Reheating Pizza In The Air Fryer – An In-Depth Guide
Pizza is definitely one of the most loved snack cuisine menus in many countries. Whether you order it from your favorite shop or make it at home, a slice of pizza always makes things better. However, there are also a lot of leftover pizza slices that go to the trash once cold, which does not sit with most people.
In today’s article, we look at how to reheat pizza in the air fryer without ruining the crust! This guide is extremely easy and foolproof! You can have crisp-crusted and properly heated pizza that is as good as the day you bought it!
And, if by the end of this article, you are craving a couple of homemade slices, take a look at my Authentic Pizza Cubana Recipe! It’s super easy and extremely versatile!
How Does An Air-Fryer Work?
Even though an air fryer isn’t all that new on the market, many people still don’t understand how it really functions and what the benefits are of using it. Luckily, that’s why you have me. Check out this article about the 5 benefits of using an air fryer.
An air fryer, be it the large dual basket style, lid style, oven style air fryer, or classic basket style air fryer, is an extremely handy and versatile appliance to have around the house. And honestly, if food content wasn’t my life, I would most likely not even need my deep-fryer or microwave anymore! An air fryer can do it all!
Most of these appliances have similar settings. Mine (which is a slightly above entry-level model) has cooking settings for baking, air-frying, roasting, and dehydrating.
Now, what makes this appliance so popular is its heating element and how it distributes heat.
This appliance has been specifically designed to produce intense heat within a very small cooking chamber. Furthermore, it has strong built-in fans, which help circulate the hot air flow evenly throughout the chamber.
That is exactly why you can get crispy food without having to plunge them into a pot of fat!
Furthermore, this technology is why foods cook and reheat so quickly (as compared to using an oven or toaster oven). The chamber heats quickly and provides a stable temperature for the food to reheat.
Benefits of Reheating Pizza In The Air Fryer
For most people who enjoy convenient cooking, an air fryer is a total game changer! Now, if we only look at reheating pizza in an air fryer, there are a couple of benefits over other reheating methods.
The first is that it works quicker than, for example, the oven or pan reheating technique. It’s not as quick as a microwave, but then again, a microwave ruins any crunchy textures that a pizza slice has.
Next, the air-fryer also reheats the entire slice while maintaining the original textures. The crust stays crisp, and the toppings still get sizzling hot!
In an oven, again, it takes super long to heat. In a microwave, the entire slice becomes soggy, then dries out almost completely.
And, in a pan, only the crust gets crisp while the toppings remain virtually unheated.
So truly, to warm up pizza in an air fryer is the best method you can use if you have this appliance at home. And it’s hands-free too! Let’s take a look!
More Air Fryer Recipes
How to Reheat Pizza In The Air Fryer
The process is extremely simple. You don’t have to add parchment paper or a sheet of foil, but you could use aluminum foil or tin foil to save you time in the cleanup process.
You also don’t need to use any oil in the cooking chamber, and you don’t need to bring the slices to room temperature.
Simply place all the slices in a single layer in the air-frying chamber. The slices shouldn’t overlap. Otherwise, the melting gooey cheese will make them stick to each other.
Set the heat to 350ºF (170ºC) and leave the slices to heat for 3-4 minutes. I like to heat thin-crusted pizza slices for 3 minutes. Thick crust (or pan-crust) pizza slices can go for 4 to 4 1/2 minutes. And stuffed-crust slices can go for 4 to 5 minutes. Remember to set the temperature a little lower when reheating a deep-dish pizza to ensure that it heats evenly.
When the cheese is bubbling on the top of the slice, the pizza can be removed from the chamber.
Tips And Tricks
You don’t have to preheat the air-fryer to reheat pizza in the air fryer. And PLEASE don’t turn the slices if your appliance says so. Obviously, the toppings will fall off.
If you have to set the air fryer on a specific cooking technique, use the baking setting. Alternatively, use the air-fryer setting. All the settings are more or less the same.
It’s the way the air is circulated that makes them work in different ways. Just don’t roast the pizza. The roast setting provides most of the heat from the top. This doesn’t allow the bottom (crust) to get crispy.
As I’ve mentioned, you don’t really have to line the chamber with tin foil, aluminum foil, or baking sheet. The slices won’t stick because they are naturally anti-stick already. That also means that you don’t have to brush the base with oil. And the crust will get crispy without it!
Your average air-frying basket will be able to hold 2-3 slices of pizza. Maybe 4, depending on the size of the slices. While it may seem like a lengthy process, keep in mind that it only takes 3-4 minutes to reheat each batch.
Never remove the air fryer leftover pizza with your hands. It is much hotter than you think! Especially the melted cheese! Instead, use a spatula to lift the slices out. Let the pizza cool for a couple of minutes before diving in!
How to Reheat Frozen Pizza In Air Fryer
If you are working with frozen leftover pizza, you can still reheat it in the air-fryer. There are some changes that you need to make to the process to maintain the crisp base and soft, tender toppings.
For starters, you need to reheat the air-fryer to 400ºF (200ºC) on the baking or air-frying setting.
Then, line the basket with perforated parchment paper sheets. Frozen pizza is more likely to stick to the basket than thawed slices. You can either make your own sheets at home or buy them online.
Place the frozen pizza slices inside the basket. Leave them to reheat for 7-8 minutes.
Again, thin slices of pizza will take less time to thaw and reheat than thick slices. And, of course, stuffed crust slices will take longer than the average time set out above.
I do not recommend thawing the slices before you reheat them. It changes the consistency of the pizza dough too much and essentially ruins it.
Air Fryer Vs. Skillet Vs. Oven: Pros and Cons of Using Air Fryer to Reheat Pizza
We all love convenient ways to cook and reheat food! Although you can reheat leftover pizza using conventional methods like a skillet, a regular oven, or a mini convection oven, it’s no doubt that using air fryers in reheating leftover pizza slices is way more convenient. Here are the pros and cons of using an air fryer:
Pros of Using Air Fryer to Reheat Pizza
Crispy Crust
We all want a nice crispy crust on our reheated pizza, and an air fryer gives you just that! Most people complain about getting soggy microwave pizza, but with air fryers, you’re assured to have the crispiest pizza crust you can possibly get off your cold pizza after a pizza night.
It’s also a plus that you don’t need to lightly spray the basket to prevent sticking!
Convenient
I don’t need to clarify this further; using an air fryer is the most convenient way to reheat pizza. With air fryers, reheating pizza only takes a short while, does not need any preheating, and requires no additional dishes.
Retains Texture and Flavor
When you air fry leftover pizza, you’re assured that the slices retain their flavor and texture without burning the crust. Once again, the air fryer makes reheating leftover foods easy!
Versatile
You can not only use your air fryer to have a hot pizza but also to cook so many other refrigerated leftovers and food ideas! You can use your air fryer to cook chicken, crispy mac and cheese, crispy eggplant, potato wedges, and even potato French fries!
Cons of Using Air Fryer to Reheat Pizza
Limited Capacity
Not being able to reheat as many slices as you like might be a con, but this is totally negligible if you live solo and do not require multiple slices of pizza. And if you do need a lot of slices, you can always do multiple batches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course, you can always make fresh pizza using your air fryer basket. Personally, making thin crust pizza in the air fryer is easier as it has way lower cooking time than thick crust pizza. You can always maximize your toppings and are guaranteed to have melted cheese every time!
Reheating thin crust pizza in the air fryer is very easy and requires no prior experience. Simply place cold pizza slices in the basket and set the setting to “baking,” and you’ll have to say goodbye to soggy pizza and say hello to crispy pizza in just a few minutes.
Your classic air fryer basket holds about 2-3 slices of pizza. If you have more leftover slices to reheat, you can always air fry in multiple batches.
According to USDA, you can reheat up to 3-4 day-old pizza. However, before you reheat pizza slices, please make sure that they are free from any signs of spoilage.
No, using an air fryer to cook or reheat pizza does not make it any healthier. Air-fried pizza still contains the same amount of calories, saturated fat from cheese melts, and everything that there is in pizza cooked in conventional methods.
