Can You Freeze Mayonnaise On A Sandwich?

Mayonnaise is one of the most classic sandwich toppings out there. It seems like most people enjoy either mayonnaise or mustard on their sandwiches because it gives them some additional flavor and keeps them from being dry. 

Do you ever make your sandwiches in bulk and freeze them? It’s a great way to plan ahead and have things ready to grab and use at any time. This makes a great lunchtime option because they don’t need excessive thawing time. 

But can you put mayonnaise on a sandwich and then freeze it? Mayonnaise, in general, does not freeze well, and it’s not recommended to freeze mayonnaise. However, you can successfully freeze your sandwiches for a short period. 

We’ve put together a simple guide to walk you through the ins and outs of freezing your sandwich with mayonnaise on it and what you might be able to expect from the process. We’ll let you know how you can successfully freeze your sandwich. 

Keep reading to learn everything you should know about freezing mayonnaise on a sandwich. 

A Guide to Freezing Mayonnaise on a Sandwich

Mayonnaise is one of those things that you will hear mixed reviews on about whether or not you can freeze it and what will happen when you do so. 

The problem is not so much that it doesn’t freeze well but rather that when it thaws you might not like the end results. 

Mayonnaise goes through an emulsion process to combine eggs, oil, and vinegar. These particular ingredients are items that typically don’t mix well but with the creation process of making mayonnaise, you get this tasty condiment that can be used for many things. 

What happens is your mayonnaise freezes fine but when you thaw it out from the freezer, the properties tend to separate which will give you a liquid layer on the mayonnaise. That is often an undesirable effect. 

However, the good news is that on a sandwich you use a minimal amount of mayonnaise so you shouldn’t have to worry about this being an extensive issue on your sandwich. Ultimately, while it’s not highly recommended, you can freeze your sandwich with mayonnaise on it. 

We’re here to walk you through the process. 

The Basic Creation of Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise can be purchased from the store or made at home. If you’re going to attempt to freeze mayonnaise of any kind, we recommend that you only freeze store-bought mayonnaise as it is processed differently than what you are able to make at home. 

But to give you an idea of what we’re working with we just wanted to share the basis of mayonnaise with you and how it is made. Mayonnaise on a sandwich is pretty minimal so we just want you to understand the basics. 

Since we don’t recommend freezing homemade mayonnaise, we’re going to share with you a brief description of how it is commercially made. 

Mayonnaise is made up of oil, vinegar, egg or egg yolks, and any spices or seasoning that are added. Typically, the eggs are pasteurized because this makes the storage and processing much easier and allows you to preserver mayonnaise longer as well. 

In the commercial industry, everything is combined into a dynamic mixer that processes the mixing process. This is how the ingredients get emulsified through a continuous pumping process. 

From there, it is placed into jars or bottles and sealed for further processing and distribution. 

It’s not an overly complicated process but understanding the basics can help you understand what you are working with as you get to the freezing process. 

Storing Sandwiches with Mayonnaise

Here’s a fun fact for you. Freezing your sandwich with mayonnaise is actually better than trying to refrigerate your sandwich with mayonnaise. Why? Because the mayonnaise tends to separate at normal or even refrigerated temperatures. 

You are less likely to have this separation issue with commercially made mayonnaise but it is still a possibility. 

Nonetheless, you can store your sandwich with mayonnaise in the refrigerator just fine for a day or two but we recommend just going ahead and storing your sandwich or sandwiches in the freezer from the get-go. 

Pros to Freezing Sandwiches with Mayonnaise

• Make-ahead sandwiches and freeze them
• Preserve a sandwich for an extended period of time
• The convenience of pull from the freezer and go
• You can eat it straight from the freezer
• Freezes well with little concern of going bad

Cons to Freezing Sandwiches with Mayonnaise

• If you thaw the sandwich, ingredients may separate
• Mayonnaise does not thaw very well after freezing
• The texture of the mayonnaise may be affected

As you can see, there are ups and down to freezing sandwiches with mayonnaise but ultimately you should be able to freeze your sandwich and not have any issues to worry about. 

We mentioned before that freezing mayonnaise can be tricky, but keep in mind that your sandwich just has a thin layer of mayonnaise in addition to other toppings so freezing your sandwich with mayonnaise should work just fine. 

How to Freeze a Sandwich with Mayonnaise

1. Make your sandwich as normal including your meat, cheese, and mayonnaise through your usual process. 
2. Wrap the sandwich in plastic wrap tightly or place it into a sealing freezer bag. You can double layer as well but it’s not necessary as long as it is airtight. 
3. Place in the freezer. 
4. Recommended freeze time for a sandwich with mayonnaise is only about 2 months. 

When you remove your sandwich from the freezer, you can let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes and then enjoy it.

There is no need to let it thaw extensively or to heat it. However, if you want to reheat your sandwich in the microwave, read this article we wrote about whether or not you can microwave a sandwich with mayonnaise.

In fact, you want to eat it within a few hours of removing it from the freezer as the separation of the mayonnaise occurs. The properties of the sandwich should not be extensively frozen. The bread is the most likely to be frozen but it should not be an issue. 

An alternative to freezing your sandwich with mayonnaise would be to prep your sandwiches ahead of time and freeze them but wait to add the condiments until you are ready to eat the sandwich. 

Unfortunately, this option requires additional time and takes away a bit of the convenience that is found in fully preparing the sandwich ahead of time and freezing it for later. However, we provide this as an additional option for freezing the mayonnaise. 

Summary

Remember that if you are going to attempt to freeze mayonnaise on a sandwich, we highly recommend that you use commercially made mayonnaise as it does freeze better than homemade mayonnaise. 

Also, keep in mind that you don’t want to allow extensive thawing time for your sandwich with mayonnaise as this is what can cause your mayonnaise to separate and will negatively affect the overall texture of your mayonnaise and your sandwich. 

Finally, we want to remind you that your sandwich is not primarily mayonnaise but rather has a small amount of mayonnaise included on the sandwich and therefore your sandwich should be minimally impacted by freezing regardless of the mayonnaise that is on it. 

Bonus tip: If you want an alternative to mayonnaise, you might want to consider adding avocado to your sandwich instead.

Related Questions

We hope that you find this guide to freezing mayonnaise on a sandwich to be helpful and that you feel fully informed and prepared to make your sandwiches and freeze them and not worry about the end results. 

We’ve put together a question and answer section to provide you with some additional information and we invite you to take a look to see if it may be of use to you. 

How Long Does It Take Mayonnaise to Thaw?

If the mayonnaise was fully frozen in a jar and then moved to room temperature it takes only about 2 hours to thaw out and begin to separate.

For this reason, we recommend that you eat your sandwich within about 2 hours of removing it from the freezer. 

You can let your sandwich thaw in the refrigerator as well if you prefer but we recommend eating it within about 8 hours of removing it from the freezer in this case as well. 

Once your sandwich has thawed, you can use these cute cookie cutters to cut your sandwich (or your kid’s sandwich) into fun shapes.

How Can You Defrost or Thaw Mayonnaise?

If you were to freeze mayonnaise by itself, you would allow it to thaw in the fridge for several hours in the least cold part of the fridge. Typically, you keep it in a low area of the fridge away from the fan to allow it to thaw properly. 

When it thaws, you will notice that the liquids separate and your mayonnaise simply doesn’t look right. This can typically be corrected by stirring the mayonnaise and mixing it back together. 

Does Mayonnaise Actually Turn Frozen?

Mayonnaise is preserved in the freezer through these methods but it will not freeze to a solid form in the freezer. Mayonnaise typically freezes solidly at -50 degrees Fahrenheit but it has been found that being frozen at 0 degrees Fahrenheit will preserve it in a frozen state.