How To Reheat Apple Pie – The Best Way
Warm apple pie is one of those dishes that fulfill your cravings and warm your heart. There really is nothing quite like a slice of warmed apple pie with a serving of cream or ice cream.
If you are lucky enough to have some leftover apple pie in the fridge, you might be excited to warm it up and enjoy the crispy, tangy, sweet tenderness that it offers.
So what is the best way to heat up an apple pie? The best way to heat up apple pie is by using the oven. It is definitely the best way to go and will give you almost the exact same quality when reheated than what you experienced with the fresh apple pie.
Keep reading for more details on reheating apple pie as well as some other alternatives to using the best method: the oven.
The Best Way to Reheat Apple Pie: In The Oven
There is no doubt that the oven is the way to go when reheating apple pie. It is how the apple pie is originally baked, so it makes sense then that it would offer the best results with reheating.
The oven manages to warm the apple pie throughout, while still keeping it crispy on the outside, and moist on the inside. The only downside to reheating apple pie in the oven is that it will take a little longer than using the microwave, but it will definitely be worth the wait.
Here is how to heat apple pie up in the microwave:
- Remove the apple pie from the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the apple pie in the preheated oven for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how long it takes for the pie to warm through.
- You do not need to leave it in long enough to bake again, you are just wanting to warm it up.
- Keep a check on the pie, you do not want to leave it in long enough that the crust begins to burn.
- Take the pie out the oven and serve on its own using your favorite pie server (don’t have one? We can help with that, just read this article) or with some cream or ice cream
Reheating Frozen Apple Pie In The Oven
If you have some frozen apple pie that you have kept away for a special day, you are still able to warm it up in the oven. Once again, the oven is the best method to use to warm up the apple pie, even if it is frozen.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the apple pie on a baking sheet (I like these ones from Amazon).
- Lightly cover the apple pie with aluminum foil.
- Place the pie in the oven for around 15 to 20 minutes. You will need to use your own judgment here, as some ovens bake faster than others.
- Once the pie has heated throughout, you can take it out, leave it to cool slightly and serve.
Covering the apple pie with aluminum foil stops the crust from burning before the center of the pie is heated up. It allows the pie to remain moist but still crispy on the outside.
Reheating Apple Pie In The Microwave
While the oven is the best way to reheat apple pie to ensure it is crisp and moist, you might not be patient enough to wait for the oven to heat up, and then warm the pie through. If you do not mind risking the crust becoming soggy, you can use the microwave to heat up the apple pie.
The microwave is the quickest way to reheat apple pie, even if you do have to give up some of its quality. Here is how to reheat apple pie in the microwave:
- Place a slice of apple pie in the microwave.
- Heat the apple pie for one minute, remove it from the microwave and leave it to sit for 30 seconds.
- Check the temperature. If it needs to be warmed up further, place it in the microwave for another 30 seconds.
Leaving the apple pie to rest for 30 seconds after being heated in the microwave allows for the heat to distribute evenly, so there won’t be some cold bites and some piping hot bites.
Reheating A Slice Of Apple Pie
One of the most important factors to consider, with almost any food in the kitchen, is that you should not reheat food more than once. The food should be cooked through, stored correctly, and then reheated once before it needs to be thrown away.
When it comes to apple pie, you would have baked the apple pie through, enjoyed some, and then either put the leftovers in the fridge or freezer, depending on how long you are going to wait to eat the next bit.
Once it is time to reheat the apple pie, there is no point in reheating the whole pie just to have one or two slices. Once the whole pie has been reheated, it needs to be eaten. You should rather slice off as many slices as you are going to eat and leave the rest in the freezer or refrigerator.
It is still the best option to use the oven to heat up an apple pie slice, but in order to keep the insides moist and the outside crispy, you should cover it lightly with foil. A single slice of apple pie will take a shorter amount of time to warm up in the oven compared to a whole pie, so make sure to keep a check on it and take it out within 15 minutes.
You are also able to reheat an apple pie slice in the microwave, but once again it will take a shorter period of time, so be sure to check it after 30 seconds.
It is easy enough to cut off a slice of apple pie in the fridge, but not so easy to saw through apple pie that has been frozen.
To make life a little easier for you, you should slice the apple pie before freezing it, so you can easily remove a slice or two when it comes time to be reheated. Cover the remaining slices back with aluminum foil or plastic wrap to protect it in the freezer.
Thawing Apple Pie
If you have some apple pie leftovers in the freezer, you need to make sure you thaw the apple pie before placing it in the oven or microwave. As bacteria grow rapidly on food between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, you need to thaw your apple pie safely.
If the apple pie is thawed in the microwave or by being left at room temperature, there is a chance there might be bacteria growth, which could lead to foodborne illness.
To safely thaw apple pie, you should leave it in the fridge overnight. While you can place the frozen pie in the oven, it will not always give the best results, as it could cause the pie crust to become soggy.
Leaving the pie to thaw slowly overnight in the fridge keeps it at a safe temperature, not compromising the quality and safety of the apple pie.
If you want to know more about thawing and defrosting pie, check out this guide that we made.
Related Questions
Can you place pie in the oven after cooling?
A pie should always be placed in the oven when the pie is cold, but should only be placed in the oven when the oven is very hot.
If not, the crumb and crust will burn and the insides will not warm up enough before it is time to take the apple pie out the oven.
How do you prevent pie from becoming soggy?
When eating a pie, a soggy crust can ruin the whole thing. There are a couple of ways to prevent sogginess.
You can bake it blind, choose the right rack, brush the bottom of the pie, make a thicker crust, add a layer of crust, fill the pie while it is hot or spread a layer of white chocolate on the inside of the pie crust to prevent it becoming soggy, especially when being reheated.
What is the best apple to use for apple pie?
There are a few options to choose from when making apple pie. The perfect apple for apple pie needs to be firm and tart.
The right apples to use include: Granny Smith apples, Northern Spy, Pink Pearl, Golden Delicious, and Ginger Gold. All of these apples have the right properties to make a great apple pie, but all have unique tastes.
Reheating Apple Pie
You should never have to eat cold apple pie, especially when there is a perfectly good way to reheat apple pie, having it taste almost exactly how it did when it was first baked. The oven will warm up the apple pie up perfectly, leaving the crumb crisp, while leaving the apple filling moist and tender.
Whether you are reheating one slice or a whole pie, the oven is definitely the way to go. It might take longer than the microwave, but the wait will definitely be worth the results!