You can reheat burgers using the oven, grill, stovetop, toaster oven, air fryer, and even the microwave. Personally, the grill is my favorite as it gets the best results.
When I first moved out on my own, I always ended up cooking more burgers than I needed. This meant a lot of leftovers and I had to figure out how to reheat a burger so that it still tasted good. Cue the experimenting!
In this post, I will show you the many ways you can reheat a burger and give you the top tips for making your burger taste amazing. Let’s begin!
Now, before I show you how to reheat burgers, there is one important thing that you need to do first. This is:
Disassemble the burger.
Start by removing the burger buns from the patty. Next up, take away any veggies, cheese, or sauces that may be stuck to the patty as well.
When you are done, you should be left with just a patty. Since you will be reheating it, I do suggest using a paper towel to wipe away any seasonings or condiments that may be still stuck to the meat.
Now you are ready to reheat a burger!
There are five main ways that you can reheat a burger. I am going to start with the most effective and then work my way down the list.
While I do prefer the first few methods, it is all about finding what works for you:
This is my favorite method as it adds a lot to the leftover burgers in terms of flavor and you end up with a juicy burger. I also find that this method reheats the burger patties quite evenly too.
That being said, I am fully aware that this requires a bit of fuss and effort as you have to get your grill going. Still, I do feel like it is worth it!
Preheat the grill to 325 F.
Place the leftover burger patties on the cooking grate. Cook for 3 minutes and then flip over. Cook for 2 minutes and then check the internal temperature of the patty.
It should be close to 160 F – at this point, it is done.
If you want to add cheese, add a slice of cheese on top of the burger. Close the lid for a minute and then remove the burger.
Serve and eat.
You can use a toaster oven instead of an oven if you want:
Preheat the oven or the toaster oven to 400 F.
Place a metal rack or wire rack on a baking sheet or baking pan. The baking sheet underneath will catch any burger drippings.
To make clean up easier, you can line the pan with aluminum foil.
Arrange each patty with a little bit of space in between each of them.
Place the leftover burgers in the oven and reheat the patties for up to 7 minutes, until the internal temperature reads 160 F.
If you want, you can flip the burgers over at the halfway point.
A little while before the patties are done, you can place a slice of cheese on each patty and let it melt.
Take the burgers out and serve.
This is the least fussy option around. I do suggest that you use a cast iron skillet for the best flavor and color. However, a frying pan will work just as well.
Add oil to the pan and heat it over medium heat or medium high heat.
When the pan is hot enough, add the patties. Don’t crowd the pan or the burgers will not reheat evenly. If there are too many patties, cook them in batches.
Let the patties cook for about 3 minutes. Then, flip them over.
Add a few drops of water inside the pan and place the lid over the pan. This will help to keep each burger moist.
Once the water droplets have dried up, you can consider adding a slice on top of each reheated burger and closing the lid for another minute.
Then, remove from heat and serve.
Now, I am going to admit that I am pretty new to the air fryer. However, I do have to say that it is a pretty cool piece of machinery. It creates a nice and crispy exterior when you want to reheat a burger.
Preheat the air fryer to 350 F.
Place each patty a little distance away from the other. Don’t crowd the air fryer basket. If you want to reheat many burgers, do so in batches.
Cook for about 2 minutes then flip the burgers over and cook for another 2 minutes. When the internal temp reads 160 F, take them out and serve.
If you want, you can add a slice of cheese on top of each burger about a minute before you need to take the patties out.
I am going, to be honest – I would not advise you to use this method when reheating burgers. Yes, there is no denying that this is the easiest way to reheat leftover burgers.
That being said, it is the least effective method. Microwaves tend to heat the patty unevenly resulting a poor tasty and dry burger.
Arrange each burger on a microwave safe plate or microwave safe dish. Microwave the food for 1 minute and then check the internal temperature. If it reads 160 F throughout, then you are good.
If not, heat the patty for one minute again and check once more.
Take out and serve.
Now that you know how to reheat a burger, the next step is reassembling the burger. Now, personally, I would toss away the buns and the veggies. You will find the buns soggy and the veggies wilted.
This is why I like to start from scratch.
Slice some fresh tomatoes and tear off a few lettuce leaves. Depending on your preference, you can add a few sliced red onions, pickles, or anything else that tickles your fancy.
Toast fresh burger buns or you can use the ones from the burgers leftover.
Then, assemble your new reheated burger! Make sure to add any condiments that you like to the mix.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when reheating burgers:
About 15 minutes before you plan on reheating the burger, take it out of the refrigerator. This gives the meat time to warm up a little. In turn, the patty will cook more evenly.
Just make sure that you don’t keep the meat out for longer than this as it can begin to spoil, especially during warm weather.
I know that you are going to think that this is such a fussy step, but you should definitely follow my advice here.
For one thing, by heating up the patty to 160 F, you are ensuring that it is safe to eat. In doing so, you are cutting down the risk of food poisoning.
The other thing that this achieves is to guarantee that the burger is cooked evenly, all the way true. This will help quite a bit in terms of taste and texture!
The second that the burgers are off the heat, you should start assembling them and serving them. This will ensure that the burgers taste good – it won’t be quite the same once the meat has cooled off.
And, it isn’t really safe to reheat burgers again.
There you go – you now know how to reheat a burger and get amazing results. This means that leftovers are going to become a whole lot better for you! Just remember to follow the tips and tricks I provided here.
