How to reheat pizza in the air fryer
The thrill of eating leftover pizza soon wears off when you open the microwave to find a soggy slice that isn’t quite as appetizing.
If you’ve had a lot of trouble reheating pizza correctly in the past, the answer is here! Using an air fryer to reheat pizza is possibly the best way to go, and your pizza will be crispy and piping hot in no time.
How do you reheat pizza in an air fryer? Reheating pizza in an air fryer is wonderfully easy. You follow the guidelines for the air fryer, preheat it for a few minutes, then place a slice or two in the basket and let the pizza reheat for a few more minutes.
Of course, there are some tips and extra steps you need to take to make sure you get the best reheated pizza out of your air fryer, so read on to find out the best ways to reheat pizza in your air fryer.
What is an air fryer?
If you don’t have an air fryer at home, let’s hope this is the post that finally convinces you to buy one. People who own air fryers always talk about how great they are, but are they really worth it?
To understand why so many homes are now using air fryers, it helps to know how they work. An air fryer is a kind of tabletop convection oven, but how an air fryer works is different than an oven.
The top section of an air fryer has a heating mechanism and a built-in fan. Hot air is drawn down from the warming mechanism and the fan helps this heat to quickly circulate around the food.
This makes the food well-done, crispy and very similar to how it would be if it were to be fried.
Best of all, you can use very little, and sometimes no oil at all. Using less oil in the air fryer doesn’t affect how wonderfully crispy food cooks, which is why families love it so much!
Can you reheat pizza in the air fryer?
You can reheat pizza in an air fryer, and doing so is ridiculously easy. It’s almost as easy as reheating pizza in the microwave, but with much better results.
The results obtained from reheating pizza in the air fryer are similar to those in the oven.
The pizza doesn’t get soggy and instead is perfectly crisp, only you don’t have to wait as long for the oven to preheat as for the pizza to heat up in it.
If you’re short on time but want perfectly reheated pizza, or even if you have all the time in the world but want your pizza to be crispy and delicious when reheated, the air fryer is definitely the best option.
The only problem you may encounter when using an air fryer to reheat pizza is that you won’t be able to fit a whole pizza inside, and you will probably have to reheat 2-3 slices at a time, depending on the size of your air fryer basket.
It’s best to make sure that the pizza slices don’t overlap or stack on each other, as the air from the fryer won’t be able to circulate well around the slices, and you won’t get crispy, reheated pizza slices.
However, reheating pizza slices in the air fryer is quick enough that making a few slices at a time isn’t a problem.
Advantages of Reheating Pizza in the Air Fryer
There are many reasons to reheat pizza in the air fryer. And the same can be said for reheating and cooking many other things in the air fryer!
rapid reheating
Reheating pizza slices and other foods with the air fryer is much faster than many other methods. The air fryer has to heat up first, but it takes much less time to heat up than an oven.
The air fryer goes from cold to ready to cook in just a few minutes, and pizza only needs to be left in the air fryer for a short time to reheat.
The microwave is faster than the air fryer, but you won’t get anywhere near the same results with the microwave, which will reheat the pizza until it’s soggy and mushy.
less cleaning
When using an air fryer to reheat pizza, you don’t have to put parchment paper or aluminum foil on it like you do when using a cookie sheet.
You can simply place the pizza slices directly on the air fryer rack and start cooking. If you really want to, you can spray some nonstick spray on the rack, but it’s not always necessary.
Makes pizza crispy
Reheating pizza in the microwave will give you a soggy, rubbery pizza. Reheating pizza in the oven takes too long, and the best results are not always guaranteed.
However, reheating pizza in the air fryer will give you a crispy crust and gooey cheese, and the pizza will taste just as good as cooked fresh!
Reheat any pizza
There is no limit to the type of pizza you can reheat in the air fryer. Deep crust, thin crust, a homemade pizza, a slice of pizza from the deli, a pizza from the store… all pizzas are great reheated in the air fryer!
Without oil
You don’t need to add oil to reheat pizza in the air fryer. Just place the chunks on the air fryer rack and let them reheat.
This is a much healthier way to reheat and cook different types of food, plus you don’t miss out on any great-tasting food.
How to reheat pizza in the air fryer
Reheating pizza in the air fryer is perfectly easy to do, and you’ll have a great, crispy pizza once made if you follow a few simple steps.
- Preheat the air fryer to the proper temperature. For thin crust pizza, it will be 325°F. For thick crust pizza, preheat air fryer to 350°F.
- Place each serving in the basket until there is no more room. The pizza slices should not clutter the basket and should have some space between them to allow air to flow into the fryer.
- Return the basket to the air fryer and allow the pizza to reheat for 4 minutes.
- After 4 minutes, remove the basket from the fryer and check that the pizza is piping hot and reheated. If not, put it back in the fryer for another minute.
- If you are going to reheat several slices of pizza, you will need to do it in several batches. You won’t need to preheat the air fryer each time, so follow steps 2-4 for each subsequent batch.
By following these steps, you’ll have perfectly reheated, crispy slices of pizza in no time.
Tips for Reheating Pizza in the Air Fryer
There are some additional tips and tricks you can follow to get the best results when reheating pizza in the air fryer.
Just adjusting a thing or two here and there, and avoiding doing certain things, will really make a difference with how well your pizza reheats.
Here are some tips for reheating pizza in the air fryer
- Do not overlap pizza slices in the air fryer basket. The hot air from the air fryer will not be able to circulate properly, and this means that the pizza will not reheat properly. It is best to put a few pieces at a time.
- If you’re reheating a large number of servings, try grouping them by size. Some portions may be smaller than others, and it’s a good idea to reheat the smaller portions together, and then the larger portions together. This ensures that the smaller pieces don’t dry out or burn while the larger pieces are still heating up.
- If the pizza browns too quickly or starts to burn before it’s fully heated, you can try lowering the temperature a bit. Try going down 25°F first and see if that helps.
- To give the crust a bit more flavor and color, you can add a little garlic butter or cooking oil to the crust before popping it into the deep fryer. This will help it crisp up, give it a nice golden color, and keep it extra flavorful.
Should I keep the toppings on the pizza?
Pizzas with toppings, like pepperoni, can be reheated in the air fryer.
However, if you don’t want these toppings to become dry and crisp (especially if they were slightly burnt when first cooked), you can remove the toppings from the pizza slice before reheating it in the air fryer.
You only have to remove the ingredients from the pizza when it is cold, such as the sausage, mushrooms, peppers or olives, and reserve them on a plate.
Preheat the air fryer and place the pizza slices in the basket and place them in the air fryer to reheat.
Allow the pizza slices to reheat, but remove the basket 1 minute early. Very carefully (as the pizza will be hot), replace the toppings on the pizza slices and return the basket to the deep fryer.
This allows the toppings to reheat along with the pizza, but the toppings won’t burn or crisp too much.
This ensures that all of the pizza and its toppings reheat to perfection, with nothing overcooked or burned.
Can I reheat frozen pizza in the air fryer?
If your pizza is frozen, can you reheat it or cook it in the air fryer? You can cook frozen pizza in the air fryer, and it’s really easy to do.
The only problem is that most air fryers won’t fit a whole pizza in the basket, so you’ll either have to cut the pizza into pieces beforehand or use only mini pizzas going forward.
Here’s how to cook frozen pizzas in an air fryer:
- Spray some nonstick spray on the air fryer basket.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the pizza before placing it in the air fryer basket.
- Fry the frozen pizza at 380°F for 8 minutes.
- After 8 minutes, check that the pizza is fully cooked and piping hot. If it’s not, you can put it back in the fryer for another 2-3 minutes until it’s well done and crisp.
- Take the pizza out of the oven, let it cool and enjoy it.
Keep in mind that the cooking time will change depending on the type of pizza. For example, a deep-crust pizza will take longer to cook than a thin-crust, so keep that in mind when calculating the cooking time for your pizza.
Can I reheat the pizza twice?
You should never reheat food twice, as this could increase the chance of bacteria growing, which could lead to foodborne illness.
Don’t reheat food unless you intend to eat it at the time. You should not let it sit for hours, or put it back in the fridge, and then reheat it a second time, as this increases the risk of the food spoiling due to temperature fluctuations.
If you have a few slices of pizza left in the fridge but you’re not sure how many you’re going to eat, heat the minimum amount first so nothing goes to waste.
If you’re still hungry and want an extra chunk or two after this, the air fryer will quickly reheat it for you.
How long can I keep leftover pizza in the fridge?
Be sure to use up any leftover pizza that has been stored in the fridge within 3-4 days . Pizza slices should be stored in an airtight container and should not come into contact with other foods in the fridge.
Leaving pizza in the fridge for longer increases the chances of bacteria growing, and you could get quite sick after eating it!
Spending too much time in the fridge also diminishes the flavor and texture of the pizza, and it won’t be as good to eat as it would be if you ate it within the recommended time frame!
Related questions
Now that we’ve gone over how to reheat pizza in an air fryer, let’s take a look at some related questions!
How do you reheat pizza in the microwave without making it soggy?
There is a way to reheat pizza in the microwave without making it soggy.
To do this, place a microwave-safe glass with a little water in the microwave next to the pizza. Heat the pizza for 45 seconds and it should be hot and not soggy.
You can heat it for more than 45 seconds if it is not hot enough, just check every 30 seconds.
How do you reheat pizza so it’s not soggy?
To reheat pizza in the oven so it’s crisp and not soggy, you can place the pizza on a sheet of aluminum foil directly on the oven rack.