The Holiday Foods You Can and Can’t Take on a Plane, According to the TSA

After a long weekend visiting your extended family, the only thing getting you through the extra-long airport security line is the thought of the epic sandwich you plan to craft out of the homemade Thanksgiving leftovers currently jammed into your backpack. But as you approach the front of the line, you start sweating. Is gravy a liquid? Should the cranberry sauce have been packed in your checked luggage? And wait — is there a limit on the food you can bring through TSA? Suddenly, your dream sandwich that you look forward to every year might be thwarted because you failed to do your research. Don’t let this happen to you; read on for a guide to exactly which Thanksgiving leftovers you can and can’t take through airport security.

What Thanksgiving foods are OK to take on a plane?

TSA is very clear online about what the agency allows on a plan. And, unfortunately for your meal plans, these regulations don’t change just because there’s a holiday. “If it’s a solid item, then it can go through a checkpoint. However, if you can spill it, spread it, spray it, pump it or pour it, and it’s larger than 3.4 ounces, then it should go in a checked bag,” says Lisa Farbstein, spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration.

That’s all fine and dandy, but there are always items that toe the line between liquid and solid. For instance, what if you want to tear into some canned cranberry sauce mid-flight? It’s jiggly yet solid, but technically, you can also spread it, so is it carry-on compliant, or should you shove it in your checked bag and just opt for the dry pretzels on board?

TSA has a few features to help you read between the lines. You can download a free myTSA app, which has a “What can I bring?” feature that allows you to type in the item to find out if it can fly. You can also ask the agency on X or Facebook Messenger at @AskTSA. You can even send a question by texting “Travel” to AskTSA (275-872).

What Thanksgiving foods can go through a TSA checkpoint? 

While TSA agents have the right to keep you from taking anything through screening if they suspect it’s a security issue, Farbstein says you’re generally OK rolling through security with these items:

• Baked goods. Homemade or store-bought pies, cakes, cookies, brownies, and other sweet treats are totally fine.
• Meats. Turkey, chicken, ham, and steak—frozen, cooked, or uncooked—can all go through.
• Stuffing. This includes cooked, uncooked, in a box or in a bag.
• Casseroles. That includes traditional green beans and onion straws or “something more exotic,” Farbstein says. 
• Mac ‘n’ cheese. This can be cooked in a pan or traveling with the ingredients to cook it at your destination.
• Fresh vegetables. Potatoes, yams, broccoli, green beans, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, beets, radishes, carrots, squash, greens—they’re all permitted.
• Fresh fruit. Apples, pears, pineapple, lemons, limes, cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, and kiwi should be allowed.
• Candy, if that’s your thing.
• Spices, to season your food later.

What Thanksgiving foods can I check? 

There are some foods that need to go in your bag. Farbstein flags these as being destined for your check-in:

• Cranberry sauce: homemade and canned are both considered spreadable, so in the checked suitcase they go. (Pretzels onboard it is, ugh.)
• Gravy: it doesn't matter if it's thick and congealed or in a jar. It's a no for TSA.
• Adult beverages: wine, Champagne, and sparkling apple cider will have to be checked, but that's always the case.
• Canned vegetables or fruit: they almost always have liquid in the can.
• Jam, jelly, and preserves: more spreadables that aren't allowed through.
• Maple syrup: definitely a liquid.

Other important things to keep in mind

When packing, make sure your food items can easily be pulled from your checked luggage for quick screening as you go through TSA. The wait times are going to be long enough; don't add to them because you have to dig deep to find that Tupperware of casserole.

Farbstein also recommends keeping general food safety in mind to prevent foodborne illness when you finally wolf it down.“ If you need to keep items cold during your trip, ice packs are permissible, but they must be frozen solid and not melted when they go through security screening,” Farbstein says.

You can also check the  U.S. Food and Drug Administration website for more recommendations regarding holiday food safety. So, go ahead and gnaw on that turkey leg mid-flight. Just don't put gravy on it.