How to Reheat Pizza (and Everything Else!) in the Air Fryer
The Best Way to Reheat Leftover Pizza – Learn easy steps and top tips for how to reheat everything from pizza to french fries, fried chicken, buffalo wings, waffles, and more in the Air Fryer!
Why it’s Good to Use an Air Fryer for Leftovers
It’s thought by some health experts that microwaves are not the healthiest cooking/warming method. However, ovens take a long time to preheat and use extra energy.
Air fryers, on the other hand, preheat quickly and use little energy. They cook in a healthy manner, and create a unique crispy texture. So they are perfect for reheating leftovers… Especially those that taste best with a bit of crunch!
What Makes an Air Fryer Unique
You might be wondering why you need (or might want) an air fryer. You’ve got a microwave, an Instant Pot, a Slow Cooker, a toaster oven, and maybe even a Sous Vide machine. Is an air fryer really necessary? In short, no. Air Fryers are not necessary, but they are really handy! Most take up less space than a countertop microwave or toaster oven, and can replace the need for both. And of course, you can healthily “fry” foods with little to no oil, so there’s no need for a countertop deep fryer either.
An air fryer is essentially a specially-made convection toaster oven. That means it has a coil heating mechanism above the fry basket with a high-power fan (stronger than in a convection oven) to move the heat around the basket.
Speaking of the basket, air fryers come with a non-stick fry basket resting in an outer container. The fry basket has holes in it so the hot air can move through and around the food on all sides. Whatever oils are in/on the food in the basket releases vapor in the hot circulating air, so that is how the food “fries” with much less fat.
You can use your air fryer to not only cook, but reheat all sorts of foods with shining results. In fact, most taste and feel just as good as they did when fresh.
Here we share the best tips and easy steps – including cooking temperature and times – to reheat all of your favorite takeout and homemade dishes in the air fryer with ease!
The Best Air Fryer Tips
- Don’t Over-Crowd the Basket. Air Fryers work best when there is plenty of air space to circulate around the food.
- Shake! If the basket has more than a single layer of food in it, stop halfway through cooking and shake the basket.
- Start with Just a Few Minutes and add time as needed. Check the food at the lowest cook time, then add a few more minutes if desired. Since air fryers create crispiness, overcooking makes foods hard.
- Use Parchment or Foil for small items. You can reheat foods like fried rice and pasta in the air fryer, just be sure to place parchment/foil in the bottom so it doesn’t fall through the holes. It also helps to lift out foods with smaller pieces. Be careful the parchment paper doesn’t come up the sides of the basket. Important Note: Paper touching the heating coil could start a fire – so be very cautious!
- Always Preheat. Air Fryers cook extra fast when the basket is already hot. Therefore, preheat the airy fryer as you are pulling out your leftovers, so it’s got a head start.
Keep Reading for Temperature and Cook Times to Reheat Leftover Pizza, Fries, Wings, Waffles, Rice and MORE in Your Air Fryer!
How to Reheat Leftover Pizza
The air fryer makes it easy to reheat pizza so that it’s crisp on the bottom with the same gooey melted cheese and tasty toppings that you enjoyed when the pie was hot and fresh.
- Leftover Pizza: 350° F 3-4 minutes
- Frozen Pizza: 375° F – 8-10 minutes
- Fresh Uncooked Pizza: 375° F – 6-7 minutes
Try these fabulous homemade pizza recipes: How to Make Pizza Dough from Scratch Perfect Neapolitan Pizza, Grilled Chicken Teriyaki Pizza, Steak and Mushroom Pizza
How to Make French Fries Crispy Again
Soggy leftover fries are just sad. Get that crisp crunch that you crave back in a snap!
- Leftover French Fries and Tater Tots: 400° F – 2-4 minutes
- Frozen: 400° F – 15-20 minutes
- Fresh Raw: 375° F – 8-12 minutes
This even works to reheat homemade fries, like Shoestring French Fries (Julienne Cut), Cajun Fries, and even Baked Turnip Fries.
How to Reheat Buffalo Wings Without Drying Them Out
Avoid the oven to make leftover takeout or homemade Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings crispy and moist. The air fryer keeps the air circulating so the wings are perfectly juicy, just like they were freshly deep-fried!
- Buffalo Chicken Wings: 375° F – 3-4 minutes
- Frozen: 400° F – 20-25 minutes
- Fresh Raw: 375° F – 20-25 minutes
But that’s not all…
Other Food You Can Reheat in an Air Fryer
We’re just getting started! Not only can you reheat pizza, french fries, and wings in the air fryer… Just about any leftovers can easily be reheated to crisp perfection in mere minutes.
How to reheat restaurant or homemade Tavern Style Fried Chicken Pieces: 375° F – 4-6 minutes
Homemade Waffles, Pancakes and French Toast: 375° F – 1-2 minutes
Takeout or homemade Fried Rice: 350° F – 2-4 minutes
Beef or Pork, Sliced: 350° F – 3-5 minutes
Recipes we love: Smoked Pork Loin, Grilled Pork Loin, Corned Beef and Beef Brisket.
Sandwiches like Choripan Argentino (Chorizo Sandwich) and hot Reubens: 350° F – 3-5 minutes
Omelet or Egg Casseroles, like Greek Omelette Casserole and our easy Omelette Bake: 350° F – 2-3 minutes
Shrimp (we love this Paleo Coconut Shrimp recipe): 350° F – 2-3 minutes
Just curious but can you please explain why you said that microwaves are not the healthiest cooking/warming method? Thank you kindly.
Hi Jackie,
There is quite an online debate over why microwaving might not be the healthiest cooking method. (I still use mine, but have started reheating foods in the air fryer more often, just in case.) Here are some articles so you can decide for yourself…
https://www.fda.gov/radiation-emitting-products/resources-you-radiation-emitting-products/microwave-oven-radiation
https://www.prevention.com/food-nutrition/healthy-eating/g20464782/things-to-never-microwave/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/microwave-ovens-and-health#nutrients
https://legionathletics.com/is-microwaving-food-bad-for-you/
These tips are so useful, thank you! I love reheating food a lot and using the air fryer is so much easier. I’ll definitely use these suggestions.
I am a huge air fryer fan so these tips are so helpful! Thank you for sharing!
Love this!! We always have leftovers & sometimes reheating in the microwave, makes it soggy, but not the air fryer! It’s the only way to reheat food!