How to Reheat Food in an Air Fryer: Pizza, Fries and Leftovers

To reheat food in an air fryer, spread it in one layer, use the Reheat program if your model has one, and heat until the food reaches 165°F, the USDA FSIS temperature for leftovers. Instant’s Reheat default is 280°F for 10 minutes. Cosori suggests 320°F to 370°F for proteins and hotter, shorter bursts for fries.

An air fryer reheats with moving hot air, so it dries and crisps the surface. USDA FSIS notes that air fryers can reheat food “without the food becoming soggy.” That suits pizza, fries and fried chicken. It does not suit soup or gravy.

We did not run reheating trials for this page. The settings come from maker manuals and guides, and the safety rules from USDA FSIS.

Which air fryers have a Reheat setting?

Two details in the Instant manuals are easy to miss. Reheat skips the preheat stage, so the Vortex Slim manual says to put the food in the basket before choosing the program. And the Reheat range stops at 360°F, below the 400°F ceiling of Air Fry.

Ninja’s AF100 guide takes the opposite line on preheating. It recommends letting the unit run 3 minutes before adding food, on Reheat as on its other functions.

How do you reheat food in an air fryer, step by step?

1. Take the food out of deep containers. Reheat it on the crisper plate or in a shallow, heat-safe dish.
2. Spread it out. Ninja’s AF100 guide asks for an even layer with no overlapping. FSIS says overcrowding can stop enough air from circulating.
3. Choose Reheat, or set a moderate temperature by hand. Use your manual’s default. On models without the program, Cosori’s Iconic guide is the only maker advice we found: 320°F to 370°F for proteins and vegetables.
4. Check early. Ninja says to check progress throughout cooking. Reheating has no chart, so the first check should come well before the timer ends.
5. Take the temperature. FSIS says leftovers are reheated safely at 165°F as measured with a food thermometer.

That last step matters most for meat, poultry, casseroles and anything dense. A slice of pizza can be blistering on top and cool in the middle.

Instant-read thermometers for checking leftovers

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What do the sources say for pizza, fries, wings and chicken?

No manual we checked publishes a reheating chart by food. What exists is a handful of statements, gathered here so you can see how thin the official guidance is.

The Cosori figures were written for its Iconic model and the Instant default for the Vortex. Treat them as starting points on any other machine. Times vary by model, basket load and how cold the food is when it goes in.

A whole rotisserie chicken is a special case. No source here gives a setting for one, and a whole bird is tall. Pulling the meat off the bone or cutting the chicken into parts gets it into a single layer and makes 165°F easier to confirm.

What temperature makes leftovers safe?

165°F. The FSIS safe temperature chart lists leftovers and casseroles at 165°F, and its leftovers page says to “be sure they reach 165° F as measured with a food thermometer.”

FSIS adds three points that bear on air fryers:

• Cover leftovers to reheat, because it keeps moisture in and helps food heat all the way through. In an air fryer that means a heat-safe dish with a lid or foil over it, and only if your manual allows foil. Our guide to foil and parchment in an air fryer lists what each brand says.
• Sauces, soups and gravies are brought to a rolling boil. That is a stovetop job.
• Thin foods are probed from the side so the tip reaches the center.

How long do leftovers keep before reheating?

The reheating step cannot fix food that sat out too long. FSIS sets these limits:

Its air fryer page gives the same 2-hour rule a specific twist: do not forget cooked food sitting in the basket after the timer ends.

Do you need a liner to reheat food?

Not for dry food. For melted cheese, glazed wings and anything saucy, a liner keeps the mess off the crisper plate.

Paper needs weight on it. Cosori’s Pro LE manual and the Philips HD9650 manual both say never to put baking or parchment paper in without food on top, because the moving air can lift it into the heater. That rules out lining the basket during a preheat.

Ninja’s AF100 guide explains that the crisper plate lifts food so air can pass underneath and crisp it evenly. Perforated parchment keeps some of that path open. A solid liner or a silicone pot holds grease and sauce but covers the plate, so expect less crisping underneath. Our air fryer liners guide compares the two types and shows how to measure a basket.

Parchment liners for cheesy and saucy leftovers

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Reusable silicone liners and pots

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How do you reheat Thanksgiving leftovers in an air fryer?

A holiday meal leaves several different dishes in the refrigerator at once. Each behaves differently, and only some belong in the basket.

Turkey. FSIS says to cut a cooked turkey into smaller pieces before refrigerating: slice the breast meat, and leave legs and wings whole if you like. Sliced meat reheats in one layer and reaches 165°F quickly. Moving air dries lean meat, which is why FSIS’s advice to cover leftovers is worth following here, in a covered dish. For cooking the breast in the first place, see air fryer turkey breast.

Stuffing. FSIS lists stuffing at 165°F. It is loose and crumbly, so use a heat-safe container. Cosori’s Pro LE manual says to put any food with filling or batter in one before it goes in the basket.

Mashed potatoes. They have nothing to crisp, and no manual here lists them. If you use the air fryer anyway, they need a covered, heat-safe dish. A saucepan or microwave is the more usual route, and FSIS’s microwave advice is to cover, rotate and check the temperature in several places.

Gravy. Not in the air fryer. FSIS says to bring gravies to a rolling boil, and Philips warns against filling its pan with any liquid.

Rolls. The Philips food table lists pre-baked rolls at 350°F for 6 to 7 minutes, the closest manual figure to warming a dinner roll.

Pie. None of the manuals lists pie. Instant’s Vortex manual does say that when baking pie, a foil cover or oven-safe lid stops the top from overcooking, and the same logic applies to warming a slice.

All of these count as leftovers under the FSIS storage rule: 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. A Thursday dinner should be eaten or frozen by Monday.

The same routine works after a Friendsgiving potluck. Food that traveled and then sat on a buffet has used part of its 2 hours before it reached your refrigerator. FSIS says to throw away perishable food that has been at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Planning the meal itself is covered in using an air fryer for Thanksgiving and holiday meals.

What should you not reheat in an air fryer?

• Liquids. Soup, gravy and sauces, for the reasons above.
• Loose, light food with nothing holding it down. Ninja’s AF100 guide notes that the fan can blow lightweight food around.
• Anything in a container that is not heat-safe. Cosori’s manual says to always use heat-safe containers and to be extremely cautious with anything that is not metal or glass. Takeout boxes and plastic tubs stay out.
• More than the basket holds in one layer. Work in batches, as FSIS suggests.

Related guides

• Air fryer cooking times has the brand charts for cooking food the first time.
• How to use an air fryer covers preheating, shaking and the control panel basics.
• How long to air fry chicken wings is the chart to use when the wings are raw, not left over.
• The air fryer accessories hub lists liners, thermometers and racks by type.