Pizza is one of the world’s favorite foods. It’s so customizable, with toppings and extras to make the pizza just right for you.
But often, when you order a pizza in a restaurant or get take out, it’s just too much to eat in one sitting. You’ll often be landed with some leftovers that you can eat another time.
The only issue is that it’s hard to reheat pizza so that it tastes just like it did the night before. It’s either too hot, and the toppings just fall off, or it’s not quite hot enough and it’s just not as enjoyable.
So, what’s the best way to reheat pizza and what temperature should you be using. That’s what this guide is all about!
What Is The Best Temperature To Reheat Pizza?
When it comes to reheating pizza, you’ll want to get it just right. This means heating the pizza at a medium-high temperature to reheat the pizza all the way through without burning the edges or making it soft and too gooey.
For the most part, the easiest way to reheat pizza is in a conventional oven that you have at home.
Use an oven, heated to around 300 degrees Fahrenheit to allow the pizza to heat evenly, without any burnt, crispy edges and cold middle parts.
But, there are so many different ways that you can reheat pizza so that it tastes just right.
Whether it’s with a conventional oven, a convection oven, a microwave, or even an air fryer, with this guide, we have got you covered!
The Best Temperature To Reheat Pizza
Depending on the appliance that you want to use, you’ll have to alter the temperature and the time it takes to reheat your pizza.
For instance, some appliances can use higher heats to reheat pizza, whereas others you will want to leave them on a lower temperature for a little bit longer.
With our guide, you can find the optimal temperature to reheat pizza for a range of appliances in your home.
In The Oven
The oven is probably your go-to appliance for reheating foods or cooking foods from scratch. A home oven is a perfect way to reheat your leftover pizza, as long as you know how!
The only problem with using an oven is that if you place the temperature too high, you’ll end up with edges burned to a crisp, and the middle of the pizza with all of the toppings will be icy cold!
No one wants that! So, the optimal way to reheat your pizza in an oven is at 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
How To Reheat Pizza In The Oven
First, preheat the oven to about 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, place your leftover pizza slices directly onto the middle rack of the pizza, so that it can warm evenly, and cook for 2-3 minutes.
If not cooked enough, cook for longer, but check every minute. Once the bottom of the crust is toasty, and the cheese is melting and warm, your pizza is ready to serve!
In The Air Fryer
Air fryers are growing more and more popular by the minute, as they can cook meals in just a matter of minutes with simplicity and ease!
If you’ve only got a slice or two of pizza leftover, then you can easily slide this into the tray of your air fryer to reheat it quickly!
To reheat your pizza in the air fryer, you are going to need to heat it to about 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
How To Reheat Pizza In The Air Fryer
First and foremost, place the slice of pizza inside of the air fryer basket whilst it is cold. Then, set the air fryer to about 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Put on the timer for about 5 minutes, and when it is done, check to see if the pizza is crispy on the outside, but warm and gooey on the inside. If it is not, then leave for an extra 1-2 minutes, and serve.
In The Microwave Oven
Using a microwave to reheat food is the quickest and most effective way to reheat anything.
Microwaves use radiation to heat food at extremely high temperatures, which is why microwaves are so fast at cooking food.
Whilst using a microwave will be the fastest way to warm and serve up your pizza, because of how fast it works, the results tend to be very sloppy and soggy.
However, there is a simple hack that you can use to avoid this from happening.
How To Reheat Pizza In The Microwave
First, get your pizza slices and place them onto a microwave-safe plate, put this into the microwave. Then place a cup half-filled with water next to the pizza inside of the microwave.
Using the full temperature power setting on your microwave, warm the pizza for about 30 seconds.
By placing the cup of water inside the microwave with your pizza, the water is absorbing the extra radiation, so that your pizza does not become overcooked, soft, gooey and sloppy!
With A Pizza Stone
Whilst pizza stones are great for baking pizzas made from scratch, they’re not so efficient when it comes to reheating pizzas, as they absorb the heat from the oven, and cook the pizza with a crispy crust just how original Italian pizza is made.
Because of this, it takes a while for the stone to gain the heat it needs to warm the pizza, so you’ll need a very high temperature of about 500 degrees Fahrenheit, or the hottest your oven will go.
How To Reheat Pizza On A Pizza Stone
Firstly, you’ll need to preheat the stone at the oven’s maximum temperature for about 30 minutes to an hour.
Then, you’ll want to place the stone on the top rack of the oven, before placing the pizza onto the stone.
This should allow the bottom of the crust to get crispy, whilst the cheese melts perfectly on the top.
Leave the slices of pizza on the pizza stone for about 2-3 minutes to warm fully, but make sure you watch it so it does not burn.
With A Convection Oven
Convection ovens are slightly different to normal, home, conventional ovens, as they are much smaller and circulate hot air for an even cook.
Due to the nature of the convection oven, it can actually reheat pizza very well and super evenly, so the toppings are just as hot as the crust.
For a convection oven, you’ll want to set the temperature to about 450 degrees Fahrenheit!
How To Reheat Pizza With A Convection Oven
When it comes to convection ovens, you’ll want to place the leftover pizza slices on a tray and put it into the oven whilst it is cold.
Next, set the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and cook the pizza slices for about 9-10 minutes. Once the crust is crisped up, and the cheese is hot and bubbling, it’s time to take it out of the oven and serve!
With A Toaster Oven
Toaster ovens are really similar to conventional ovens, except they are much smaller. Due to their small size, they’re really efficient and quick at cooking small items such as your leftover pizza slices.
The best temperature for a toaster oven to reheat leftover pizza is about 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
How To Reheat Pizza With A Toaster Oven
The first step is to preheat the toaster oven to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, you’ll need to place the leftover pizza onto a tray or baking sheet and put it into the oven.
Reheat the pizza slices for about 2-3 minutes, but keep an eye on it so that the edges and crusts do not burn too quickly.
When the cheese seems to get bubbly and the crust is just crispy enough, your pizza is done!
In A Frying Pan
You can even use a frying pan to effectively heat your pizza leftovers! Frying pans heat up quickly, and don’t use a lot of energy or time to warm up your food.
It’s simple, stress-free, and you’ll be enjoying the delicious taste of pizza once more in no time at all.
How To Reheat Pizza In A Frying Pan
First, preheat the frying pan using a medium heat. Then, spread a little bit of olive oil or vegetable oil in your frying pan to stop the pizza slices from sticking to the pan.
Once the pan is heated up, place a slice of pizza inside the pan, and cover it with a lid, as this will help the cheese melt effectively. Leave for one minute.
Next, check to see if the bottom of the slice is burning. If it’s crispy, then it’s ready to go, but if it’s not, leave it for a few seconds.
Some people prefer to flip the pizza to heat the cheese quicker, but you could end up with the slice stuck on the pan.
Quick Guide For Reheating Pizza
| Cooking Appliance | Cooking Time | Temperature |
| Conventional Oven | 2-3 minutes | 300 degrees f |
| Air Fryer | 1-2 minutes | 375 degrees f |
| Microwave Oven | 30 seconds | Full power |
| Pizza Stone | 2-3 minutes | 500 degrees f |
| Convection Oven | 9-10 minutes | 450 degrees f |
| Toaster Oven | 2-3 minutes | 350 degrees f |
| Frying Pan | 1-2 minutes | Medium heat |
How Do I Make Sure I Don’t Dry Out My Pizza When Reheating?
Sometimes, when you’re reheating foods that have already been cooked, they can become really dried out, hard and dehydrated. This can often happen when reheating leftover pizza.
This is typically because the moisture in the cheese, sauce, dough, and toppings is zapped out of the ingredients when the pizza is cooking.
However, when you reheat, it can just further dry out the ingredients and make the pizza feel hard, dry, and crusty.
Is It Safe To Eat Cold Pizza?
It is entirely safe to eat cold pizza, as long as it has not been sitting out for too long, or if it has been in a refrigerator.
We recommend that you do not leave pizza out at room temperature for more than 2 hours, especially if you live in warmer climates, as the bacteria in the pizza will just fester so much more quickly.
If you have leftover pizza, then it is fine to leave it in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Therefore, it’s perfectly safe to enjoy your cold pizza straight from the fridge within those four days, as the pizza will still be fresh and safe to eat.
Alternatively, you can use one of our simple methods to reheat your pizza and enjoy it warm!
How Do I Make My Leftover Pizza Crispier?
When you reheat pizza, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you may reheat it too quickly, which can result in sloppy, wet, and slimy pizza slices.
This is not how you want to do it. If you prefer crispy, crunchy crusts, then you’ll need to know how to make it extra crispy.
To do this, you’ll have to place the pizza slices on a baking sheet and place it on the bottom rack of the oven.
In other cases, if you’re using a microwave oven to reheat your pizza, then you’ll definitely end up with sloppy slices, so instead use our hack by placing a half-filled glass of water next to the pizza slice while you microwave.
How Do I Rejuvenate Leftover Pizza?
There are so many different ways that you can enjoy your leftover pizza, you don’t just have to eat it cold, or when it’s zapped of all of its flavors.
Instead, you can add some more mozzarella cheese before you reheat it to give the cheese that extra oomph, but is also amazing if you’re a cheese lover.
Alternatively, you can use fresh parmesan sprinkled on the top for a little extra flavor. If your leftover pizza feels dry, then you can always try drizzling some olive oil over the top.
One of our favorite ways to enjoy leftover pizza and give it a whole new lease of life is to dip it in some garlic and herb sauce or a little bit of marinara sauce instead.
You can even add some red pepper flakes if you love a little bit of spice, or try drizzling some hot sauce on it instead. Our favorite is Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
Summary
To summarize, pizza is one of our favorite snacks that can be enjoyed hot or cold.
Whilst pizza is oh so delicious, it is often too much food for just one sitting, which leaves us with some slices leftover from time to time. The only issue is that warming leftover pizza can often go wrong.
You can have dried out, hard and crunchy slices of pizza, or you can even end up with wet, sloppy, overcooked pizza from the microwave. So, how can you reheat the pizza to perfection?
If you cannot enjoy your leftover pizza cold, then you’ll need to know how to reheat your pizza the right way for the perfect slice every time!
Whether you need to use an oven, air fryer, microwave, or toaster oven to warm up your pizza, we have got you covered with this simple guide, filled with all of the optimal temperatures and heating times.
