Foods, Kitchen Basics and Bonafide Provisions, a SmartLabel page for Stater Bros. chicken broth and Hannaford retailer listings for Swanson and Bonafide Provisions. The USDA pages we read have no row for aseptic cartons after opening. USDA’s chart has a gravy and meat broth row, and we apply it to chicken broth ourselves. The container tips, the pantry tips and the signs checklist are our own judgment. Our own suggestions say we’d or we suggest. This article is general information, not medical advice.

Does Chicken Broth Need to Be Refrigerated FAQ

Further Reading

• Does Chicken Broth Go Bad?
• Does Gravy Need to Be Refrigerated?

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