How to Microwave Pizza (Times for Every Size and Type)

Can You Microwave Pizza?

You’re standing in front of the microwave with a cold slice or a frozen pie, wondering if this is really a good idea.

The short answer is yes, you can microwave pizza – it just won’t come out with a crisp, oven-baked crust.

I’ve microwaved more slices of leftover pizza at midnight than I’d like to admit, and it absolutely works in a pinch.

What you’re trading for that speed is texture: the crust softens, sometimes to the point of feeling a little wet in the middle, while the cheese can go from cold to molten in under a minute.

If you’ve got five minutes and access to an oven or toaster oven, I’d usually steer you there instead. But when the microwave is your only option, or you just want it fast, here’s exactly how long to run it.

How to Microwave Pizza Step by Step

Whether it’s a whole frozen pizza or a couple of leftover slices, the basic method doesn’t change.

Step 1: Strip every bit of packaging. That includes plastic wrap, cardboard, and the little cardboard disc a lot of frozen pizzas sit on – none of it belongs in a microwave.

You do not need to thaw a frozen pizza first; it goes in straight from the freezer.

Step 2: Set it on a microwave-safe plate. Skip metal trays entirely, and check any plastic tray that came with the pizza is actually labeled microwave-safe before reusing it.

Step 3: Microwave in short bursts, checking as you go. Start with 4 minutes for a small frozen pizza on high power, then check it.

If the center is still cold or the cheese hasn’t melted through, add 60 seconds at a time and check again until it’s hot all the way through.

For leftover slices, start at 45 seconds and add 15-second bursts – it’s much easier to add time than to rescue an overcooked, rubbery slice.

If you’re reheating something like how to microwave mac and cheese alongside your pizza night leftovers, the same short-burst approach applies – cheese-heavy foods heat unevenly and go from perfect to scorched fast.

How Long to Microwave Pizza by Size and Type

This is the part everyone actually wants: real numbers for real pizzas. The chart below is based on a standard 1,000-1,100 watt microwave.

If your microwave is on the lower-powered side, closer to 700 watts, add 30-50% more time and check more often – older or budget models can take noticeably longer to get a pizza hot in the middle.

If you’ve got a higher-wattage commercial-style microwave, start checking earlier so you don’t overcook the edges.

Getting a Crisper Crust: Microwave Crisper Pans and Other Tricks

The single biggest complaint about microwaved pizza is the crust – it steams instead of crisping, since a microwave has no dry heat source.

A microwave crisper pan, sometimes sold as a microwave grill pan (Nordic Ware makes one of the better-known versions), is designed to solve exactly this.

The pan itself heats up in the microwave and browns the underside of the crust the way a hot skillet would, instead of leaving it steamed and pale.

If you’re using one of these pans, preheat it empty in the microwave for 2-3 minutes first, per the manufacturer’s instructions, then add your pizza and cook as normal – it usually cuts a minute or two off your total time too, since the pan is already hot.

Don’t have one? A cheaper trick I use constantly: microwave the pizza just until the cheese melts, then finish it under the broiler or in a toaster oven for 2-3 minutes to firm the crust back up.

This two-step method is basically how I handle most reheated how to microwave pierogies too – microwave for speed, then a hot pan or broiler for texture.

Tips for the Best Microwaved Pizza

A few small habits make a real difference to how your microwaved pizza turns out.

Cover it with a paper towel. Melting cheese can bubble and spit as it heats, and a paper towel over the top catches the splatter and keeps the microwave clean.

It also absorbs a bit of the steam that would otherwise make the crust soggier.

Check your toppings before you start. Most standard toppings – pepperoni, cooked sausage, vegetables, extra cheese – microwave just fine.

Delicate or oily seafood toppings like anchovies or smoked fish can turn rubbery or release excess liquid, so those do better under a broiler.

Rotate or reposition thick-crust or stuffed-crust pizzas partway through, since microwaves don’t heat evenly and dense edges can lag behind a thin center.

If your household also does a lot of frozen appetizers, the same rotate-and-check habit helps with things like how to microwave mozzarella sticks, where the cheese center heats faster than the breaded shell.

Microwave vs. Oven: Which Should You Use?

Speed is the microwave’s whole argument. A pizza that takes 15-20 minutes in the oven can be hot and ready in under 10 minutes in the microwave, sometimes under a minute for a single slice.

It also means less cleanup – just a plate, no baking sheet or oven to preheat.

The tradeoff is texture and, honestly, flavor. Oven heat dries and crisps the crust as it cooks; a microwave just adds moistened heat, so the base often ends up soft or slightly gummy.

I generally reserve the microwave for a single slice I want in the next two minutes, and save the oven or a skillet-with-lid method for a whole pie I actually want to enjoy.

The same logic applies to a lot of frozen, dough-based foods – I use the same reasoning when deciding whether to microwave or bake how to microwave bao buns, since bread textures generally suffer more in a microwave than saucy or cheesy foods do.

Food Safety When Reheating Pizza

Leftover pizza is one of the most commonly reheated foods in the country, and there are a couple of real safety points worth knowing, separate from taste and texture.

The USDA recommends reheating leftovers to an internal temperature of 165°F, checked with a food thermometer at the thickest part, according to FoodSafety.gov’s Safe Minimum Cooking Temperature guidance.

Microwaves heat unevenly by nature, which is exactly why a piece can feel hot on top but still be lukewarm underneath – always check the center, not just the surface.

Pizza left at room temperature for more than 2 hours should be discarded rather than reheated, per USDA guidance on time and temperature abuse.

Refrigerated leftover pizza is generally fine to reheat for up to 3-4 days, but if you’re unsure how long it’s been sitting in the fridge, when in doubt, throw it out.

This same 165°F rule applies whether you’re reheating pizza or something like how to microwave dumplings – any previously cooked, refrigerated food needs to come back up to that temperature, not just feel warm.