Bagged lettuce is one of the most convenient, easy-to-use healthy ingredients at the grocery store, so why must it also be one of those that goes bad the fastest? Indeed, it seems like bagged salad greens start to turn limp and slimy before we’ve even had a chance to think about how we want to enjoy them. To the rescue: These storage tips will help you keep your bagged lettuce crisp, fresh, and tasty until you’re ready to munch. 

How Long Does Bagged Lettuce Last?

In general, we recommend consuming your bag of lettuce as quickly as possible. But if you follow the tips below to maximize its shelf life, your bagged lettuce should last for five to seven days. If you need it to last longer, consider buying whole heads of lettuce instead, as these will stay fresh for up to two weeks (and they’re usually cheaper). Looking through the bags for the latest sell-by date or best-by date will also help you ensure your greens stay fresh until you’re ready to enjoy them.

Where To Store Bagged Lettuce

Excess moisture and warm temperatures are the biggest enemies of your bagged lettuce. If you can’t see any moisture inside the bag, pop it straight into the crisper drawer in your fridge as soon as you get home from the market.

Why The Crisper Drawer?

The crisper drawer has the most consistent temperature and humidity levels of any part of your refrigerator, so as long as you’re stowing it carefully (i.e. safe from being crushed by bell peppers or heads of broccoli), your lettuce will keep there for a day or two.

However, if you can see a bit of condensation inside the bag or want the lettuce to last longer than two days, you may need to take some extra steps to maintain its freshness. Check out these tips for what to do. 

4 Tips for Keeping Bagged Lettuce Fresh

Choose the Right Bag

Take a good look at your bag of lettuce before tossing it in your cart—you want to start from a place of maximum freshness. If any leaves look wilted or slimy, choose a different bag. While it can be tempting to grab the first one off the shelf and continue on your way, try pulling a bag from the back, as these are likely newer.

Toss Bad Leaves

If you notice a few leaves that are starting to go bad the day before you plan to make your salad, simply pull them out and toss them. The presence of a few wilted or slimy leaves will make the whole bunch go bad that much faster. If you notice any leaves with pink areas, those are usually safe to eat as the leaf isn’t turning mushy or slimy.

Use Paper Towels

If space in your refrigerator is tight and you want to put the lettuce back in its bag or into a large plastic ziptop bag, you can do so—just slip a paper towel in with your greens and seal the bag with a chip clip (or zip the top). The paper towel will absorb excess moisture (as long as you replace it with a clean one every day or so) and help prevent leaves from turning brown due to oxidation from airflow.

Transfer Your Lettuce

If you have a little more room in your fridge, you can also layer paper towels in the bottom of a plastic clam shell or other food storage container and repackage your greens this way, making sure not to use a container that’s too small. This provides more protection for your easily bruised greens. Throw out any bad leaves while you’re doing so, and give the lettuce a rinse in the salad spinner first if it’s starting to look limp.

How To Revive Wilted Lettuce

Bagged lettuce can wilt quickly between the lack of airflow and dryness. To revive wilted lettuce, fill a large bowl with cold water and a layer of ice cubes. Gently plunge the lettuce into the water, then let it sit for five or 10 minutes. Once the lettuce perks up, give it a spin in the salad spinner to remove excess moisture. Use what you need for your salad, and return the rest to a clean container or bag lined with a paper towel.