How To Reheat Roast Potatoes – The 6 Best Ways

Roast potatoes are probably one of the most common side dishes, but many of us would agree that they can even be upgraded to the main course. They’re perfectly crispy on the outside while keeping that soft, mushy, delicious inside. 

Sometimes it can be hard to determine the necessary amount, and you may end up with a bunch of leftover roast potatoes. While they’re not nearly as delicious when cold, if properly reheated they taste just like fresh!

What is the best way to reheat roast potatoes? The best way to reheat roast potatoes is to use the oven, or simply reheat them in the microwave, toaster oven, or air fryer, while a skillet and a frying pan are also convenient options.

The best ways to reheat roast potatoes

Roasting is one of the favorite ways to prepare potatoes for many people since it allows the outside layer to get crispy and crunchy, while the inside is soft and creamy. Roasting also doesn’t dry them out and preserves all their flavors and aromas.

While roast potatoes deliver a beautiful blend of flavors and textures when served fresh, once they cool off, the taste just isn’t the same. However, with the right freezing and reheating methods, you can restore these flavors, as well as their crunchy texture, in no time.

If you’ve baked your potatoes in foil, you need to remove them from your leftovers. Leaving them in foil creates a perfect environment for bacteria to grow and spoil the potatoes.

Whether you’re keeping roast potatoes in the fridge or freezer, the rule of thumb is to let them cool off completely before storing them. When storing them in the fridge, place the potatoes in an air-tight container and close it completely.

If you intend on freezing roast potatoes, you can use a regular freezer bag. Refrigerated roast potatoes will be good for 3-5 days, while they can last for up to 10-12 months if frozen. Both methods are a great way to use up your leftovers instead of throwing them away.

When you decide to reheat leftover roast potatoes, it is important to let them defrost at room temperature for about 30 minutes before using any of the reheating methods. Also, make sure that they haven’t gone bad by checking the smell and the color.

When reheating your roast potatoes, you can cover them in foil to preserve the softness and prevent them from losing all their juices and flavors. On the other hand, avoid the foil or remove it mid-cooking if you want the outside layer to remain crispy.

Also, you may want to season the potatoes again, especially since they’ve been frozen, since the seasoning and the spices may lose their intensity in the defrosting process. Another handy piece of advice is sprinkling some olive oil on top to retain moisture. 

Using the microwave to reheat roast potatoes is the quickest, most convenient method, but many prefer the oven and toaster oven to get that characteristic crisp, which can also be achieved by using an air fryer. 

Using a skillet to reheat your roast potatoes is a good idea only if they’ve been refrigerated, while a slow cooker may not be the most suitable technique, but it can still work if you follow our guide. Let’s see what’s the best way to reheat roast potatoes.

How to reheat roast potatoes in the microwave

Many people choose to reheat roast potatoes in the microwave because they’re in a rush or they don’t want to waste time in the kitchen. However, you want to use the appropriate temperature and setting to prevent the potatoes from turning all soggy and mushy.

What’s more, if you use too low of a temperature and you let them reheat for too long, they may turn too hard and dry. Your best bet is to cover them with some aluminum foil and not leave them in for too long.

Keep in mind that this is not the best option to reheat frozen roast potatoes. You can use the microwave to defrost them, but in order to get them crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, you’ll probably have to use another reheating method.

Here are the steps to reheat roast potatoes in the microwave:

1. Cover the potatoes with a damp towel or microwave-safe aluminum foil and place them in a microwave-safe dish.
2. Reheat the potatoes for about a minute or two using a low or medium setting.
3. Avoid using high heat, as it will turn your roast potatoes into mush.
4. Serve the potatoes onto a plate.

How to reheat roast potatoes in the oven

If you want to reheat roast potatoes and keep them crispy, using the oven is your safest bet. If you’re using the oven, you’re ensuring that the potatoes are thoroughly cooked on the inside, while the outside layer crisps up.

The oven is also the best choice if you want to reheat frozen roast potatoes, since it is strong enough to completely defrost them and cook them on all sides, including the inside, without leaving them dry and flavorless.

However, what may be an issue with using an oven is the fact that it should be preheated. Also, if you don’t have a big batch of leftover potatoes, you may not be in the mood to heat up your big oven.

On the other hand, if you’re reheating a big batch of potatoes, you already know that using an oven is the way to go since other appliances usually don’t offer as much space. 

Here are the steps to reheat roast potatoes in the oven:

1. Preheat your oven to 300-400 °F, depending on how crispy you want them.
2. While the oven is preheating, take your potatoes out of the fridge/freezer and let them sit at room temperature for a bit. For frozen potatoes, you want to wait until they defrost.
3. Place the potatoes onto a tray (lined up with parchment paper or brushed with oil) one by one, avoiding any overlapping so they don’t stick together.
4. Cover the potatoes with foil, and place the tray into the oven (this will prevent them from drying out and also retain the heat).
5. Cook the potatoes for 15-20 minutes, depending on how crispy you want them.

How to reheat roast potatoes in the toaster oven

When it comes to reheating your roast potatoes in a toaster oven, you’ll notice that the results are quite similar to the potatoes reheated in a regular oven. However, the main difference is in the size, since a regular oven can surely fit a bigger batch. 

On the other hand, a toaster oven is a great choice for a smaller batch of roast potatoes when you simply don’t feel like preheating your big oven – especially in the summertime when it gets too hot. 

As we’ve already mentioned, the results are quite similar, so you can expect golden, perfectly crispy roasted potatoes on the outside, with a soft, tender inside. Of course, it is important to let the potatoes sit at room temperature before placing them into the oven.

Here are the steps to reheat roast potatoes in a toaster oven:

1. Prepare the roast potatoes by spreading them onto a tray with a piece of parchment paper/brushed with some oil to avoid sticking.
2. Make sure that the potatoes aren’t overlapping, as you don’t want them to stick to each other.
3. Set your toaster oven to 350 °F.
4. Place the potatoes into the toaster oven and let them cook for 20 minutes on one side.
5. After 20 minutes, take them out of the toaster oven and flip them. Put them back into the toaster oven and bake for another 20 minutes.
6. Once the roast potatoes are nice and golden, and the inside is cooked (check with a fork), take them out of the toaster oven. 

How to reheat roast potatoes in an air fryer

The air fryer is yet another convenient, highly effective appliance you can use to reheat a small batch of your roast potatoes. The best thing about it is that it doesn’t leave your food dry and hard since it preserves all the oils and moisture.

Of course, for extra flavor, you can always sprinkle some olive oil on top, which will also make the crust even crispier. An air fryer is also a great alternative to a traditional oven when you don’t feel like preheating it.

Here are the steps to reheat roast potatoes in an air fryer:

1. Set the temperature of your air fryer to 400 °F.
2. Place the roast potatoes into the air fryer, making sure there’s not much overlapping.
3. Set the timer to 5-8 minutes, depending on how crispy you want your potatoes to turn out. Depending on how many potatoes you’re reheating, you may want to check them and flip them mid-cooking to get the best result.
4. Once they’re golden and crispy to your liking, remove them from the air fryer.

How to reheat roast potatoes in a skillet

Roasting your potatoes in a skillet is a quick solution for a handful or two of roasted potatoes. If you plan on preparing more than that, we recommend you go with other reheating methods.

Also, reheating roast potatoes in a skillet isn’t an option for frozen potatoes. If you were to reheat the frozen potatoes this way, you’d probably end up with a cold or frozen inside, and a burnt outside of the potato.

Reheating refrigerated roast potatoes, on the other hand, is something you can do in a skillet. All you have to do is toss them around over low heat to get a golden outside and allow the inside of the potato to heat up properly.

Here are the steps to reheat roast potatoes in a skillet:

1. Prepare the potatoes by pressing them with a knife or the back of your palm to flatten them and make it easier for them to reheat in a pan.
2. Add some oil or butter to the bottom of the skillet to prevent the potatoes from sticking.
3. Put the skillet over low heat and let it heat up for a minute or two.
4. Add the potatoes and cover the pan with a lid.
5. Toss or stir the potatoes frequently to avoid burning.

How to reheat roast potatoes in a frying pan

To reheat your roast potatoes in a frying pan, you can choose one of two options.

You can simply reheat them as you would in a skillet, by heating up a little bit of oil or butter and tossing them around over low heat.

The second option is to add enough oil to fry them, which would make them super crispy and extremely flavorful. While this is not the healthiest option, it is certainly one of the most efficient ways of reheating your potatoes and getting that beautiful crunch.

Here are the steps to reheat roast potatoes in a frying pan:

1. If you’re looking to reheat refrigerated leftover potatoes, heat up some oil and cook the potatoes over low heat, stirring or tossing them frequently to avoid burning.
2. If you like your potatoes fried, fill up the frying pan with enough oil to cover the potatoes completely and fry them.
3. Allow the oil to get sizzling hot over high heat before adding the potatoes.
4. Carefully place the potatoes into the pan (especially if they’ve been frozen since the water in them can cause the oil to splatter).
5. Lower the heat to medium-high and stir the potatoes constantly to avoid burning.
6. Remove the potatoes from the pan and place them onto a paper towel to remove excess oil. 

Can you reheat roast potatoes?

Yes, there are several delicious and quick ways to reheat your leftover roast potatoes and preserve all the flavors. 

Depending on how much time you have and how big of a batch you’re reheating, different methods may be convenient for you. A microwave is certainly the quickest way, but you want to be careful as it can turn your potatoes into mush.

The most efficient methods include using an oven, toaster oven, or air fryer. That being said, using the oven is a safe bet, especially if you’re reheating a big batch of frozen roast potatoes.

Finally, you can use a skillet or a frying pan, but this is not an option for frozen potatoes. As for the refrigerated ones, these can be good options for a handful or two.