How Long Do Cooked Zucchini Last?

Zucchini are delicious, nutritious, and you can prepare them in a variety of ways, from sautéing on the stove to roasting in the oven.

Not like pork chops or chicken cutlets, zucchini are a little trickier to portion out. And if you cooked one zucchin too many, you may be wondering how to store the leftovers and how long they will keep.

For the answers to your questions and the ones you didn’t know you had to ask, read on below.

How Long Can You Keep Cooked Zucchini?

Cooked zucchini last 1-2 hours at room temperature and 3-4 days in the fridge. Frozen cooked zucchini stay safe to eat indefinitely, but they only retain their best quality for 9-12 months.1“Leftovers and Food Safety,” Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/leftovers-and-food-safety

The most important thing when it comes to safely storing cooked zucchini is not to keep them at room temperature, which food safety experts call the danger zone.2“How Temperatures Affect Food,” Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/how-temperatures-affect-food, for too long.

Bacteria multiply rapidly in the temperature range of 40°F (4.4°C) to 140°F (60°C) and grow well on cooked zucchini. A dozen bacteria on your leftover zucchini probably won’t do much harm, but a few hundred can do plenty.

Can Eating Old Cooked zucchini Make You Sick?

If you suspect that the cooked zucchini have been on your kitchen countertop, dining room table, or in your refrigerator for longer than the times specified above, err on the side of caution and dispose of them.

You can get food poisoning from eating cooked zucchini that haven’t been stored properly or that have been kept for too long, even if they look perfectly fine and don’t feel, smell, or taste spoiled.

This is because the pathogenic bacteria that cause food poisoning are not the same as the spoilage bacteria that cause the zucchini to spoil. Disease-causing bacteria don’t alter the cooked zucchini’ texture, aroma, or flavor in any way, and so they’re virtually undetectable.3“Do spoilage bacteria make people sick?” AskUSDA, U.S. Department of Agriculture, https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Do-spoilage-bacteria-make-people-sick

How to Store Leftover Cooked Zucchini

If you made more zucchini than you and the family can eat in a single meal, remove them from the heat, allow them to cool down as quickly as possible, then refrigerate or freeze them.

Fridge temperature (40°F/4.4°C or lower) slows down the grown of bacteria on our food, but doesn’t stop it. So use up the cooked zucchini within no more than 4 days from refrigeration, or they may become overgrown with bacteria and no longer be safe to eat.

To refrigerate leftover cooked zucchini, place them in a ziplock bag or food storage container with the lid closed and store them in the lower compartment of your fridge, where it is coldest.

Freezer temperature (0°F/-18°C or lower) puts all bacterial activity on pause. This means that, technically, frozen cooked zucchini stay safe to eat forever.

However, they will eventually dry out and lose their texture, aroma, and flavor, so be sure to use them up within 9-12 months.

To freeze leftover cooked zucchini, place them in a freezer bag or heavy-duty food storage container with the lid closed and store them in the freezer. Wrapping the zucchini loosely in aluminum foil or plastic wrap isn’t enough as they may get freezer-burnt.

How to Tell If Cooked Zucchini Are Spoiled

As with all other vegetables, there are some very specific signs you should look for to determine if the zucchini you cooked have gone bad.

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First, touch the zucchini. If they feel sticky and slimy to the touch, then they’re probably spoiled. Second, give them a smell.

If you notice any off odors, whether sour or musty, this is also a sign that they’re past their prime.

The last and final sign of spoilage is the taste. If the cooked zucchini are unpleasantly bitter or have a funky, unpleasantly weird taste, DO NOT eat them.

The problem with spoiled food is that you have no reliable way to tell if it’s safe to eat, so it’s better to just play it safe.

In Conclusion

As a general rule of thumb, cooked zucchini last:

  • 1-2 hours when left out on the kitchen countertop or dining room table
  • 3-4 days when properly refrigerated
  • 9-12 months when frozen

Cool the zucchini down quickly after you’re done cooking them and refrigerate or freeze them, but don’t let them sit out at room temperature. Now, you know the reasons why.

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