If you have leftover pizzas and an air fryer, reheating pizza in the air fryer is easy with better results than in your microwave for a great meal the next day.
You can reheat pizza, whether it is a crispy leftover pizza, frozen pizza, takeout pizza, or just regular pizza, if you have the right tools and techniques.
If you want to cook pizza in an air fryer, you can do that, and I have a post on it. There are a lot of air fryer recipes aside from air fryer pizzas, chicken wings, pizza rolls, and french fries.
An air fryer is one of the best options for reheating cold pizza. I barely use any oil, and it reheats my leftover slices of pizza in a few minutes and never gives a soggy crust.
Every time, I reheat pizza with my air fryer, I get a super crispy crust, and my crispy pizza tastes like it did when I got them delivered by Domino’s.
Depending on the size of your air fryer you can put in more than one slice of pizza at a time but rarely the entire pizza. I have a Philips air fryer that can reheat 2 slices at a time.
Within this guide, I will share how to reheat a pizza in an air fryer and keep the crust crispy and for the toppings to stay tasty and flavorful as they were before.
How To Reheat Pizza In an Air Fryer
One of the easiest ways to reheat a frozen pizza is to cook it in your air fryer.
It is much better than heating the whole oven as it only takes a few minutes.
I love the convenience of an air fryer as you insert parchment paper and the slices, and you are good to go.
Here are the things you will need:
- Slices of pizza you are going to reheat.
- Perforated parchment paper/sheet or aluminum foil.
- Cooking or oil spray (optional)
Instructions:
Step 1: Set the air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and get your pizza slices out of the fridge as well.
Step 2: Place the foil or perforated parchment paper at the bottom of the air fryer basket. Be careful not to touch the sides of the basket as they might be too hot.
Step 3: Put the pizza slices on top of the perforated parchment paper and then insert the basket into the air fryer to reheat the pizza slices.
Drizzle a little bit of olive oil onto the pizza slices or cooking spray if you do not want the toppings to dry out too much. This part is optional.
Step 4: Reheat the pizza for 5 to 6 minutes, but check every 3 minutes to see if the pizza has reached the crispiness you want.
Step 5: If after 5 minutes the pizza has not reheated yet or you want the toppings to be crispier, you can extend the reheating process for 1-2 minutes but always keep an eye on it.
Step 6: Once the pizza slices have been reheated to your liking, remove them from the air fryer, let them cool down a bit, and enjoy your delicious, crispy, and hot pizza slices.
How Long To Reheat Pizza In Air Fryer
There are different types of pizza that you can reheat in the air fryer. Depending on the thickness of the crust and toppings, they may vary on how long they need to be reheated.
This graph shows you how long to reheat each type of pizza in an air fryer by using the same temperature that we used in the guide above at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
| Pizza Type | How Long To Reheat In Air Fryer |
| Regular Crust | 3 to 6 minutes |
| Thin-crust Pizza | 3 minutes (can be extended to 4 minutes) |
| Frozen Pizza | 7 to 8 minutes |
| Deep-Dish Pizza | 6 to 8 minutes |
| Frozen Deep-Dish Pizza | 10 minutes |
If you have other types of pizza that you want to reheat, you can use 375 degrees Fahrenheit on the air fryer and depending on the size and thickness of the pizza, the timer can change.
The key is to ensure that the pizza’s internal temperature is at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit when you read it with a probe to ensure that it is safe to eat.
Do You Need Oil?
Using oil when you reheat pizza in an air fryer is not necessary. The main purpose of oil when reheating pizza in an air fryer is to prevent the pizza from sticking to the air fryer basket.
Our guide above uses perforated parchment paper or aluminum foil as a base in the air fryer basket, which is enough to keep the pizza slices from sticking to the bottom.
You can use oil or cooking spray if you are unsure or do not have perforated parchment paper or foil but do not put too much oil; you need just a thin layer.
I only use oil when I am reheating pizza slices in my air fryer when I do not want the toppings to dry out.
That is when I drizzle about a teaspoon of olive oil per slice of pizza or spray a thin layer over the pizza slices to keep the toppings from burning or drying out.
Do You Preheat The Air Fryer?
There is no need to preheat the air fryer when reheating pizza slices. The heat inside the air fryer will circulate, so it easily heats the pizza crust and toppings in an even manner.
You can, however, preheat the air fryer if you are more used to that. There is nothing wrong with preheating the air fryer, but there is a risk that the crust will burn before the toppings are reheated.
When you preheat the air fryer and take the basket out to place the pizza slices in it, the air fryer loses the heat as it escapes, but the surface of the air fryer basket will stay hot.
So as you return the air fryer basket to the air fryer, it will preheat the air inside it again, which is the key to reheating the toppings.
That is, all the while, the air fryer basket surface is hot. So as the pizza’s crust gets reheated and crisped, the toppings will not cook evenly with the crust.
Based on this and my years of experience reheating pizza in an air fryer, I find it better to put the pizza in the air fryer basket right away before setting the temperature.
Reheating Pizza In An Oven Vs Air Fryer
Reheating pizza in an oven is a common practice as it is convenient, like air fryers. However, you do not get the same results with these two.
If you use a regular home or convection oven, the process of reheating pizza is much slower than when you do it with an air fryer.
With the air fryer, you do not need to wait long to preheat it. Compare that to the oven, where you must preheat it for at least 10 minutes.
Because of the larger space in the oven, the pizza slices are also less likely to become crispy. Since air fryers are small and have a heating element near the pizza, they become much crispier.
Perhaps the only advantage of an oven is that it is larger. That means it is better if you plan on reheating a whole pizza instead of just a couple of slices.
Air fryer wins over the oven when reheating pizza because of these reasons:
- An air fryer heats up quicker than a convection oven.
- You do not need to preheat your air fryer when reheating pizza slices.
- The air fryer concentrates the heat near the pizza slices to become crispier.
- Air fryers are great for snacks where you do not need to reheat the whole pizza.
Other Ways To Reheat Pizza
Aside from air fryers, there are other common ways to reheat a pizza. Some of these you might find are more convenient if you do not have an air fryer.
- Convection Oven – with a range of temperatures to choose from, you can slowly reheat your pizza in a convection oven anywhere between 10 to 20 minutes.
- Stove Top – using a non-stick pan, you can reheat your pizza on the stovetop at medium-low to medium heat in just 5 to 8 minutes.
- Wood-fired Oven – what better way to reheat pizza than to put it back where it was initially cooked? A wood-fired pizza oven can reheat your pizza in just 1 to 2 minutes.
- Microwave – this is another convenient way to reheat pizza as there is no preheating or long waiting time when you microwave leftover pizza, which only takes 3 to 4 minutes.
- Toaster Oven – you can also reheat your pizza in a toaster oven if that is what is available in your kitchen. It will take only 10 to 15 minutes to reheat your pizza.
- Skillet – when you reheat your leftover pizza on a skillet, you are guaranteed to have the crispiest crust on leftover pizza within 5 minutes of reheating.
Best Way To Reheat Pizza
The best way to reheat pizza is to put it in a pizza oven. A wood-fired pizza oven will reheat your pizza within 1 to 2 minutes, even frozen pizzas can be reheated in a wood-fired pizza oven in just 2 minutes.
Your challenge here, however, is that it takes a lot of preparation. You need time to prepare the wood you are going to use, time to wait for the pizza oven to heat up, and time to get your tools.
So while you get the best results when you reheat pizza in a wood-fired pizza oven, it will be too much hassle, especially if you only need two or three slices of pizza to be reheated.
In cases where you only want to reheat a couple of slices, the best way to reheat pizza slices is by using your air fryer.
You can get the pizzas to finish reheating within 6 minutes, and the crust’s crispiness and textures on the toppings are unmatched compared to other appliances.
Tips For Reheating Pizza In An Air Fryer
- Air fryers are not that large so arrange the pizza slices in an alternating pattern where the edge of the crust of the first slice goes one way, and the next slice goes the other – and so on.
- There are large air fryers that can fit small pizzas, so if you can afford them, buy a larger air fryer to reheat more pizzas.
- Line the air fryer basket with foil or perforated parchment paper to make sure that the pizza slices do not stick to the air fryer basket.
- Check the pizza slices every 2-3 minutes to prevent overcooking or burning them.
- Spray or drizzle some oil on top of the pizza to prevent the toppings from becoming too crispy or dry.
How To Reheat Leftover Pizza That Has Been Outside For Long?
A quick way to reheat pizza in an air fryer would be to crank up the air fryer to 375 and reheat for about 6 minutes.
It is not safe for any perishable and cooked food to be eaten if it has stayed out at room temperature for too long
The limit for pizzas to stay outside the fridge or at room temperature is 2 hours. Beyond that, I recommend you smell the pizza and check if it is gone bad or not.
If you smell or taste anything unfamiliar, throw it out immediately.
If your pizza has not stayed at room temperature for more than 2, you can safely reheat it immediately and eat it.
Make sure that the internal temperature of the pizza is at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Best Temperature To Reheat Frozen Pizza
Frozen pizza should be reheated at a temperature of 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Frozen pizza needs to be reheated at a different temperature since it is colder.
That way, the heat can slowly seep into the pizza and cook the colder interior of the pie or the pizza dough.
Too much heat will only burn the outer parts or edges of the crust while it leaves the interior cold and mushy.
So you need the heat to slowly cook the frozen pizza and balance the heat inside.
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