Freezing is an easy and popular way to preserve many food products like meats and herbs, and many people like to freeze condiments and sauces that would otherwise spoil quickly.
Mayonnaise has a somewhat short shelf life once opened, so you may be curious to know if mayonnaise freezes. I did the research, and here is what I found!
Does Mayonnaise Freeze?
Mayonnaise can freeze because mayonnaise contains some liquid from the eggs, vinegar, and oils, but that does not mean mayonnaise should be frozen. If you thaw frozen mayonnaise, the mayonnaise will split and be unusable. Ideally, mayonnaise should be kept in the fridge once opened to preserve the quality of the mayonnaise.
Do you want to learn more facts about freezing mayonnaise and preserving mayonnaise? Keep reading!
Can You Freeze Mayonnaise?
You can freeze mayonnaise since mayonnaise contains enough liquid to freeze at the right temperature.
However, just because you can freeze mayonnaise does not mean that you should freeze mayonnaise.
Mayonnaise is an emulsified sauce made from eggs, oils, and a type of acid. Emulsification refers to mixing two ingredients that usually do not combine, like vinegar (acid) and eggs with oils.
Emulsifying is a tedious process, and the emulsification can easily break if you add vinegar, oil, etc., too quickly, and freezing and thawing mayonnaise can ruin the emulsification.
At What Temperature Does Mayonnaise Freeze?
Typically, mayonnaise can mostly freeze below 32°F or 0°C, but mayonnaise completely freezes at -50°F or -45.56°C, which is a lot colder than what most freezers can reach.
Should You Keep Mayonnaise Refrigerated?
Ideally, you should keep mayonnaise refrigerated because refrigeration is the best way to preserve mayonnaise, especially if you opened your mayonnaise.
How Long Does Mayonnaise Last In The Fridge?
Typically, opened mayonnaise can stay fresh for about two months in the fridge, but how long mayonnaise will stay fresh will depend on the brand.
For instance, Kewpie mayonnaise can last for 1-3 months in the refrigerator after opening it, but Kewpie’s manufacturers recommend you consume your opened Kewpie mayonnaise within one month.
What Happens If You Freeze Mayonnaise?
Mayonnaise will be frozen when you freeze mayonnaise, but the issue with freezing mayonnaise is when you thaw frozen mayonnaise.
Thawing frozen mayonnaise will break the mayonnaise’s emulsification, meaning the oils, vinegar, and eggs will separate so it will be very difficult to use your mayonnaise.
While your mayonnaise will not be inedible after you thaw it, you will likely not want to eat the mayonnaise because it will not look, feel, or taste the same.
Can You Freeze Food With Mayonnaise In It?
While you can technically freeze food with mayonnaise in it, your food may not be good once thawed.
When you thaw frozen food with mayonnaise, the mayonnaise will split, causing oil, vinegar, and eggs to be all over your food instead of mayonnaise.
Therefore, it is not recommended that you freeze food with mayonnaise to prevent ruining the whole dish.
How Do You Defrost Frozen Mayonnaise?
You can defrost frozen mayonnaise by moving the mayonnaise from the freezer into the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
However, the mayonnaise will likely split as the mayonnaise thaws, and a pool of water will form over the separated mayonnaise.
It is not ideal to use a microwave on the defrost setting to defrost mayonnaise because microwaving frozen mayonnaise will further increase the chances of your mayonnaise splitting.
Will Frozen Mayonnaise Make You Sick?
Normally, it is unlikely that frozen mayonnaise will make you sick unless the mayonnaise has been contaminated with bacteria from being exposed to air or other foods.
Typically, contamination in frozen mayonnaise can occur if you stored your mayonnaise in the freezer in an improperly sealed container or without a lid, meaning other bacteria from meats, the freezer, etc. can contaminate the mayonnaise.
However, you may feel sick if you try to eat frozen mayonnaise because frozen and thawed mayonnaise has an unpleasant texture since the emulsification breaks when thawed.
Can I Mix Yogurt With Mayonnaise?
Some people state that mixing plain yogurt into mayonnaise can extend mayonnaise’s shelflife due to yogurt’s acidity levels and abundance of healthy bacteria.
However, there is no evidence that proves mixing yogurt with mayonnaise will extend the lifespan of mayonnaise.
How Do You Store Mayonnaise Long-Term?
Mayonnaise is a shelf-stable product that can last for 1-2 years depending on the expiry date when stored in a cool and dark place like a cupboard.
Therefore, you need to keep any unopened mayonnaise jars away from sunlight and harsh temperature changes, making cupboards and pantries an ideal place to store unopened mayonnaise.
However, you need to keep your mayonnaise in the fridge once opened to prevent quick spoilage and to preserve the mayonnaise’s quality.
Generally, it is ideal to keep your mayonnaise at the door of your fridge because the temperature at the fridge’s door is just cold enough to preserve mayonnaise without freezing the mayonnaise.
Keep in mind that refrigerating opened mayonnaise will not keep the mayonnaise from spoiling as refrigerating mayonnaise only slightly deters the spoiling process.
Mayonnaise is still made from raw eggs, and even if those eggs are pasteurized they will slowly go bad once you open your mayonnaise jar.
Pasteurizing eggs only eliminates the bacteria in the eggs but pasteurization will not prevent any new bacteria from contaminating the eggs or mayonnaise.
Can You Freeze Hellman’s Mayo?
Like most types of mayonnaise, you cannot freeze Hellman’s mayonnaise because the mayonnaise will split and be unusable.
Can You Freeze Avocado Mayonnaise?
Given that the avocado mayonnaise does not contain oil, you can freeze avocado mayonnaise because oil-free avocado mayonnaise will not have any emulsification to break.
Read our related articles to learn if mayonnaise needs to be refrigerated, if mayonnaise expires, and if mayonnaise has sugar.
Conclusion
While mayonnaise can be frozen, it is not recommended to freeze mayonnaise because the emulsification can break, causing the mayonnaise to have a different texture, appearance, and taste.
You can preserve opened mayonnaise by keeping the mayonnaise at the door of the fridge, but the mayonnaise tends to only stay fresh for 2 months after opening.