How to reheat food in the air fryer

Thea Everett

Deputy editor (audiences) Thea loves to be in the kitchen and has a particular interest in cooking on a budget and deep frying. She thinks Sri Lankan and Indian food is the food of the gods. Discover her recipes and tune in to our Instagram feed, which she runs on a daily basis.

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Air fryers – the kitchen gadget of the moment and going nowhere soon – are great for cooking food, from chicken to cakes. But their hidden hack is their ability to reheat foods that a microwave would turn unpleasantly soggy and flabby. When you don’t want to turn the oven on just to heat up a slice of pie, the air fryer is your friend. From pizza to toasties, quiche to salmon plait, there are a plethora of dishes that can be reheated to perfection in minutes with just a little know-how. If you’re a person who enjoys pastry, you need to read on…

Have you ever tried to reheat a slice of pie in the microwave? If yes, you may have found your puff pastry turned to a sodden mess, no longer crisp and flaky but gluey like playdough. Equally, have you ever been that person – perhaps even this lunchtime – waiting interminably for the oven to slowly heat up and bring a fridge-cold slice of quiche back to life? Well, we have some good news for you! The air fryer is the answer.

As with reheating in the microwave, the greater the quantity of food in the machine, the longer you’ll need to reheat it for.

The best foods to reheat in your air fryer and how to do it

Slices of pie

The promise of a leftover slice of chicken or cheese and potato pie waiting for you in the fridge for lunch is always joyous. A joy that is quashed by the relative difficulty of just heating the damn thing up. That is, until the dawn of the air fryer. Heat up slices of pie at 170°C in your air fryer for 4-5 minutes (or use your gadget’s in-built reheat mode). They’ll be warm all the way through and pastry will remain gloriously flaky.

Macaroni cheese and pasta bakes

When you don’t want your macaroni to turn oily and split, it’s best to avoid the microwave. Instead, portion some into an enamel or aluminium dish and reheat in your air fryer at 180°C for 5-6 minutes, adding a splash of water in the bottom of the dish, and you’ll be rewarded with something that could fool you it had just come fresh out of the oven. Find our macaroni cheese recipes here.

Fried fish or chicken

If you’ve got leftover fish goujons, fishcakes, chicken schnitzel or fried chicken, here’s how to heat them up to perfection in the air fryer. Cook at 170°C for 4 minutes (or until piping hot throughout), turning halfway. Fish tacos or an easy chicken burger could be yours in moments…

How to reheat pizza in the air fryer

Leftover takeaway pizza can be turned into a dream, as if it’s just been dropped off by the delivery person – simply pop the slices into your air fryer and reheat for 3 minutes at 180°C. Cheese will ooze, and the crust will stay crisp, unlike the steaming mess of a microwaved slice of pizza, or the faff of trying to reheat the slices in a frying pan with lids and all sorts.

Quiche or tart

Ever had to rush an unappetisingly solid slice of quiche or tart for lunch or dinner because you didn’t have time for the oven to do its thing? Well, leave that problem in the past, as you can heat up your slices in the air fryer at 170°C in just 5 minutes. Be sure to cover the tart with foil if you notice it browning too much.

Crumble or cobbler

Why turn the oven on just for dessert, when you could have it ready in minutes? Heat leftover crumble in a metal dish at 170°C for 4 minutes and check it’s piping hot before serving.

Pasties and sausage rolls

Handheld pies (naturally) heat up just the same as slices of pie in the air fryer. That is, quickly! Perfect when you need a speedy lunch. Cook at 170°C in your air fryer for 4 minutes or until piping hot.

How to reheat chips in the air fryer

Cold chips? No problem! Place your chips in a single layer in the basket of your gadget and reheat at 170°C for 3 minutes. Miles better than microwaving them, we think you’ll agree.

Can I put foil in an air fryer?

Think of the air fryer as a mini electric oven: it’s perfectly safe to use foil in the gadget, but you need to ensure it doesn’t touch the heating element (usually at the top of the air fryer). Make sure the foil is snug around the food you’re reheating. Be mindful if you’re reheating acidic foods (for example casseroles with lots of tomato, or curries with lots of lime or lemon juice) as these can break down the foil and cause it to tarnish your food (as you may have noticed if you’ve ever left acidic foods in the fridge covered with foil).

Explore all our air fryer recipes here.