Do you know what’s a burger without onion rings and fries? A very sad burger. Onion is a subtle but fundamental ingredient in many dishes, and fried onion rings might just be the best version of this vegetable.

It would be a waste to throw onion rings away when you can’t eat them all in one sitting. That’s why we prepared this complete guide on how to reheat onion rings.

What is the best way to reheat onion rings? The best way to reheat onion rings is with the help of an air fryer, but you can also use your oven, toaster oven, or stovetop.

The Best Ways To Reheat Onion Rings

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While fried food is really easy to reheat, it can also go very wrong if you don’t do it the right way. In fact, reheating onion rings with the wrong method could make them soggy and very unpleasant.

If you have leftover onion rings from a previous meal, and you plan to reheat them the next day, you can let them rest in the fridge for the night in an airtight container.

Keep in mind that you can only reheat onion rings once, so if you don’t plan on eating all of them at once, only take out of the fridge the amount you need and leave the rest in the container.

You can keep fried onion rings in the fridge for up to 3 days, but we would recommend you don’t go beyond the first 24 hours. Freezing fried food is not a good idea either, so make sure to consume all of your onion rings within the time limit.

If you really need to freeze them, put them into a freezer-safe bag and make sure they do not overlap each other. Of course, before reheating frozen onion rings you need to defrost them. You can use the fridge or the defrost option of your microwave for that.

You can reheat shredded onion rings on your stovetop, or you can use your oven/toaster or air fryer. Each method requires a different process, so we’re going to go through each one in detail.

If you want to reheat onion rings and keep them crisp, read our full detailed guide below!

How to reheat onion rings in the air fryer

If you’re the proud owner of an air fryer or a 4-in-1 microwave with an air fryer, you’ll be happy to know that this is the best way to keep onion rings crispy and flavorful after reheating them.

That’s because, of course, nothing is better for fried food than a frying machine. However, it’s not enough to just throw the onion rings inside the air fryer and let it do its work.

Here are the steps to reheat onion rings in the air fryer:

Preheat your air fryer at 350 degrees.
Coat the onion rings with a cooking spray. It will help to heat them up properly.
Place the onion rings in the air fryer basket and if possible do not make them overlap each other, for more uniform heating.
Cook or microwave them using the designated option for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
Make sure to check on the onion rings every 2-3 minutes, and flip them when they’re halfway through the cooking time.
Reheat them until they take a golden brown coloring. At that point, they should be crispy enough and ready to be served.

No air fryer? No problem! You can also reheat onion rings in the oven with great results.

How to reheat onion rings in the oven

Let’s be honest, it’s less and less common to have an air fryer at home with all the multifunctional microwaves and ovens we have nowadays. So unless you have specific cooking needs that require an actual air fryer in your kitchen, your best option for reheating fried onion rings in the oven.

The oven doesn’t fall far behind the air fryer when it comes to onion rings, and it’s the perfect tool to reheat a lot of different foods.

The good thing about reheating onion rings in the oven is that it doesn’t require any extra oil, although if you want to use a little cooking spray it won’t hurt.

Here are the steps to reheat onion rings in the oven:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
(Optional) Heat your onion rings in the microwave for just 10 seconds, just to warm them up a little.
Place a piece of baking paper on your baking tray.
Place the onion rings on the tray, being careful that they do not overlap, otherwise some parts of them will be undercooked.
Cover the tray with aluminum foil.
Put everything inside the oven, keep the temperature at 350 degrees and set the cooking time to 10-15 minutes.
Do check on the onion rings every few minutes and move them around or flip them as you see fit.
Once they’re golden brown and crispy, you can take them out and serve them right away (be careful not to touch the aluminum foil with your bare hands).

Cannot use the oven for whatever reason? If you have a countertop toaster oven, you can use that as well, if you follow our guide below.

How to reheat onion rings in a toaster oven

If you deem your traditional oven too big for the job or if you just want to save something on your energy bills, the toaster oven is a good alternative to reheat breaded onion rings.

While seemingly less powerful, the biggest difference between a normal oven and a toaster is the internal space. Since the toaster oven is smaller than the traditional oven, the cooking time will be shorter as well.

Here are the steps to reheat onion rings in a toaster oven:

Preheat your toaster oven at 350 degrees.
(Optional) Heat your onion rings in the microwave for just ten seconds, just to warm them up a little.
Place the onion rings on a broiler pan with a rack, or on a baking tray, being careful that they do not overlap, otherwise some parts of them will be undercooked.
Place the baking tray on the top rack, so that the onion rings are elevated, since during reheating they’re gonna produce oil that could make them soggy at the bottom.
Keep the temperature at 350 degrees and set the cooking time to 6-7 minutes.
Check on the onion rings every couple of minutes and flip them regularly so that they can be evenly reheated.
The results of using a toaster oven are very similar to those of the oven, so you can take your onion rings out once they’re golden brown and crispy, and serve them right away.

We’ve seen all the appliance-related methods to reheat onion rings, but you can also simply use your stove for this purpose. Keep reading to find out about the easiest method to keep onion rings crispy!

How to reheat onion rings in a skillet

You may think that letting your oven or air fryer do all the work is the easiest way to reheat leftover onion rings, but using a skillet is actually the quickest and simplest way to achieve good results.

It doesn’t take much cooking knowledge to reheat onion rings on the stove, so don’t worry, you can achieve great results even if you’re a first-time cook. All you need is a pan and a bit of frying oil because with this method you’re actually frying the onion rings again.

Here are the steps to reheat onion rings in a skillet:

Place a pan of suitable size on the stove on medium heat.
When the pan is warmed up, add the frying oil. Don’t exaggerate but be generous, because if the onion rings don’t have enough oil, they will burn. Ideally, the level of the frying oil should be high enough to soak ⅓ of the onion ring (placed flat).
Once the oil is heated, add the onion rings. If the oil is at the right temperature, it should start frizzling as soon as you put them in.
Move them around frequently and flip them regularly, so that the entire body of each ring has been fully dipped in the oil.
When the onion rings are golden and crispy, they’re ready to eat. It should take just a few minutes (less than 5 if the oil is well heated).
Place a few pieces of paper towel on a soup plate and place the onion rings on the paper, so the extra oil is well-absorbed before you serve them.

While this isn’t exactly reheating as much as it’s cooking them all over again, it’s probably one of the best ways to get onion rings that are crispy and full of flavor.

Can you reheat onion rings?

Fried food is better consumed freshly cooked, but when necessary you have different ways to reheat it: you can use your oven, your toaster oven, your stove, or the air fryer.

The air fryer is the best method to reheat onion rings and keep them crisp because after all it is made for fried foods. The oven and the toaster oven work more or less in the same way, and you can achieve good crispiness and flavor with both.

When you’re in a pinch, you can place your onion rings in a pan and fry them again on the stove with the help of frying oil. It will be like cooking them anew, it only takes a few minutes and you’re guaranteed great results.

Can you reheat onion rings in the microwave?

You can, but you shouldn’t. The microwave is the go-to kitchen appliance to reheat food, but in the case of fried food is the worst tool you can use.

The best thing about onion rings is their crispness. When you reheat onion rings in the microwave, you turn them into a soggy mess that you will not want to eat. Basically, you just ruin them.

If you have a microwave with an air fryer, you can use that function. Otherwise, do not reheat onion rings in the microwave.

We presented several great ways to reheat onion rings, all tested and approved by our team of experts, so believe us when we say that you will not need a microwave this time!

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Michael Cook

Passionate chef, in love with everything related to food and cooking it to perfection!