How To Keep Pizza Warm

Pizza is a delicious dish that can be enjoyed at any time of the day. It’s super convenient if you are hosting a party or want to have a picnic without having to pack a lot of things.

However, pizza can go cold very quickly. Everyone loves pizza, but no one wants a cold slice!

How to keep pizza warm? The easiest way to keep a pizza warm is to wrap it in aluminum foil or place it in an insulated pizza bag. If you have an oven, you can pop the entire pizza box inside to keep it warm. 

Keep reading to learn the best ways to keep pizza warm and fresh, how to reheat it properly, and more!

Tips To Keep Pizza Warm

Whether you have a pizza party or just want to keep some leftovers warm, here are a few tips to help make sure your pizza stays nice and warm. 

1. Aluminum Foil

Aluminum foil is a great way to trap heat and ensure that your pizza will stay nice and warm for up to 30 minutes.

However, one disadvantage of aluminum foil is that you will need to wrap individual slices because aluminum foil can’t really cover a large pizza. 

If the pizza goes cold after about 30 minutes, you can reheat the pizza while it’s still wrapped in aluminum foil. The foil will help distribute the heat evenly without drying out your pizza. 

Simply bake the wrapped slices in a preheated oven at 400°F for 5-10 minutes, and your pizza will be just as delicious as before!

2. Pizza Box In The Oven

You can keep the entire pizza warm by popping the entire pizza box in a warm oven. 

The key to doing this safely is to keep your oven at a very low temperature of 140°F. The pizza box is made from cardboard, so you definitely don’t want it to catch on fire by making it too hot. 

Most pizza boxes also have ventilation holes that allow the steam to escape to prevent the pizza from getting too soggy.

If your boxes do not have ventilation holes, you will need to use a fork to poke holes in the top of the box to let the steam escape. 

Preheat your oven to 200°F, and when the oven is heated, adjust it to 140°F. Then, you can pop the entire pizza box in the oven and keep it there for about 15 minutes or so, until the cheese starts to bubble.

You can turn off the oven to prevent the pizza from burning, but the residual heat will still keep the pizza warm for about an hour. 

When your guests arrive, you can serve the pizza straight from the oven! 

3. Pizza Stone  

A pizza stone is not just useful for baking a pizza from scratch. If you have a pizza stone, you can also use it to keep your pizza warm for up to 3 hours!

The pizza stone can absorb the heat in the oven and stay hot for much longer than the oven rag — it can even absorb excess moisture to prevent your pizza from getting soggy. 

To use a pizza stone to keep a pizza warm, you will need to warm the pizza stone first in a preheated oven at 400°F for about 45 minutes. Once the stone has absorbed enough heat, you can lower the temperature to 140°F. 

Then, place your pizza onto the stone, cover the entire pizza with aluminum foil, and tuck the edges underneath the crust. The aluminum foil will trap and distribute the heat evenly without making the pizza too soggy!

Place the stone back inside the oven at 140F°for about 15 minutes, and then turn the oven off. The residual heat from the oven and the stone will continue to keep your pizza warm for a few hours. 

4. Insulated Bag

If you are taking a pizza out for a picnic or camping, you can keep it warm using an insulated bag. 

Insulated food containers are made with a layer of thermal batting and a vinyl or nylon exterior.

The thermal batting will trap heat inside and allow your food to stay warm for longer, and the waterproof exterior layer will also prevent water and moisture from infiltrating the bag. 

Most insulated bags are also fashioned with grommets that allow steam to be released, which will prevent your food from getting soggy. 

For the best result, you can wrap the pizza slices in aluminum foil first to separate the slices while keeping the heat contained. Then, you can stack the slices inside an insulated bag and take them on the go with you!

An insulated bag can keep your pizza warm for about three hours, so it’s best to pack a fresh pizza for a picnic and enjoy it right away. 

How To Reheat Your Pizza

Reheating cold pizza can be tricky because if you are not careful, the pizza may not heat evenly, and some parts may burn while other parts are still cold. There’s also a risk of soggy pizza, where the crust loses its crunch and becomes tasteless. 

Here are the best ways to reheat your pizza!

In The Oven

If you have an oven, you can reheat the pizza using the middle rack.

The key to preventing soggy pizza in the oven is to bake the pizza directly on the oven rack (and not on a baking tray). The middle rack will also get the most consistent heat, so your pizza will warm evenly. 

First, preheat your oven to 200°F. Once your oven is warmed, adjust the temperature to 140°F, and place your entire pizza on the middle rack of the oven.

Warm the pizza for about 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese starts to bubble and turns golden brown. 

Turn off the oven. It will stay warm for a while thanks to the residual heat, but it’s best to eat the warmed pizza within an hour. 

If you need the pizza to stay warm for over an hour, place a cup of boiling water in the oven underneath the pizza.

The moisture will prevent the pizza from drying out, while the heat from the water will also keep the pizza warm for longer.

In A Pan

If you would like to warm 1-2 slices of pizza, you can also warm it in a non-stick pan. The advantage of heating pizza this way is that it can be very fast, and the pizza crust will be properly crusty thanks to the pan. 

First, preheat a non-stick pan using medium heat. When the pan is sufficiently heated, turn the heat down to the lowest heat possible. Using low heat will ensure that the pizza will be warmed evenly without burning. 

Place the pizza slices on the pan with the crust side down. Then, cover the pan with a lid. The lid will help trap the heat inside and allow the pizza to be warmed thoroughly on both sides without having to flip the slices. 

You can also add a few drops of water to the top of the slice. As the moisture evaporates, it will help warm up the topping. 

After about 3-5 minutes, check if the slice is evenly warmed and the crust is crunchy. Serve the slices immediately for the best taste. 

In The Microwave  

Warming pizza in the microwave is everyone’s least favorite method to warm pizza because it will always turn out soggy. 

However, if you are in a hurry, here’s a quick-and-easy method to warm your pizza in the microwave without losing its crusty quality. 

This method involves warming your pizza along with a glass of water using the highest setting using 30-second intervals until your pizza is sufficiently warmed. 

When you heat pizza in the microwave, the wave frequency is absorbed into the pizza, causing the moisture from the topping to evaporate and then be absorbed back into the crust.

This is the reason why microwaved pizza is always soggy and the toppings are always dry!

If you heat a glass of water along with the pizza, the heat will be distributed evenly, and the pizza will absorb less of the waves, which means that it won’t heat up as fast and the moisture won’t evaporate as quickly. 

As a result, the crust won’t absorb moisture and will stay crispy after going through the microwave!

Tips For Keeping Pizza Warm And Fresh 

• Don’t leave your pizza out at room temperature for longer than two hours. This is an ideal temperature for bacteria to grow, which can contaminate your food and cause it to go bad faster. 
• If you need to keep the pizza fresh, the best way to do so is in the oven at a low heat of 140°F. This temperature will keep your pizza warm while preventing the pizza from overcooking or burning. 
• Do not place a pizza box in the oven when the temperature is higher than 140°F. The pizza box is flammable, and it will catch on fire if the temperature is too high. 

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