Last night’s takeout sushi is sitting in the refrigerator, half the tray is left, and it’s lunchtime. Is it still fine, or did the rice and the raw fish run out of time while you slept? Here is what food safety guidance says about how long sushi lasts, and why the clock runs shorter than you’d expect.
How long can sushi last in the fridge?
The Short Answer: Plan to eat sushi the day you buy or make it. A University of Florida food scientist advised discarding sushi still in the fridge after 24 hours, and said restaurant takeout should be eaten when you get home or thrown away. Ireland’s food safety authority allows hygienically prepared leftovers for up to 2 days, but that is guidance for food businesses with strict temperature control. For raw-fish sushi we recommend 24 hours at most. Never leave sushi out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F.
For a complete pantry and fridge reference, see our Food Storage Guide. If you’re making your own, our guide to making sushi at home walks through the rice and the rolling.
Sushi in the Fridge: At a Glance
Raw-fish sushi and sashimi
Eat the day you buy it. We recommend 24 hours at most (UF/IFAS). FSAI allows up to 2 days under strict business controls
Rolls with cooked fillings
Our suggestion: 1 to 2 days. Neither UF/IFAS nor FSAI sets a separate limit by filling
Vegetable-only rolls
Our suggestion: 1 to 2 days
Time out of the fridge
2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F, per FDA
Refrigerator temperature
40°F or below, per FDA
Freezing
No freezer time found for assembled sushi. Don’t freeze it to rescue it. FDA says freezing doesn’t kill all harmful germs
Reheating
Doesn’t fix fish or rice that sat out. The toxin from rice bacteria survives heating
Who should avoid raw sushi
Pregnant people, young children, older adults and anyone with a weakened immune system
Key Takeaways
UF/IFAS food scientist Keith Schneider said sushi is meant to be consumed the day you buy it, and the 2007 article advised discarding leftovers still in the fridge after 24 hours. It said restaurant takeout should be eaten when you get home or thrown away.
Ireland’s food safety authority (FSAI) says leftover sushi or sashimi can be kept for two days if it was prepared hygienically and held at 5°C or below, and never past the original use-by date. That is guidance for food businesses, not a promise for takeout or homemade sushi.
Schneider added that it’s difficult to put a shelf life on sushi because each food item spoils at a different rate, and that the rice is more likely to cause problems than the fish.
FDA says that seafood to be used within 2 days after purchase should be kept in a clean refrigerator at 40°F or below. That is guidance for fresh seafood, not for assembled sushi.
FoodSafety.gov’s chart lists fatty fish such as salmon and tuna at 1 to 3 days in the refrigerator. It doesn’t say whether that is raw or cooked fish, and it isn’t a sushi or sashimi figure.
Cooked rice can
