There’s nothing better than a warm slice of pie on a cold winter day. Whether you prefer a savoury meat pie for dinner or a fruity one for pudding, there are few foods that can beat that level of comfort.
To properly enjoy a warm slice of pie, you either need it to be freshly baked or recently reheated.
However, reheating pie properly and retaining that crispy crust can be challenging, which raises the question: What’s the best way to reheat a pie?
Below are the three best ways to reheat a leftover pie. Detailed instructions are given for each method, but you may have to slightly alter the timing depending on the thickness of your pastry, the filling, and the overall size.
Method 1: The Oven
The best way to reheat pie is in the oven. This method mimics how the pie will have been originally cooked, allows for even heat distribution during the reheating process, and leaves you with a perfectly crisp pie crust.
The main concern about reheating pie in the oven is that you will burn the top layer of pastry. However, this issue is easily overcome by following the below steps:
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius
- Cover a baking tray with baking paper (parchment paper in the US)
- Place your pie in the centre of the baking tray
- Lightly brush the top of the pie with oil;
- OR cover the pie in a layer of aluminium foil
- Bake the pie in the centre of the oven for 15 minutes
This reheating method can also be used for frozen pies and individual slices, but you will have to alter the cooking time.
For a frozen pie, you will need to leave it to bake for at least 25-30 minutes. When reheating an individual slice of pie, you will need to wrap the whole thing in aluminium foil to prevent the inside from drying out and check on it every 5 minutes until it is properly heated.
Method 2: The Air Fryer
The next best method for reheating pie is using an air fryer. These appliances heat food using superheated air and very little oil, which helps your pie to retain its delightfully crispy exterior.
However, be warned that this way of heating food can cause it to dry out, so we suggest keeping an eye on your pie while reheating it.
To reheat your pie in an air fryer, you will need to:
- Preheat your air fryer to 150 degrees Celsius
- Line the air fryer basket with a light layer of oil
- Place your pie in the air fryer basket
- Heat your pie for 10-15 minutes
Although you can reheat a whole pie using the instructions above, we suggest you only do so if the pie is small.
Larger pies are always best done in the oven. You can also reheat an individual slice of the pie using this method, but you will only have to heat it for 4-5 minutes.
Method 3: The Microwave
The last way you can reheat a pie is by using the microwave. This is the most convenient of these three methods, as it is quick and requires no preheating.
However, the intense heat of the microwave can cause the pastry to become soggy or chewy. This is because microwaves vibrate the water molecules in the food, producing heat and essentially steaming the pie.
When reheating a single slice of pie, you simply need to cook the food for 15 seconds at a time until it reaches your desired temperature. For larger pieces of pie, this interval can be increased to 30 seconds or 1 minute.
Unfortunately, we do not recommend reheating a large pie using this method. This is because microwaves do not distribute heat evenly, and as such, it will be difficult to properly heat a large pie without having cooler pieces remaining in the centre.
Hannah is a freelance content writer and self-proclaimed foodie. When Hannah isn’t sitting tapping at her laptop, you’ll probably find her in the kitchen. As an ex-chalet host, she’s used to cooking four-course meals for 10+ people and loves feeding friends and family whenever possible.
