How to Reheat Pancakes For The Best Texture

Whether you’re cheffing up a weekend breakfast or meal prepping for the week ahead, pancakes, especially banana protein pancakes, are a fan favorite. There’s no shortage of sweet and savory toppings to dress them up with. Plus, they’re ready in minutes.

You can even reheat the leftovers. I’ll share my favorite ways to reheat pancakes with your favorite kitchen appliances.

Ways to Reheat Pancakes

1. Toaster (Best for small portions; crispy)
2. Oven (Best for big groups; semi-crispy)
3. Air fryer (Semi-crispy)
4. Microwave (Not crispy)
5. Stovetop (Least favorite)

How to Reheat Pancakes in the Toaster

The toaster is a quick and easy way to reheat your pancakes to crispy perfection. Every toaster is different, as is the size and fluffiness of pancakes, so you may need to test your settings to figure out what works best for you.

Make sure to watch the pancakes closely the first time you toast them so you don’t overtoast or burn them.

I have a Sunbeam two-slice toaster, and found that:

• A medium setting (between 4 and 5) works best for palm-sized pancakes. This equates to about 1:45 to 2:15 minutes in my toaster.
• Setting 6 was slightly too dry for my preference.

If in doubt, err on the side of caution. You can always pop your pancake back in for 30 more seconds if it isn’t crispy enough! Once you reheat pancakes in the toaster a few times, you’ll find the right setting for you.

Avoid toasting your pancakes if they have add-ins like chocolate chips or berries, as these can burn or smoke in the toaster. 

How to Reheat Pancakes in the Oven

It’s convenient to reheat pancakes in the oven if you are prepping for your family or a large group. They come out semi-crispy. Not as crispy as in the toaster, but not soggy either.

Here’s how to reheat pancakes in the oven:

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
2. Grease a baking sheet and place your pancakes on it in a single layer. 
3. Cover the baking sheet with a piece of foil.
4. Bake for 2.5 to 3 minutes. Take the sheet out and flip the pancakes, then bake for another 2.5 to 3 minutes.

When ready, the pancakes should feel warm to the touch and the outside of the pancakes should feel slightly crispy. Be careful not to leave the pancakes in for too long or they will dry out.

Pro tip: You can also cook bacon in the oven if you’re cooking for a group.

How to Reheat Pancakes in the Air Fryer

Reheating pancakes in the air fryer yields a texture in between the toaster and the microwave. The pancakes are slightly crispy, but not crunchy, on the outside and they’re still soft on the inside. 

Here’s how to reheat pancakes in the air fryer:

1. Optional: Lightly spray the pancakes with cooking spray or spread a thin layer of butter on them.
2. Place in the air fryer in a single layer.
3. Air fry on 350℉ for 2 to 3 minutes.

How to Reheat Pancakes in the Microwave

The microwave method gets a bad rap, but if you go into it with certain expectations, this may become your go-to method if you’re on-the-go and don’t care if your flapjack’s crispy.

Some say the microwave makes your pancake soggy, but I disagree. I’d argue that it’s malleable – a pancake tortilla if you will – waiting to embrace sausage or bacon and egg fillings and lay the foundation for a makeshift breakfast taco.

Plus, I’d prefer a soft, moist pancake to an overly reheated dry one any day.

Here’s how to reheat pancakes in the microwave:

1. Lay your pancake(s) in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate.
2. Cover them with a damp paper towel. This helps them retain moisture.
3. Microwave for 10-15 seconds per pancake. So if you were heating up two pancakes, you’d microwave for 20-30 seconds total.

How to Reheat Pancakes on the Stovetop

Reheating pancakes on the stove top is my least favorite method. It takes the most effort, and the pancakes tend to be slightly dry.

If you must try this method, here’s how to reheat pancakes on the stovetop:

1. Heat your pan on low. Grease the pan with cooking spray or butter.
2. Place your pancakes in the pan, flipping every 30 to 45 seconds until heated through and slightly crispy on the outside. This should take 3 to 4 minutes.

How to Reheat Frozen Pancakes

You can reheat frozen pancakes by using any of the methods above, but it may take about 1.5, depending on the method. Here are three of my favorite ways to reheat frozen pancakes.

• Toaster: I reheat frozen pancakes the same way I reheat unfrozen pancakes, on the 5 setting, checking the pancakes after a couple minutes to see if they need more time.
• Oven: Place the pancakes in the oven at 350℉ for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
• Microwave: Microwave for 20-30 seconds per pancake, depending on your microwave and the size of your pancake.

How to Store Leftover Pancakes

You can store leftover pancakes in the refrigerator or the freezer. Before you store them, make sure they’re cooled completely to avoid condensation.

• In the refrigerator: Store pancakes in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• In the freezer: Store pancakes in a freezer-safe bag. If you don’t flash freeze them (I don’t), you may want to place parchment paper in between portions to make it easier to defrost only what you will eat. You can store them from about 2 months. 

If I’m meal prepping, I prefer to freeze the pancakes and defrost them in the toaster or microwave when I’m ready to eat them.

Other Breakfast Favorites

If you want to add a few new recipes to your breakfast rotation, here are a few of our favorites:

• Protein waffles
• Oatmeal waffles
• Chocolate banana protein muffins
• Baked eggs
• Chocolate peanut butter overnight oats

Enjoy!