Sandwiches are a delicious lunch option. If they are made with freshly baked bread and the filling of your choice, be it ham and cheese, mozzarella, basil, and tomato, or chicken mayonnaise, for example, they make a quick and easy meal.
However, perhaps you’re wondering if you can make them in advance and freeze them, so you have easy lunches for some time to come. The answer is yes to some extent. You can’t freeze every type of filling as some may make the bread go soggy. Tomatoes, lettuce and cucumber don’t freeze at all well and nor do pickles and relishes.
In addition, you will need to freeze them raw and grill or toast them after you have defrosted them. You can always add extra fillings, relishes, and condiments after they have been thawed. In this article, we will tell you how to freeze sandwiches and how to defrost them.
How To Freeze Sandwiches
1. Make the sandwiches.
Use fresh bread for the best results, butter the bread, and add fillings.
2. Wrap the sandwiches individually.
So that your sandwiches don’t stick together when in the freezer, wrap each sandwich separately in cling film or aluminum foil.
3. Put the sandwiches in freezer bags.
Divide the sandwiches into meal-size portions. By doing this, you will only defrost as many sandwiches as you need for a meal. Squeeze out all the air from the freezer bags so that freezer burn doesn’t occur. Freezer burn will ruin the taste and texture of your sandwiches. Put labels on the bags with the date and contents. It is important to write on the fillings if you are freezing many different ones. Alternatively, you can use airtight containers.
4. Freeze.
Tips For Freezing Sandwiches
- Squeeze out all the air from the freezer bags to prevent freezer burn.
- Use fresh bread if you can. Freezing won’t make stale bread fresh again.
- Avoid certain fillings such as lettuce, rocket, tomato, cucumber, low-fat cheese, soft cheese, hard-boiled eggs, and mayonnaise. Most will make the sandwiches soggy while egg whites will become rubbery.
- There are plenty of fillings that freeze well so you will be spoiled for choice. Try chicken and pesto, falafel (see also Can You Freeze Falafel?), hummus, nut butter such as peanut butter, ham and cheese, corned beef, full-fat cheese, bacon, tuna with sweetcorn and cream cheese, salmon and avocado, sliced meats, or meatloaf and caramelized onion jelly.
For How Long Can You Freeze Sandwiches?
You can freeze sandwiches for around two months. After this time, they will start to become soggy. If you want to keep the sandwiches for longer, you can freeze the bread and the fillings separately. Bread on its own can be kept in the freezer for up to nine months. You will, however, need to check how long the fillings will freeze.
How Do You Defrost Sandwiches?
The best way to defrost your sandwiches is slowly and steadily. This will help them to retain their taste and texture. Take them out of the freezer and put them in the fridge and allow them to thaw. This should take five or six hours. Don’t defrost the sandwiches at room temperature as this can encourage bacteria to develop. This is particularly important if you have fillings of meat, fish, or dairy. To firm up your sandwiches after defrosting, toast or grill them. They will then taste just as good as fresh sandwiches.
Can You Refreeze Sandwiches?
We don’t recommend that you refreeze sandwiches. Every time you freeze, ice crystals are formed and if you freeze for a second time, the ice crystals will make the sandwiches soggy. In addition, it’s not a good idea to freeze meat, fish, or dairy more than once as it encourages bacteria to form, risking food poisoning.
Is It A Good Idea To Freeze Sandwiches?
As long as you choose the right fillings, sandwiches do freeze well. Don’t choose any fillings with a high moisture content as these will make your sandwiches soggy. You can always add these sorts of ingredients when you defrost your sandwiches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hopefully, you now know all there is to know about freezing sandwiches but in case you are still curious, we have answered a few questions here.
Yes, you don’t just have to freeze plain white or brown bread. You can also freeze sourdough bread, bagels, crumpets, naan bread, ciabatta, and focaccia. You can even freeze rye bread and flatbreads. This means that you can easily enjoy a great variety of bread.
We don’t recommend freezing shop-bought sandwiches unless you are sure what the fillings are. Many will have sauces which can lead to soggy bread. It’s much better to make your own sandwiches and it’s a lot cheaper as well.
Bread is safe to freeze but you will need to think about the fillings and whether or not they freeze well. Take a look at the list of appropriate fillings we have given earlier in this article, and you should be fine.
If you are going to eat your sandwiches within a few hours, your sandwiches should be fine in the refrigerator. However, if you keep them in the fridge for longer, they can become soggy. If you do want to keep them for some time, we advise freezing them.
