Whether you are freezing salad dressing alone or in a salad, your freezing success depends on what you freeze. Do not confuse mayonnaise with salad dressing because mayo often separates after freezing, leaving a lumpy mess instead of tasty mayonnaise. Conversely, salad dressings stay intact after you thaw them, resulting in a delicious and attractive salad dressing that is ready to use on a sandwich or in a salad.
Place salad dressing in a plastic container in the freezer, as long as you leave ample headroom for expansion. Leave at least 1 inch of free space at the top of the container and seal the container tightly. Write the date and the contents on the outside of the container and place it in the freezer. Store the salad dressing for up to six months. Thaw the salad dressing in the refrigerator for about eight hours.
Freeze pasta salads that contain salad dressings by placing them into a lidded container and sealing the container tightly. Write the date and contents on the container and place it into the freezer. Store the pasta salad for about three months. Thaw the pasta salad in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
Freeze potato salad that contains salad dressing; however, egg whites do not keep the same texture after thawing. For satisfactory potato salad freezing, omit egg whites and use salad dressing -- not mayonnaise. Store the potato salad in the freezer for about three months and thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.