Burger, also known as a hamburger, is an iconic American sandwich featuring a ground beef patty nestled between two halves of a bun. It is commonly topped with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, onions, pickles, mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise.

Reheating a burger seems simple, but doing it the right way makes a big difference. If you’ve ever ended up with a soggy bun, dry patty, or unevenly heated burger, you know how frustrating it can be.

Knowing the correct way to reheat a burger ensures it tastes just as good as when it was first made. By following the right steps, you can enjoy a juicy, flavorful burger that feels fresh off the grill, even if it’s leftovers.

Now, I will show you 5 basic but valuable ways to warm a cold burger but still get its original flavor. Are you ready?

What to Prepare Before Reheating a Burger?

Here are 3 things you need to do before reheating your leftover burgers:

Bring the Burger to Room Temperature: Take your burger out of the refrigerator or freezer and let it sit on the kitchen counter for 20-40 minutes until it reaches room temperature. Do not leave it out for more than 2 hours to prevent spoilage.
Disassemble Your Burger: Separate your burger into individual components: buns, patties, and toppings. This makes reheating easier and ensures each part is properly heated. Set aside veggies like lettuce and tomatoes, as well as condiments and sauces, to add fresh later or discard if not needed.
Prepare Substitute Components: If you can’t reuse the veggies and sauces, replace them with fresh lettuce, tomato slices, or pickles. The burger is still good with just the patties. Use available condiments like canned chili sauce, mustard, mayonnaise, or ketchup. Adjust to taste when reassembling this classic American dish.

Disassembled Burger Ingredients — You should disassemble the burger before reheating it to get the best result!

How to Reheat Burger Correctly? 5 Most Effective Methods

Here are my best 5 methods, which can be applied for both homemade and store-bought burgers. First, refer to this table so that you can easily choose the most convenient way to warm your leftover burger!

Reheating Method	Time Duration
Using an conventional oven or a toaster oven	5-7 minutes
Using an air fryer	7-10 minutes
Using a grill	3-5 minutes
Using a non-stick pan	3-6 minutes
Using a microwave	3-5 minutes

Check out the detailed instructions for each method below!

1. Conventional Oven or Toaster Oven

Using a conventional or toaster oven is the best way to reheat burgers, preserving their flavor, crispness, and moisture. Even store-bought frozen burgers taste great when reheated this way. These two ovens can be used interchangeably.

Things to Prepare:

Conventional oven or toaster oven
Oven rack
Aluminum foil (optional)

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350-400^oF.

Step 2: Place the separated components, except for the buns, onto the tray inside the oven or toaster oven. You can put it directly on the tray or place an aluminum foil sheet underneath.

Step 3: Heat them for about 3 minutes, then flip the patties. After that, place the buns on the tray.

Step 4: Heat all of them for about 2-3 more minutes, until the patties reach the proper heat to your likings, and the bun turns to a beautiful yellow-brown color.

Step 5: Take everything out of the oven or toaster oven and place them like the original burger.

Burger Minced Beef Meat — An oven works best in reheating fast foods, especially burgers!

2. Air Fryer

Air fryers have become a popular kitchen appliance. They can fry food without oil, making meals healthier. They’re also great for quickly reheating leftover burgers. Let’s get started!

Things to Prepare

An air fryer

Instructions

Step 1: Place your burger in the basket of the air fryer. For this method, you can also put the whole burger inside.

Step 2: Set the temperature to 160^oC or 320^oF for 4 minutes.

Step 3: Open the air fryer and flip them up-side-down. Cook for 2 to 3 more minutes.

Step 4: Take the burger out of the fryer and rebuild them. Then, it’s ready to serve!

Tips:

Make sure you set the air fryer at medium heat.
If your burger is attached with cheese or vegetables, using an air fryer may not work.
Do not preheat your air fryer before placing the burger in.

Learn how to use an air fryer to reheat your burger! Watch this video:

Watch this video: Reheat McDonalds Quarter Pounder In The Air Fryer

3. Grill

Grilling is a great way to warm your burger because it heats up the patties evenly! However, it can take you some more time than other methods to set up for the grill. The best grill to use is the one with charcoal.

Things to Prepare

A grill
A spatula
Aluminum foil (optional)

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat the grill at medium temperature.

Step 2: Place your patties around the edges of the grill rack.

Step 3: Heat for around 2-3 minutes and flip the patties using the spatula. Wait for about 30 seconds. Try not to press the patties so they are not burned too much.

Step 4: Place the buns onto the rack and leave them for 60 seconds. You can cover the buns with some butter so that it can have some buttery taste. You don’t need to flip the buns.

Step 5: Take all the patties and buns down. Assemble them to make the old burger alive.

Barbecue Grilled Meat Hamburgers — Grilling is one of the best methods to reheat a burger.

4. Non-stick Pan

If a non-stick pan is available in your kitchen, don’t hesitate to use it and heat your burger up in just a few minutes! You should always use a non-stick pan so that you don’t have to use oil to glaze the pan surface.

Things to Prepare

A non-stick pan
A stove

Instructions

Step 1: Heat your frying pan on the stove to a medium temperature level.

Step 2: Put all the components including buns in the medium-hot pan.

Step 3: Wait for about 3 minutes on one side, then flip. Cook for 1-2 more minutes.

Step 4: Take all patties and buns out of the pan and build them as the original. Add veggies and sauces that you like. Then, it’s perfect to enjoy.

Hamburger Cheeseburger — Using a non-stick pan is also a great solution when it comes to warming burgers!

5. Microwave

Although using the microwave is not the best one compared to other methods, it may be the easiest and most convenient way for you to revive burger, a common sandwich variety.

Things to Prepare

A microwave
A microwave-safe container

Instructions

Step 1: Wrap the buns in damp paper towels.

Step 2: Put the prepared buns and patties separately on a dish or any container that is safe for a microwave.

Step 3: Heat it for 2 to 3 minutes on low power. Check for components regularly by touching it when it is around 2 minutes. If it is not as warm enough as you want, leave it for one more minute. Also, if the patties are too thick, you should flip them once or twice while reheating.

Step 4: Take all of them out of the microwave and rebuild them. Add more sauces if you like.

Tips: Put a glass of water (the glass is microwave-safe) inside the microwave while warming up so that the buns and the patties won’t turn dry and hard.

Delicious Burger Small Microwave — Reheating a burger in the microwave may not be the best way, but it is quick and convenient.

FAQs

Yes, you can, but you should probably not. It is not advisable to eat cold fast food. Rewarming food is easy to do and does not take much time. Before you consume cold burgers, please reheat them. Be kind to your stomach.

If you don’t have time to separate each burger component, just use the oven to warm the whole up. Preheat the oven to 350°F, then cover half of the whole burger in aluminum foil carefully. Then, place the wrapped burger in and wait for about 4-5 minutes.

You can also use the air dryer to warm the whole bun. As I mentioned, this utensil can be used to warm the burger up as a whole without separating its components.

Put on some mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, etc. The sauce is your best buddy when it comes to moistening a burger, and it may also add more flavors to your burger. Mayonnaise is considered the best dressing for all types of burgers.

There are currently no official warning signs on how many times we can warm up a burger, but it should not be reheated several times. In fact, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) advises that food should only be reheated once, so follow it if you can.

Have You Found Yourself a Way to Reheat a Burger?

Have you knowned how to reheat a burger properly? Use any kitchen equipment you have to warm up your leftover burger. It may not taste exactly like the original, but it can still be enjoyable.

Try these methods to revive your burger and share your experience! If you have stories about reheating burgers or more questions, leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you.

How to Reheat a Burger?

Properly reheating your burgers will breathe new life into your favorite comfort food. Follow these methods to warm up any burger effortlessly.