How To Reheat Fried Rice

We tested the Top Four ways to reheat Fried Rice! Find out my favorite method and my tips for keeping leftover rice light and fluffy!

If you love fried rice, try my different fried rice recipes like Easy Fried Rice, Shrimp Fried Rice or Beef Fried Rice!

Have you ever wondered the BEST way to reheat fried rice? Fried rice is something my family and I enjoy at least once a week! It comes together in minutes and is the perfect clean out the fridge meal! When I make my easy fried rice recipe at home for my family I always make sure to double the recipe to have lots of leftovers! It makes the perfect quick lunch or easy dinner!

Because we make it so much I decided to test my four favorite ways to reheat fried rice. I included reheating instructions and my thoughts on stove top, microwave, oven and air fryer! (Spoiler alert the oven did not fair well in this test!)

Learn why and which methods were my favorite for reheating fried rice! My favorite method tastes just as good as it did originally!

How to Reheat Fried Rice on the Stovetop

I personally think that reheating fried rice on the stovetop is the best way! It keeps it a similar texture and none of the ingredients will get mushy. You can even add an extra egg if you want to! This method, however, takes a little bit of time.

• Place a saute pan or skillet on the stove on medium heat. Add about 1 tablespoon of a neutral cooking oil, sesame oil or (my favorite) butter to the pan.
• Once the pan is hot, add the left over fried rice to the pan and use a wooden spoon to spread the rice evenly over the surface. Turn the heat up to medium high.
• Stir the rice occasionally while on medium high heat for about 4-5 minutes or until rice is piping hot.

How to Reheat Fried Rice in the Air Fryer

My second favorite option is the air fryer! Just like on the stove top the air fryer crisps up the rice instead of drying it out. No mushy rice here! Plus it ready in minutes!

• Put your leftover fried rice into a baking safe dish (I use a cake pan). Place it in the air fryer.
• Cook on 400F for about 6 minutes stir and continue cooking for 1-2 more additional minutes or as needed. Keep in mind you will have to adjust the time that you keep the rice in the air fryer depending on how much left over rice you have.

How to Reheat Fried Rice in the Microwave

This method is the fastest and probably the most common way to reheat fried rice. The microwave does the job, but it can dry out the rice quickly since you are heating it so quickly. To make sure your rice is moist and fluffy, add a little bit of liquid to the rice.

• First, place your fried rice in a microwave safe dish. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water or broth.
• Cover the bowl with a lid of paper towel. You want the rice to get steamy underneath but you also want there to be a space for some steam to escape. If you use a lid, keep a corner of it off.
• Cook the rice for about 2 minutes. Take the lid off and stir the rice if it needs more time cook for an additional minute.
• You will know that the rice is done once it is piping hot. Be careful not to burn yourself when taking the dish out of the microwave.

How to Reheat Fried Rice in the Oven

This is my least favorite methods of reheating fried rice. I find that in the time to wait for the oven to preheat then bake you could have made a brand new batch of fried rice in that time. The oven method also tends to dry out the fried rice. I would use the oven method as the last resort and make sure to add extra liquid like with the microwave version.

• Preheat your oven to 425 F and transfer your fried rice to an oven safe dish that has a lid.
• Add about 2 tablespoons of liquid (water or broth) to your rice.
• Put the rice in the oven and let it cook for about 13-15 minutes.
• Take the lid off of the dish and let the rice cook another 5 minutes or until the rice is piping hot.

Tips and Tricks

• Do not reheat rice more than once. It should be eaten after the first time it is reheated or the texture will not be good.
• Rice needs to be very hot when you reheat it to kill any bacteria.
• Stirring the rice periodically while reheating it will ensure that all of the rice is being evenly heated.
• The goal here is to get the same fried rice texture that you would get when you eat it fresh. Reheating takes moisture out of the rice, so add a little bit of liquid to help keep it a similar texture as when you first made it.

More Recipes to Try

• Black Pepper Chicken
• Ham Fried Rice
• Chicken Chow Mein
• Garlic Fried Rice
• Air Fryer Fried Rice
• Sweet and Sour Chicken