From now on, this is the only method we’ll use to reheat pizza.

Nobody wants to eat leftover pizza with a soggy crust or limp toppings. While microwaves, toaster ovens, or conventional ovens can reheat pizza, the air fryer is the game-changer. We consulted a food scientist who explains why this appliance is the best way to bring leftover pizza back to life.

Why Does Pizza Get Soggy After It’s Leftover?

Freshly baked pizza is a perfect balance of chewy, soft, and savory. But as it cools, it can turn soggy and rubbery. The main issue is the tomato sauce, which makes the crust damp. The more sauce that covers the dough, the soggier the pizza gets when it cools.

Toppings with high water content, like broccoli, can make pizza soggy too. The moisture from these ingredients seeps into the crust, leaving it wet and less appetizing.

A slice of thin-crust plain cheese pizza on a pizza pan, with one slice already taken and a pizza cutter in the background.

Chef John

Why You Should Always Use the Air Fryer to Reheat Pizza

The great news is, leftover pizza can be just as tasty as when it was fresh—if you reheat it using an air fryer.

An air fryer uses a fan to circulate hot air around your food, while a heating element inside the appliance radiates heat directly onto the food in the fryer basket.

When the fan's circulating air and heat combine, they create a fast-moving stream of hot air that quickly transfers heat to your food. With higher air speeds, cooking times are reduced, as more heat is circulated around the food. For leftover pizza, this means the high-speed hot air reheats and crisps the slices in no time.

"An air fryer is perfect for reheating pizza because the hot air circulates quickly and evenly, ensuring consistent heat throughout," says Dr. Bryan Quoc Le, Ph.D., food scientist.

While you can reheat pizza in a conventional or toaster oven, an air fryer speeds up the process, using less time and energy. Dr. Quoc Le points out that although conventional and toaster ovens are still good options, their uneven heat distribution can result in pizza that's inconsistently reheated—some parts crispy, others soggy.