How To Reheat A Big Mac – The 6 Best Ways

In case you’ve made a big order that you can’t finish all at once and you’d like to save a Big Mac for later, the only problem with this plan is that a cold burger will never taste the same as a fresh one.

Luckily, with the right method, you can reheat a Big Mac at home and it will taste as you’ve just picked it up from McDonald’s.

What is the best way to reheat a Big Mac? The best way to reheat a Big Mac is to use a pan to heat up the patty, and then toast the bun separately.

The best ways to reheat a Big Mac

The Big Mac is by now the flagship of the McDonald’s menu, but maybe also of fast food in general.

However, if you want to reheat McDonald’s Big Mac, you may have trouble finding the best method to properly heat up all of the ingredients.

That being said, the first thing you should do to prepare your Big Mac for reheating is to remove all the lettuce and pickles from the burger.

While other components, including cheese, beef patties, buns, and the sauce may heat up evenly and preserve their texture, this is not the case with the veggies.

In case you forget to remove these elements from your burger, chances are you’ll end up with mushy salad and soggy buns – as the lettuce and pickles will most probably turn into mush inside the Big Mac. 

Depending on the method, you may be able to warm up the entire Big Mac all at once, but we’ve found that separating the elements and heating them up one by one yield much better results. 

Another important thing to note if you’re not ready for your Big Mac yet and you’d like to reheat it afterward is that it shouldn’t be kept at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.

Therefore, make sure to store your leftover burgers in the fridge, where they can be safely stored for up to 3 days.

However, if we’re talking about a bigger batch of burgers you know you won’t be able to use up in 3 days, a very convenient option is to freeze your Big Macs, as they can be stored this way for up to 2 months. 

After taking the Big Mac out of the freezer, allow it to fully defrost in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours, after which you can use any of the reheating methods we’ll discuss to warm it up.

How to reheat a Big Mac on the stove

There are many ways to reheat a Big Mac, and while some of them may take less time, warming up a burger in a pan is still our absolute favorite.

While it may be easier for you to reheat the entire burger all at once, you will probably not get the desired result, as the meat and the bun require different temperatures.

Reheating the entire burger without separating the meat from the bun may result in a dry, flavorless burger that has lost all of its natural juices.

The main goal when reheating a Big Mac is making sure that the patties remain juicy and tender, while the buns stay crispy on the outside.

To achieve that, it is necessary to warm up the patties first, then slightly toast the bun.

As we’ve mentioned, this method may take more time than microwaving your Big Mac or popping it in the oven, but it gives you far more control over the entire process.

Here are the steps to reheat a Big Mac on the stove:

1. Separate the patties from the bun and make sure to remove the lettuce and pickles.
2. Heat up a frying pan over medium heat, then add both patties, as well as the bottom part of the bun with the cheese on top.
3. Pour a little bit of water (about 2 tablespoons) into the frying pan, then close it with a lid.
4. Let the meat and the bottom part of the bun warm up for about 2 minutes.
5. Add the middle and the top part of the bun to the pan and let them get crispy for about 30 seconds.
6. Spray some oil to prevent the meat and the bun slices from burning.
7. Reassemble your Big Mac and add fresh lettuce and any other condiments of choice.

How to reheat a Big Mac in the air fryer

Using an air fryer is one of the most convenient reheating methods, as it usually requires no preheating.

An air fryer is best described as a mini oven that may lack capacity when it comes to the space it offers, but certainly not the frying, baking, and reheating capacity.

However, just like the oven, the air fryer also tends to dry out the food, which is exactly why it is important to reintroduce the moisture by adding some water – just like with the previous method. 

Here are the steps to reheat a Big Mac in an air fryer:

1. In case the air fryer model you own requires preheating, set it to 350°F.
2. Separate the Big Mac and remove lettuce and pickles (skipping this step could result in a mushy, soggy bun).
3. Place the bottom and the top bun slice into the air fryer basket.
4. Place the remaining burger parts on the other side of the air fryer basket.
5. Sprinkle some water on top of the burger elements (about 1 tablespoon).
6. Heat up the Big Mac for about 6 minutes, making sure to flip everything halfway through. 
7. After 6 minutes, remove everything but the bottom and the top parts of the bun.
8. Add a bit more water, then let the bun slices get crispy for another 30 seconds. 
9. Reassemble the Big Mac and add fresh lettuce.

How to reheat a Big Mac in the microwave

There is no doubt that microwaving is the easiest and quickest method to reheat your Big Mac, or any other dish for that matter.

However, we wouldn’t recommend this solution if you have other options, since you could easily end up with a soggy, mushy burger, unlike anything you’d order at McDonald’s.

The secret with this method, as well as the others we’ve discussed, lies in adding some moisture back into the burger – but not too much, as you don’t want the buns to become too soft.

Nevertheless, in this case, we won’t sprinkle any water on top of the burger, but rather wrap it in a damp paper towel – which is a rule of thumb when reheating bread in a microwave.

Make sure not the wrap the Big Mac too tightly around the bottom part of the bun, as it could become quite spongy.

Here are the steps to reheat a Big Mac in the microwave: 

1. Once again, remember to remove the lettuce and pickles from your Big Mac when reheating it. If you microwave the entire burger, the middle part will certainly turn into mush.
2. Place the Big Mac onto a microwave-safe plate, then cover it with a damp paper towel, making sure not to wrap it around the bottom part.
3. Reheat the burger in 30-second intervals until it is warm enough.

How to reheat a Big Mac in the oven

A downside of reheating Big Mac in the oven is that you’ll have to wait for it to preheat to the desired temperature.

What’s more, due to high temperature, it may dry out the burger – especially the beef patties. However, it is still a good option if for any reason you cannot reheat the burger in your frying pan.

Here are the steps to reheat a Big Mac in the oven:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Separate the burger and make sure to remove the lettuce and pickles.
3. If you’re in a rush, you can simply wrap the entire burger in a piece of aluminum foil and let it warm up for about 10 minutes.
4. However, a much better alternative is to line up a baking tray with some parchment paper, place the outer parts of the bun on one side of the tray, and sprinkle some water on top.
5. As for the remaining part of the Big Mac (2 patties and the middle part of the bun), wrap them in some aluminum foil to preserve the juiciness of the meat.
6. Reheat for 10 minutes, or until the buns are crispy enough. 

How to reheat a Big Mac in a toaster oven

We know just how hot the kitchen can get when the big oven is on, which is precisely why a toaster oven is such a convenient replacement.

When reheating a Big Mac in the toaster oven, you can pretty much follow all of the steps we’ve listed for the oven.

Here are the steps to reheat a Big Mac in a toaster oven:

1. Preheat the toaster oven to 350°F.
2. Remove the lettuce and pickles from your Big Mac to avoid the burger from getting mushy.
3. Wrap the middle layer of the burger in some aluminum foil and place it onto a tray or directly onto the toaster oven rack.
4. As for the bottom and top parts of the bun, you can either put them directly on the rack (which will make them extra toasty) or use a tray.
5. Warm up the Big Mac for about 10 minutes.
6. After 10 minutes, you can either reassemble the Big Mac or leave the bottom and top bun slices a bit longer if you want them extra crispy.

How to reheat a Big Mac on the grill

Using the grill is not only the best way to make your burgers, but also a great way to reheat any leftovers, and here’s how to do it.

Here are the steps to reheat a Big Mac on the grill:

1. Choose a medium-high setting on your grill and let it preheat.
2. Remove the lettuce and pickles from your Big Mac.
3. Separate the patties from the bun pieces.
4. Place the patties onto the grill and warm them up for about 2 minutes on each side.
5. Warm up the bun pieces for 30 seconds, or until they’re toasty to your taste.
6. Reassemble the Big Mac.

Can you reheat a Big Mac?

The best way to reheat your Big Mac is to separate the meat from the buns, as warming up the burger in its entirety may lead to inconsistency in temperature.

In addition to heating the burger in a frying pan, which is without a doubt the best way to do it, we’d say that using a grill is also a very effective option – as long as you don’t leave the patties on the grill for too long.

If you’re in a rush, a microwave, air fryer, or toaster oven will be your best friend. However, make sure to prevent the burger from drying out by either placing a damp paper towel on top or sprinkling some water to lock in the moisture.

Using the oven, on the other hand, could be the most complicated way to warm up your burger, as it takes a long time to preheat. However, it is the best solution for a bigger batch of Big Macs.