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Home » Kitchen Appliances » Air Fryers

How to Reheat Food in an Air Fryer and the Best Leftovers to Reheat!

01/28/2022 by Richmond Howard

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We all know the pain of reheating a slice of leftover pizza, only to discover that it has become limp, soggy, and sad. One of the biggest benefits of reheating leftovers in an air fryer is that they will become just as crispy as when they were first made.

You should 100% be using your air fryer to reheat food if you’ve got leftovers in your fridge. 

You can reheat just about anything in an air fryer The only real exceptions are foods with a high liquid content like saucy dishes, soups, and stews.

In this post, we’ll show you how to reheat food in an air fryer and some of our favorite leftovers for reheating. We’ll also make sure to tell you exactly how long and what temperature to run your air fryer at.

Be sure to check out our list of air fryer meal prep recipes for more ideas!

Table of Contents
  • Can You Reheat Food in an Air Fryer?
  • How Do You Reheat Food in an Air Fryer?
  • The 15 Best Leftovers for Reheating in an Air Fryer
  • Tips for Reheating Food in an Air Fryer
    • 1. Preheat your air fryer
    • 2. Don’t overfill it
    • 3. Spray with oil
    • 4. Use foil or parchment paper
    • 5. Check your food regularly
  • Summary: Reheating Food in an Air Fryer is the Best Method

Can You Reheat Food in an Air Fryer?

Yes! You absolutely can reheat food in an air fryer. The hot air circulating in your air fryer means that your food will be reheated evenly and consistently, unlike a microwave. They also preheat in just 2-3 minutes while an oven will usually take 10-15 minutes to get up to the right temperature.

In our opinion, air fryers are the best option for reheating leftovers. The food will be heated all the way through with a crispy exterior. It’s so much faster than reheating in an oven and the food will stay warm, unlike a microwave. 

The only downside is having to clean the air fryer. Sometimes we’re in a hurry and just have to use the microwave because it’s a bit easier. 


How Do You Reheat Food in an Air Fryer?

Reheating your leftovers in an air fryer is simple. 

Different dishes will need a different length of time in the air fryer to reheat completely

Start by preheating your air fryer to 400 degrees. This will probably take you about 5 minutes. 

Set your leftovers into your air fryer basket and place the basket inside the air fryer. 

If you are trying to reheat a lot of leftovers, we would recommend doing this in smaller batches to prevent overloading the air fryer. You can also do a larger batch by reheating it for longer and giving it a toss halfway through.

Once reheated, drop the air fryer temperature down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and reheat the leftovers for 3 minutes. 

If it is still not warm enough, return the basket to the air fryer and leave for a bit longer. We suggest checking on the temperature of your food at 1 or 2 minute intervals.

This method will not only warm your food but will also give it a crispy exterior. Once you’re happy with the temperature, remove the basket from the air fryer and turn it off.

Allow the air fryer to cool completely before attempting to clean it.


The 15 Best Leftovers for Reheating in an Air Fryer

1. Chicken Wings

Chicken wings are by far best reheated in an air fryer. This will give them the perfect crispy exterior as though they just came out of the fryer. 

I recommend giving the wings a quick spritz of oil just to give it some fat to crisp up. You can also coat your wings in your favorite sauce. 

2. Roasted Chicken

Any kind of roasted or grilled chicken will be great heated up in an air fryer. Reheating chicken in the microwave will just make it rubbery and it might come out hot, but it’ll just get cold halfway through eating. 

3. Leftover Vegetables

Leftover vegetables are best reheated in an air fryer! If you reheat them in a microwave they’ll be soggy, wilted, and they won’t stay warm for long. Reheating the vegetables in an air fryer will keep them hot, crispy, and almost like you’d just made them the first time. 

4. Hamburger

You might be surprised, but you can actually reheat a hamburger in an air fryer. Stick the whole thing in and it’ll get warmed all the way through. You’ll also have a crispy bun and exterior to the meat that is delicious. 

5. Chinese Food

Chinese food is almost always fried the first time it’s made and then tossed together with a yummy sauce. 

This means that the best way to reheat Chinese food is to use an air fryer. This will re-crisp up the Chinese food and give it that same good texture you had the first time you ate it. 

6. Baked Potato

Baked potatoes are almost always cooked in an oven initially. When it comes time to eat your leftover potato, a microwave just won’t quite do the trick. It’ll heat the potato unevenly and it’ll end up just being mush. 

Reheat a baked potato in an air fryer to get the best results!

7. Quiche

Reheating leftover quiche is a tricky thing. The microwave won’t do it justice. You’ll end up with soggy and rubbery eggs. An oven will work but takes quite a bit longer to preheat and reheat. 

Reheating quiche in an air fryer is the perfect middle ground. The quiche will be crispy on the edges like it was just cooked for the first time. 

8. Egg Cups / Egg Muffins

Egg cups or egg muffins are a great protein-packed breakfast that you can make ahead of time. The only downside is that reheating them in the microwave can make them taste rubbery or chewy. 

Reheating them in an air fryer will crisp up the edges.

9. Fried Fish

If you try to reheat fried fish in the microwave, it’ll just come out mushy. The air fryer will give the battered outside a crispy finish while keeping the fish flaky on the inside. Fried fish won’t take long at all so keep a close eye.

10. Steak

Steak has a tendency to become chewy and tough when placed in the microwave to reheat. It can be reheated in slices on the stovetop, but this tends to dry out the meat at the same time.

Reheating the steak in the air fryer locks in the moisture, keeping it juicy and succulent. For an extra layer of luxury, you could spoon a lump of butter onto the top of the steak before warming through.

11. Tortilla Chips

Tortilla chips become soggy when exposed to air, meaning that leftovers are never as satisfying as the original.

Pop them in the air fryer and their original crunch will be restored in a matter of minutes. This makes the perfect afternoon snack that tastes just as good as any restaurant.

12. BBQ Ribs

Ribs are fantastic when you heat them up the right way. Give them an extra glaze of bbq sauce before reheating them. 

The air fryer will make the sauce caramelize on the outside while locking in the moisture to make a succulent mouthful.

13. Chicken Nuggets

Chicken nuggets, tenders, or anything else covered in breading, reheats perfectly in the air fryer.

They have a tendency to become soggy as they cool, but reheating them like this means that the exterior will become as crispy as when they were originally fried.

These will take around 3 to 4 minutes at a temperature of 320 degrees Fahrenheit.

14. French Fries

Reheating french fries has always been a disappointing venture. No matter what, they become soggy, limp, and lifeless. Once you have tried using an air fryer to reheat them, you will never use another method again.

The outside of the fries crisps up to its original golden hue, while the interior remains soft and fluffy.

15. Pizza

This is by far the best way to warm up leftover pizza. Unlike heating it in the microwave, you will end up with a crisp crust and underside.

At the same time, the cheese on the top will melt perfectly and it will be as good as when it was first baked!

This should take 3 to 4 minutes at a temperature of 320 degrees Fahrenheit.


Tips for Reheating Food in an Air Fryer

1. Preheat your air fryer

Preheating your air fryer only takes a few minutes and can make a big difference in how your food turns out! If the air fryer is hot right when your food is put in, you’ll get an extra crispy exterior. This is especially helpful if you’re reheating any kind of chicken or meat. 

2. Don’t overfill it

One of the biggest mistakes people make is putting too much food in their air fryer. Air fryers depend on hot air circulation around the food. If there’s too much food then the air can’t circulate. 

If you have a lot of food to reheat, then one option is to simply regularly turn and shake your food within the air fryer basket. 

3. Spray with oil

You definitely don’t want to have super oily foods in your air fryer. It can cause it to gunk up and the food may not heat well. 

That being said, a light spritz of oil can help your food get a nice crispy edge. I really recommend this if you’re reheating chicken or dry veggies like broccoli. 

4. Use foil or parchment paper

The biggest disadvantage of cooking with an air fryer is that it can be messy. It’s just another couple of things to clean up. Putting foil in the bottom of your air fryer pan can drastically reduce the mess and clean-up required. If you don’t have foil on hand, you can also put parchment paper in the air fryer.

5. Check your food regularly

When you’re reheating food in an air fryer, it’s good to check it regularly. Different kinds of food need different amounts of time for reheating. 

The last thing you want to do is burn your precious leftovers. Check every 2-3 minutes until it’s done.


Summary: Reheating Food in an Air Fryer is the Best Method

Reheating leftovers is one of the most important things to get right when it comes to dieting or meal prepping. 

We strongly recommend that you reheat food in an air fryer! It takes a bit more clean-up time, but it makes the best food by far. 

We recommend running the air fryer at 400 degrees and starting with 2-3 minutes and then 1-2 minute intervals for best results.

Richmond Howard

Richmond Howard started Meal Prepify in 2019 and has helped over a million people learn how to meal prep, get better at meal planning, and create a kitchen they love to use. He’s an avid home chef and loves to bbq, grill out, and make awesome food for family and friends. He’s been featured on MSN, Renaissance Periodization, and Good Financial Cents.

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