The Absolute Best Ways To Reheat Days Old Pizza

Cold pizza will always have its charm, but let's be honest — nothing beats the irresistible magic of a fresh, piping-hot slice straight from the oven. And while there are still ways to use up leftover pizza in non-traditional ways (like pizza french toast), you may still find yourself yearning for fresh pizza's hot, crisp, and delicious characteristics, leaving you scrambling to find a way to recreate the magic that once was.

So, how is the task of reheating pizza best done? Ah, we're glad you asked. We've scoured the internet to get you only the best techniques to help you recreate the taste of mouthwateringly fresh pizza right from the comfort of your own kitchen. Not only will we present you with specific techniques to use when reheating pizza the most common ways, but we will also explore some unconventional quirkier options we're certain will make you second guess the way you've been reheating pizza up until this point.

Grab a cold slice and join us in the kitchen. We're ready to reveal the absolute best ways to reheat leftover pizza.

There are several in the Reddit community who claim this to be the absolute best method for reheating pizza out there, so listen up. Using a skillet to reheat pizza over stovetop works well because it allows the bottom crust to stay crispy while simultaneously melting the cheese and reviving the toppings. If you opt for this method, you'll need to use specific strategies, so it may take a little longer than others.

To reheat old pizza using a skillet, begin by preheating. Place your pan over the burner, lid off, and set it to medium heat. If you're looking for an extra crispy crust, feel free to add a little oil at this point; otherwise, it's fine to leave the pan dry. Once the pan has warmed, place a few slices of your pizza inside. Be sure that all pieces can fit and avoid overcrowding, as this may prevent the bottom of your pizza from crisping up properly.

After you've heated the pizza in your pan for a few minutes, add no more than 1½ teaspoons of water into the pan and immediately top with a lid. If you can, try to add your water away from the pizza (you can do this by tilting the pan to the side) before placing it back on the stove. Once the cheese has melted (usually about 30 seconds), remove the lid and cook for an additional minute, making sure all water has evaporated. Enjoy!

Warming pizza on an outdoor grill isn't just a random option — it actually yields unbelievably scrumptious results when done correctly. We stumbled across this method online by happenstance, and given that it's totally possible to make an entire pizza on the grill, reheating pizza using this method sounded like a great idea to us. Indeed, this pizza warming technique gives stellar results, with a perfectly charred crust on the bottom and hot bubbly cheese on top.

To reheat leftover pizza on an outdoor grill, first set your grill to medium-high and allow it to warm up. Once warmed, place your pizza slice(s) directly on the grill plates and let it sit. The amount of time will depend on the size and thickness of your pizza, but generally, you'll want to start checking your pizza for readiness around the five to seven minute mark.

Before removing the pizza from the grill, ensure that your crust is warm and crispy and that the cheese and toppings are hot. If all looks good, go ahead and remove the pizza from the grill and chow down. Easy.

Some cringe at the idea of using a microwave to reheat leftover pizza, but there are ways to make microwaved pizza better if you're willing to put forth the added effort. And since pizza tends to last at least a few days, you've got plenty of time to experiment.

One of the biggest issues with microwaved pizza is that it often yields rubbery, hardened cheese and an unpleasantly chewy crust. To enjoy fresher-tasting microwaved pizza, start by adding water. You can go about this one of three ways. The first is to place a small cup of it in your microwave along with your plated slice of pizza. As your slices heat, the water from the cup will create a steamy environment to melt your cheese and revive the pizza toppings.

Other options include covering your pizza with a damp paper towel or drizzling a small amount (we're talking just a few drops) of water directly over your pizza cheese to turn it from dry and lifeless to gooey and delicious. By using water, you help to create steam, which can prevent your pizza from drying out. And while you may not be able to avoid all textural changes when using a microwave to reheat pizza, these techniques can seriously improve your results.

There are quite a few ways to reheat pizza in the oven that can produce fantastic results, but which strategy you'll use will depend on your desired end results. For a delightfully crispy crust, preheat a baking pan lined in foil or parchment (without the pizza) at around 375 F. This step allows the surface of the baking sheet to get nice and hot. Remove the warmed baking sheet from the oven, place cold pizza on top, and pop back into the oven until heated through, anywhere between five to 11 minutes.

For a softer crust, heat your oven to 375 F, line your baking sheet, set your pizza on top, and place it directly into the oven. Cook for the same amount of time, five to 11 minutes, or until your pizza is hot and bubbling. To amp up your pizza's cheesiness, place a few drops of water all over the pizza's surface (you can also use a clean fine-mist spray bottle) before warming it in the oven.

Note that how long your pizza takes to reheat using the oven will depend on the type of pizza you are attempting to reheat and your oven's temperature settings. Thicker crust pizzas or pizzas with lots of toppings are bound to take longer to heat than others, so keep that in mind and adjust reheating times accordingly.

A sandwich maker is one of the easiest yet messiest pizza reheating methods of the bunch, but, hey, it gets the job done, especially if a crispy, crunchy pizza crust is what you're after. To reheat a pizza in a sandwich maker is simple. All you need to do is warm up your sandwich maker (we love this Hamilton Beach Electric Selaed Sandwich Maker Grill), place your pizza face-up on the hot plates, close the sandwich maker, and wait — about 90 seconds usually does the trick. Use a fork to gently retract any toppings that stick to your grill plates before setting them back on top of your pizza to enjoy.

Of course, you'll likely only be able to heat up one to two slices of pizza at a time using this method, but because the warming process is so quick, it shouldn't be much of a dealbreaker. All in all, this method may not be fancy but when you want something quick and don't want to fiddle with water or bulky appliances, using a sandwich maker to reheat pizza is a great option.

The air fryer is useful for so many things, and reheating pizza is yet another way to utilize this fascinating machine. Aside from the skillet on stovetop method, heating pizza in an air fryer is a wildly popular option to bring days-old pizza back to life.

Unlike a few of the other methods mentioned here, there aren't many steps you need to take to ensure your pizza in an air fryer turns out perfect. You don't need to add water or even preheat your air fryer if you don't want to — although there are a few people who suggest doing so to ensure each slice is evenly heated.

That brings us to our next point: there isn't one specific way to reheat pizza in an air fryer. Simply toss your pizza into the basket (face up, of course) and turn your air fryer on. Most recommend you warm the pizza at 350 F for about four to six minutes, though others say you should kick your heat down a little lower (between 320F to 325F) for best results. As usual, you'll need to err on the longer side of cook times for thicker crusts (such as in the case of pizza types like the previously released Pizza Hut Detroit Double Pepperoni) and the lower end for thinner crusts, such as the regional favorite Columbus-style pizza.

A toaster oven may not be the first appliance you think of when it comes to reheating pizza, but maybe it should be. Aside from being energy efficient, toaster ovens use radiant heat that allows pizza slices to bake evenly for a wonderfully crispy crust and revitalized toppings. What's more is that a toaster oven can heat your pizza quickly and won't get your kitchen as hot as a conventional oven, which can be great if you live in a warmer climate.

To reheat pizza in a toaster oven, start off by preheating your toaster. Set it to 350 F and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. In the meantime, arrange your pizza slices onto a toaster oven baking sheet like these GoodCook Mini Baking Sheets from Amazon — otherwise, you can place your pizza directly onto the wire rack if you prefer a pizza crust that's extra crispy.

When you put your pizza in your toaster oven, always double check to make sure that the toppings aren't too close to the heating element at the top. Allow your pizza to reheat in the toaster oven, checking it regularly after the four to five minute mark. Continue warming until your pizza has heated through — be very careful not to let your slices burn.

This one's a little controversial, so if it doesn't work for ya the first time around, don't come for us. In a nutshell, you can use a broiler to reheat days old pizza, but you'll need to really watch your pizza when using this method to ensure you don't end up with burnt results. Like with many of the other pizza reheating techniques, there are several ways you can do this. The easiest way is to simply prepare a baking sheet, set your broiler to low, place your pizza under the broiler (remember not to set your pizza too close to the heating element) and broil your pizza for about five minutes (or so) until heated through.

Though this broiler method works very well, we also know that leaving your broiler on for five minutes could easily turn to six to seven minutes or more if you happen to forget about it. That's why we love this secondary idea suggested by the user TheHumanRavioli on Reddit: Place your pizza in a cast iron skillet set to medium-high heat over stovetop to allow the bottom of your pizza to heat up. From there, remove the pizza from the skillet, place on a baking sheet, and set it under a broiler just until the cheese has melted. No matter which way you choose, using the broiler is yet another fantastically feasible way to reheat pizza; just be certain to watch it closely to avoid charred results.

If you can use a waffle iron to make grilled cheese, you can use it to reheat pizza. Even so, be warned, your pizza won't look the same.

When reheating a pizza in a waffle iron, you're going to have to undergo several steps The first is to analyze the size of your waffle maker against your pizza slices; if your slices are small enough to fit in your waffle maker, then you can simply slap two pizza slices together (face-to-face) and place them in your heated waffle iron. Press down on the iron and let the pizza sit for five minutes until your pizza waffle has melted cheese and a golden brown outer shell.

If your pizza slices are too large to fit in your waffle iron, you'll need to do a little finagling. For triangle pizza slices, take the toppings (leave the cheese) and move them to the upper left corner of your pizza. Take the bottom of the pizza and fold it upward so that the "point" at the bottom of the pizza is now folded over the half where your toppings are, forming a (smaller) triangle. There will be a portion of your pizza that is exposed; simply cut this part off and enjoy any way you wish. Place this folded pocket of a pizza into your waffle iron following the directions as mentioned above. It'll be crispy, crunchy, and delicious — something you probably never expected to enjoy from a waffle maker.