Ah, leftover pizza! Few things are as exciting as waking up in the morning and remembering you have a couple of slices of pizza left in the fridge that you can tuck into to get you through your morning or as a speedy lunch. But what’s the best way to reheat pizza?
To reheat pizza, either place it in a pan on the stovetop or put it in the oven. Reheating pizza in the microwave can cause it to go soggy, so it should be avoided.
How to Reheat Pizza
The biggest problem you face when reheating pizza is that it might go soggy, which is why we advise you not to put it in the microwave!
Instead, check out these two foolproof ways of reheating it, so it’s almost as tasty as it was the first time around:
How to Reheat Pizza on the Stovetop
While you might be surprised to hear this, reheating pizza on the stovetop is the best way to warm your leftovers. It might not be considered the go-to option but it’s actually the approach we advise:
Here’s how you go about reheating it in a pan:
- Heat Pan
Place a flat, non-stick frying pan over medium heat on the stove and add a few drops of water to the base. - Add Pizza
Add your pizza slices to the pan and reheat it for 2-3 minutes until the cheese starts to melt. Cover the pan with a lid or foil and allow the pizza to bake in the pan. This is the step that helps to melt the cheese. - Serve and Enjoy
Use a spatula to prise your pizza from the bottom of the pan and transfer it to a plate. And there you have it – reheated pizza without a soggy bottom.
Yes, you can reheat pizza in an air fryer. Set the temperature to around 180C and then air fry individual slices for approximately 3 minutes, depending on the thickness, until they’re piping hot through.
How to Reheat Pizza in the Oven
Another option for reheating pizza is by using the oven. This is probably your best bet if you’re reheating a whole pizza, as opposed to slices as trying to fit a whole pizza into a frying pan will be a challenge.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Preheat Oven
Switch on your oven and preheat it to 200C or 395F. - Heat a Tray
Cover a tray with tin foil and place it in the oven for 2-3 minutes. This will heat it up nicely before you add your pizza. You could also opt for using a pizza stone here if you have one. - Add Pizza and Reheat
Remove the tray from the oven and add your pizza. Return it to the oven and reheat it for 8-10 minutes. - Serve and Enjoy
Remove your pizza from the oven and tuck in! It should be piping hot so you may need to leave it to stand for a minute before enjoying.
How to Reheat Pizza Successfully
You now have two methods for reheating pizza successfully but here are our 3 tips to ensure you have complete success:
- Avoid the Microwave – While it’s tempting to reheat pizza in the microwave, don’t do it! Due to the way your microwave works, it’s likely to cause the pizza base to go soggy.
- Enjoy Cold – Some people enjoy cold pizza just as much as one that is fresh out of the oven! If you’ve never tried cold pizza, you don’t know what you’re missing. Not only is it delicious, but it will save you the hassle of reheating it.
- Slice it Up – Although you can reheat a whole pizza, slicing it up makes your life easier, particularly if it’s a large or XL! You could always leave the remaining slices for the next few days, as leftover pizza should be good for 2-3 days, providing you wrap it well and keep it in the fridge.
- Add More Cheese – Want a particularly gooey top to your pizza then tear a few pieces of mozzarella up and spread out over the top of the pizza before you reheat it.
Is It Safe to Reheat Pizza?
Yes, it’s perfectly safe to reheat pizza. But because you’re dealing with dairy, you need to be careful about leaving your pizza at room temperature.
The cheese will spoil when left out for too long, so you need to get your leftover pizza in the fridge as soon as you can, so it will be nice and tasty when you’re ready to enjoy your leftovers.
You also need to err on the side of caution if the topping on your pizza contains a meat product such as salami or pepperoni. It will be safe to reheat but it should be left out at room temperature for extended periods of time.
Reheating Pizza FAQs
Below are a couple of common questions that get asked when considering reheating pizza:
Leftover Domino’s pizza (or pizza from any takeaway for that matter) can be reheated using either of the methods above. Provided that you don’t leave it out at room temperature for extended periods of time then it will remain perfectly safe to reheat.
Although it is perfectly safe to use the microwave when it comes to reheating pizza, it’s not something we would recommend doing. You’ll find that once crispy base will turn to mush and the toppings will dry out.
Yes, you can reheat pizza with most toppings providing that you store it correctly. Once cooled to room temperature, do not leave it sitting out for extended periods of time. This is especially true for meat toppings.
When reheating a whole pizza, the best option is to use the oven. This will warm the pizza through properly, should crisp up the base and will make the top soft. You should avoid using the microwave, unfortunately.
Lewis is the founder and editor of Let’s Foodie alongside other food-related platforms including FreezeIt and SubstituteIt. He launched Let’s Foodie to provide aspiring cooks with one place to get the answers to some of the most commonly asked cooking questions.