Here Are The Holiday Foods TSA Will Let You Take Through Security

It’s Christmas week, and that guarantees plenty of two holiday traditions: traveling and eating. If you’re taking to the skies out of New York, you may think that security restrictions rule you out of bringing any dishes to Christmas dinner or deny you the joy of leftovers. TSA wants you to know that isn’t true.

AAA estimates that 113 million Americans are traveling for the holidays this year, and almost half of them will be flying. This is a 20 percent increase from 2021 and a 4 percent raise from the last pre-COVID holiday travel season.

TSA-Approved Christmas Dishes

Although you may not want to be sitting next to the guy that brings a whole turkey onto the plane, a surprising amount of food is allowed on flights in the US. A TSA release says as holiday food goes, “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.”

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Also, this might be handy to know - you can bring the pan you cooked the food in on the plane. If you bring these dishes on the plane with you, I hope you have more willpower than me. I’d probably be digging in before the Captain managed to turn off the ‘fasten seat belt’ light.

What Christmas foods can go in your carry-on

Meats (turkey, ham, etc.) frozen, cooked, or uncooked

Stuffing/dressing

Casseroles

Mac ‘n Cheese

Fresh fruit and vegetables

Cookies, cakes, and pies

What Christmas foods have to go in checked baggage

Cranberry sauce

Gravy

Egg Nog

Canned fruit or vegetables (canned in liquids)

Preserves, jam, and jelly