Skillet, not the microwave first
How to reheat pizza
How to reheat leftover pizza so the bottom crisps: skillet, oven, or air fryer. Plus how to freeze pizza dough and a baked pie.
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Leftover pizza is its own search, and the microwave is why people think reheating fails. A Lodge 15-Inch Cast Iron Pizza Pan on medium, slice in, lid on until the cheese softens, lid off until the bottom crackles. That is the method.
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Oven: 190°C (375°F), slice on a hot Baking Steel Original or a tray, 8–10 minutes. Air fryer: 175°C (350°F), a few minutes, watch the rim.
To freeze dough, oil the ball, wrap it, and freeze the day you mix New York Pizza Dough or No-Knead Pizza Dough. Thaw in the fridge. A baked pie freezes too: cool it, wrap slices, reheat from frozen in the oven, not the microwave.
Common questions
- What is the best way to reheat pizza?
- A skillet. Medium heat, lid on for a few minutes so the cheese melts, then lid off so the bottom crisps. An oven at 190°C (375°F) on a preheated steel also works. The microwave makes the crust tough unless you only use it for 20 seconds after the skillet.
- Can you freeze pizza dough?
- Yes. Ball it, oil it, freeze it the day you mix it. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then give it an hour on the counter before you stretch. Do not freeze it after it has already overproofed.
- Can you reheat pizza in an air fryer?
- Yes. 175°C (350°F) for 3–5 minutes. One or two slices, not a stack. It dries the rim if you leave it in.
Then bake
DoughNo-Knead Pizza Dough
From Jim Lahey
Mix flour, water, salt, yeast. Wait. Jim Lahey’s method — no kneading, overnight on the counter.
DoughEditorNew York Pizza Dough
By The Slice Guy
High-gluten, overnight cold ferment. The dough behind a foldable slice.
New YorkFolded NY Pepperoni
From New York
The slice you fold in half on the sidewalk: crisp undercarriage, extra cheese, cupped pepperoni that pools a little oil.
Also read How to make pizza dough, Overnight pizza dough (cold ferment), Why pizza is soggy (and how to fix it).