As the most popular fast-food chain, many of us find it difficult to drive past a McDonald’s without popping in! But what happens if you order too much? To save your takeaway from going to waste, you might be wondering if it’s possible to freeze it.
Can You Freeze McDonald’s?
Yes, you can freeze McDonald’s for up to 4 months. McDonald’s beef burgers, chicken burgers, and French fries freeze well, but you will need to remove any salad or dressing before placing them in the freezer.
Does McDonald's Freeze Well? Sometimes
Can You Refreeze McDonald's? No
How to Freeze McDonald’s Beef Burgers
The vast majority of McDonald’s orders contain some type of beef burger. Whether you’re a fan of the classic Big Mac or Big Tasty, the good news is that you can order a couple of burgers and freeze those you can’t eat in one sitting.
Below are the steps you need to follow to freeze McDonald’s beef burgers:
- Cool: Allow your burger to cool entirely before preparing it for freezing.
- Remove Salad, Sauce, and Dressing: Remove any tomatoes and lettuce, and scrape off excess sauce and dressing from the bun, so you’re left with a simple burger patty and bun.
- Wrap: Wrap the patty and bun in cling film or tin foil before placing them in a sealed freezer-safe bag.
- Label and Freeze: Write today’s date, as well as the use-by date of your McDonald’s beef burger on the front of the bag, before transferring it to the freezer.
How to Freeze McDonald’s Chicken Burgers
If you’re more of a McChicken sandwich fan, you’ll be very happy to know that you can freeze McDonald’s chicken burgers just as easily as you can freeze beef patties.
The simple steps below explain how to freeze McDonald’s chicken burgers:
- Cool: Allow your chicken burger to cool completely before preparing it for freezing.
- Remove Salad, Sauce, and Dressing: Remove any tomatoes and lettuce, and scrape off excess sauce and dressing from the bun, so you’re left with a simple chicken burger and bun.
- Wrap: Wrap the patty and bun in cling film or tin foil before placing them in a sealed freezer-safe bag.
- Label and Freeze: Write today’s date, as well as the use-by date of your McDonald’s chicken burger on the front of the bag, before transferring it to the freezer.
How to Freeze McDonald’s French Fries
Few things are as delicious as McDonald’s French fries!
While they’re best when they’re fresh out of the fryer, it’s perfectly safe to freeze them and return to them at a later date, providing you have some leftovers!
Find out how to freeze McDonald’s French fries below:
- Cool: Allow your French fries to cool completely before preparing them for freezing.
- Transfer to a Freezer-Safe Bag: Transfer your French fries from their original packaging to a freezer-safe bag.
- Seal, Label, and Freeze: Seal the freezer-safe bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Then, write today’s date, as well as the use-by date of the fries on the front of the bag before placing them in the freezer.
3 Tips for Freezing McDonald’s
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing McDonald’s to have the best results:
Remove Dressings/Salads/Sauces
The most important thing to remember when freezing McDonald’s is to freeze your meal without its dressings, salads, and sauces. These will cause your burger and fries to go soggy.
You can ask your server for additional sachets of sauce in the restaurant when placing your order, which you can then add when you have defrosted your McDonald’s.
Reheat in the Microwave
The best way to reheat McDonald’s beef and chicken burgers is to reheat them in the microwave once they’ve been defrosted. You can even lightly toast the buns in the oven or toaster to give them a crispy texture.
Freeze Other McDonald’s Meals
Although we’ve focused on beef and chicken burgers, as well as French fries, you can also freeze a range of other meals from McDonald’s. Fillet O’ Fish, chicken nuggets, hash browns, and several of the other breakfast options freeze well, too.
All in all, McDonald’s is a great fast food option for freezing.
How Long Can You Freeze McDonald’s?
You can freeze McDonald’s for around four months.
While McDonald’s will keep in the fridge for around 24 hours after you have bought it, you’re best to get any leftovers in the freezer as soon as they’ve cooled, as you can’t be sure how long the meal was sitting out before being served to you.
Once cooled, you can pop most McDonald’s products in the fridge for 5 to 6 days.
How Do You Defrost McDonald’s?
To defrost McDonald’s, remove your burger and fries from the freezer, and allow them to thaw thoroughly in the fridge. Then, you can reheat them in the microwave for up to a minute or until they’re piping hot.
You should avoid reheating McDonald’s straight from frozen.
Can You Refreeze McDonald’s?
You should only freeze McDonald’s once. Patties and French fries tend to be delivered to McDonald’s restaurants frozen, so they have already been thawed and cooked before arriving on your plate.
As such, if you’re planning to freeze them at home, you should only do it once and make sure you enjoy your meal within four months of freezing.
Does McDonald’s Freeze Well?
The vast majority of items on the McDonald’s menu freeze well. This is great news if you don’t live close to a McDonald’s restaurant and like to stock up whenever you’re passing.
Equally, if you’ve ordered too much at any given time, you can safely freeze your leftovers to enjoy them at a later date.
Just make sure your McDonald’s is free from sauces, dressings, and salads before freezing, and you should have absolutely no problem with your tasty fast food when you come to enjoy it.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing McDonald’s or McDonald’s in general, then these may help:
Yes, chicken nuggets can be frozen for around 3 months. Freeze them on a baking sheet then, once solid, pop them into a freezer bag.
Although you can freeze McFlurry, doing so will ruin its texture. You’ll no longer have smooth, creamy ice cream. Instead, it will be brittle and crystalised.
