Reheat the pizza in a covered pan
Soft crust from the microwave? A covered pan, a spoonful of water and medium heat crisps it. Plus the two-hour rule and when cold is fine.
From shared experience online: people comparing ways to reheat leftover pizza, and the ones who skip reheating. The time limits and temperatures are checked against US and UK government food-safety guidance.
Pizza that was crisp last night comes out of the microwave soft and unevenly heated. It does not have to. Many people reheat a slice in a pan with a lid instead, and say the bottom comes back crisp while the cheese melts.
If you want a crisp bottom, reheat a slice in a covered pan on medium heat with a spoonful of water, or in a toaster oven or air fryer, instead of the microwave.
This page is not trying to talk you out of cold pizza. Some people prefer it cold, and there is a section on that, including the one safety rule that matters either way: how long it sat out.
Why the lid and the water
A pan heats a slice from underneath, and that is what crisps the bottom. Some people say that on its own it leaves the top cold, with the bottom burning before the cheese melts, and that a lid or a foil dome over the pan fixes it by trapping heat. Some people add a spoonful of water, and say its steam melts the cheese and warms the toppings, while the bottom keeps its crunch. Some people pointed out that this steam is wanted here, even though steam usually softens food: it gives you a gooey top and a crunchy bottom.
How people do it
- Medium or medium-low heat. Some people say high heat burns the bottom before the cheese melts, and low heat leaves a hot bottom and a cold top.
- No oil or butter. Some people say a slice has enough grease of its own to crisp and not stick.
- Slice in, a spoonful of water, a lid or a foil dome over the pan. Some people use foil when the pan has no lid. Some people say the water is unnecessary or even harmful; one person who uses it says it is what melts the cheese while the bottom stays crisp.
- Watch the bottom. This page gives no times: people’s times ranged from under a minute to ten, and they depend on your pan, your heat and the crust. Lift an edge to look. It is done when the bottom is crisp and the cheese has melted.
- Lift the lid away from your face. The steam is hot.
Many people also say a toaster oven or an air fryer does the job well, and the box that goes with this page sets out pan against toaster oven. The questions below have the details for each.
If a microwave is all you have
Many people say the microwave leaves pizza soggy and unevenly heated. Some people still prefer the texture, and one person says it is the fastest. If it is what you have, two things people suggest: heat the slice briefly in the microwave to warm the middle, then crisp the bottom in a pan, as the second question describes; or put a cup of water in with it. One person pointed out that the cup works about like running the microwave at half power for twice as long. The page called Give the leftovers back their steam covers the water-in-the-microwave trick, and it has the safety note about heating a cup of water that you should read before you try it.
Or eat it cold
Many people say leftover pizza is best straight from the fridge, or that reheating is not worth the trouble, and others say cold pizza is not for them. It is taste, and both are fine. One person chops cold pizza into scrambled eggs or makes pizza French toast, and another uses it as a base for eggs with hot sauce.
The condition is the same as for hot: the pizza went into the fridge within two hours, or one hour on a hot day. Some people eat it straight from the fridge and some after it has sat on the table; the USDA’s limit on sitting out is the same two hours either way.
Who this is not for
If you like it cold, you are not the reader this method is for, and nothing here says you should change. If you have no stove, or no lid or foil, a toaster oven or an air fryer is the other route. Deep-dish, stuffed-crust and frozen pizza are not covered, and neither are exact times. And if the pizza sat out overnight, none of this applies: the safety note above says to throw it away.
A pan, a lid or a sheet of foil, and a spoonful of water are all it takes.
The community disagrees on this one
Whether a pan or a toaster oven is the better way to reheat pizza is something people split on, and the answer depends on your kitchen.
A pan with a lid
People on this side say it gives precise control over how crisp the bottom gets and how much it steams, does not need an appliance to heat up first, and works well for a single slice.
A toaster oven or air fryer
People on this side say it heats both sides evenly, is easier than managing a pan, leaves less washing up, and copes better when you are heating more than one slice.
What decides it, by people’s own account: what equipment you own, how many slices you are heating, and whether you want to manage a pan for the sake of the texture.
Common questions
What if the pizza sat out overnight?
Throw it away. That is the USDA’s and Food Standards Scotland’s limit, not a matter of taste, and it holds whether you plan to eat it cold or reheat it hard. Some people say they like pizza cold from the fridge, or after it has sat on the table; the time limit applies either way. If you want to keep leftovers, put them in the fridge within two hours, or one hour on a hot day. One person suggests letting a fridge-cold slice come up toward room temperature before heating it, to heat more evenly; if you do, count that time toward the two hours.
What about thick crust, or a slice that is cold from the fridge?
Some people say to start in the microwave for a short burst to warm the middle, then finish in the pan to crisp the bottom and melt the cheese. They say it does what neither does alone. One person says a pan works less well on thick crusts, because the ingredients can fuse together in the fridge. This page does not cover deep-dish or stuffed-crust pizza, and it does not cover frozen pizza; one person claimed a frozen slice takes under a minute in a pan, and one person did not believe it.
What about the toaster oven, the air fryer or the full oven?
Many people say a toaster oven is ideal because it heats quickly, fits a slice, and does not heat a whole oven; one person says it heats in under five minutes, and another that it does not heat up the whole room. Many people say an air fryer comes out close to freshly baked. Some people pointed out that an air fryer is not the same as a convection oven: it blows far more air directly onto the food and heats and cooks much faster. In a full oven, some people put the pizza in at around 425°F on a preheated baking sheet or in a cast-iron skillet, and one says it can taste better than it did fresh; another says a full-size oven dries a slice out too much, and a third says it is easier and works better than a pan, though slower. One person uses the broiler on the bottom rack, and says it works but needs watching; one person uses a barbecue grill. For the toaster oven or oven: one person says parchment paper should not be used above 425°F, so check the box; and one person says the heating elements can melt plastic packaging, so take the slice out of any wrapper. If washing up is what stops you using a pan, some people line a toaster-oven tray with foil, and some people clean the pan by boiling water in it.
Is it worth the effort compared to eating it cold?
It is taste, and people do not settle it. Many people say cold pizza is better than any reheated version, or that reheating is not worth the trouble. Others say a well-reheated slice is better than cold. One person says a properly reheated slice can be better than fresh; another says cold pizza has a distinct texture of its own. The one condition on cold pizza is the one in the safety note: it must have gone into the fridge within the time limit.
Questions this step helps with
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