So, you’ve given in to the allure of those irresistibly warm and sweet McDonald’s apple pies.
Maybe you’ve bought too many, and now you’re wondering if you can keep them for tomorrow?
Fast food isn’t known for reheating well.
And, of course, when it comes to McDonald’s apple pies, you don’t want to give up their signature crispy pastry exterior and juicy, sticky apple filling.
Well, I’ve got good news. I’ve experimented with three ways to reheat McDonald’s apple pies to determine which method works best to restore their fresh appley taste and crispy coating.
I’ve also explored the best ways to store, freeze, and thaw McDonald’s apple pies for later enjoyment.
A note on my experiment
Yesterday, I gave into temptation and bought a whole lot of tasty McDonald’s apple pies.
My craving was a little greater than my actual appetite, and I ended up with a few leftover.
I wasn’t just going to chuck my excess pies, so I decided to store them overnight in the fridge instead.
The next day, I experimented with three different reheating methods to try and reheat them to their glorious hot and crispy state.
These methods include:
- Reheating McDonald’s apple pie in the oven (an excellent option overall)
- Reheating McDonald’s apple pie in an air fryer (a great option if you have an air fryer)
- Reheating McDonald’s apple pie in the microwave (convenient, but reduces crispiness)
I found the oven was an accessible and easy way to reheat apple pies while retaining their crispiness.
The air fryer is similarly great, resulting in an even crisp and fresh-tasting filling.
The microwave method still produced great-tasting results, but the apple pies lost their crispiness.
Reheating a McDonald’s apple pie in the oven
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place your McDonald’s apple pie, uncovered, in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes, flip once, and return it to the oven for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Allow the pie to cool slightly before serving.
The oven method is a great way to reheat McDonald’s apple pies as it does a good job of restoring the pie’s original crispy outer texture while retaining all the flavor of the filling.
How to reheat McDonald’s apple pie in the oven:
- Set your oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Lightly oil a baking tray with cooking spray.
- Place your apple pie, uncovered, in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Remove it from the oven and flip it over.
- Return your apple pie to the oven for a further 2 to 3 minutes.
- Allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving.
If you’re not sure if the filling of your pie is hot enough, remove the pie from the oven and insert a wooden toothpick or skewer into its center for ten to fifteen seconds.
If it is warm or hot to the touch once you remove it, your pie is heated all the way through.
If you have a food thermometer, you can use that instead.
While your apple pie will become crispier the longer you leave it in the oven, it can also burn easily, so keep an eye on it.
The filling may start to boil as the pie reheats in the oven, so make sure to let it cool down a bit before taking a bite to avoid burning your mouth.
If you’re reheating multiple apple pies, space them apart on your baking sheet.
My verdict
The oven is a great and accessible method for reheating apple pies, as it restores most of the pie’s crispiness.
Perhaps not as much as if you use an air fryer, but definitely more than the microwave.
I was satisfied with the even heating of the pie’s filling too. I didn’t notice any loss of flavor.
I also found this a quick and convenient way of heating more than one pie at once.
Reheating a McDonald’s apple pie in an air fryer
To reheat your McDonald’s apple pie in an air fryer, set it to 350°F (180°C). Place your pie in the basket and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the center is steamy and bubbly. Then, remove your pie from the fryer and allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving.
The air fryer restores apple pies to a near-perfect crisp with a steamy, flavorful center.
It’s also a quick and convenient method requiring minimal fuss.
How to reheat a McDonald’s apple pie in an air fryer:
- Set your air fryer to 350°F (180°C).
- Place your apple pie in the basket.
- Fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Remove and allow it to cool slightly before serving.
The outside of the pie gets hot very quickly, but the center takes a bit longer to warm through. Bubbling and steaming indicate that the filling is evenly heated.
If you are reheating more than one apple pie, make sure they are not touching or crowded in the basket.
Reheat large quantities of pies in batches to prevent overcrowding your air fryer.
My verdict
This is a great method overall if you have access to an air fryer. It restores an apple pies’ crispy exterior while retaining a delicious freshly-baked taste in the center.
The air fryer method is best for restoring even crispiness to the pie’s exterior pastry.
If you don’t have an air fryer, the oven method is the next best thing.
Reheating McDonald’s apple pie in the microwave
To reheat a McDonald’s apple pie in the microwave, place it on a paper towel-lined microwave-safe plate. Reheat your pie on high in ten-second intervals. Do so for between 40 to 50 seconds or until the filling is bubbling and steaming. Allow it to cool before serving.
This method is very quick and convenient, but it doesn’t recover the pie’s original crispiness. It does, however, retain the lovely flavor of the filling.
How to reheat McDonald’s apple pie in the microwave:
- Place your McDonald’s apple pie on a paper towel-lined microwave-safe plate.
- On high, reheat the pie for 40 to 50 seconds, checking it in 10-second intervals.
- Once steaming, remove the pie and allow it to cool slightly before serving.
The paper towel on which you rest your pie will remove excess moisture while you reheat it.
Do not microwave your apple pie for too long, as too much steam from the filling will make the pastry crust soggy.
My verdict
This method delivers a good result if you don’t mind sacrificing the pie’s original crispy exterior.
It is quick and convenient and warms the pie quite evenly. However, too long in the microwave can make apple pies limp and soggy.
While the apple pie’s filling retained all its flavor and texture, I still prefer the oven and air fryer methods as they also restored the pie’s signature crispiness.
How to store a McDonald’s apple pie
Remove apple pies from their packaging and let them cool to room temperature. Then, place them, not touching, in an airtight container lined with a sheet of paper towel. You can store apple pies in the fridge for two days. They can also be stored in ziplocked bags in the freezer for 3 to 4 months.
Apple pies should be cool when you store them to avoid condensation forming in the container, which leads to excess moisture.
They should not be left standing out once they have cooled for more than two hours.
Related: Should Apple Crisp Be Refrigerated?
Can you freeze McDonald’s apple pies?
On a parchment-lined baking sheet, place apple pies in the freezer to freeze individually for 2 to 3 hours. Once they are frozen, you can transfer them to a ziplocked back. Remove as much of the air from the bag as you can before sealing it. Apple pies last for up to 4 months in the freezer.
How to freeze a McDonald’s apple pie:
- Lay room temperature apple pies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Place them, not touching, in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours or until frozen.
- Transfer them to an airtight freezer bag with as much of the air removed as possible.
- Return your apple pies to the freezer and consume them within 3 to 4 months.
Pre-freezing your McDonald’s apple pies prevents them from clumping together in your ziplocked bag.
This also ensures that you can remove them individually in case you only want to reheat one.
If you don’t have access to a vacuum sealer, you can remove excess air from your ziplocked bag by sealing it almost all the way and then pressing down on it to remove excess air.
How to thaw a McDonald’s apple pie
The best way to thaw a McDonald’s apple pie is to remove it from the freezer and let it stand for a few hours at room temperature. Once thawed, lightly pat down the pastry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
Alternatively, you can place the apple pie in a low-heat oven until defrosted.
This is preferable to the microwave defrost option, which will make your pies soggy and limp.
Once you have thawed apple pies, do not refreeze them. They will lose their freshness and texture.
How to reheat a frozen McDonald’s apple pie
To reheat frozen McDonald’s apple pies, place them in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for 10 to 15 minutes or until the centers are bubbling. Flip the pie once at the halfway mark.
You can also reheat them in an air fryer. Set your air fryer to 400°F (200°C) and heat the pies for 10 to 15 minutes, occasionally checking to ensure they’re not burning.
If your apple pies are steaming before they reach the 15-minute mark, remove them, and allow them to stand for a minute or two before serving.
You can speed up the reheating process by nuking your apple pies in the microwave for 30 seconds or so. But you run the risk of making the crusts soggy.
How long do McDonald’s apple pies last?
Use the below guidelines to keep your stored McDonald’s pies as fresh as possible for as long as possible.
- Room Temperature: McDoanld’s apple pies should be stored as soon as they are cooled to room temperature and should not stand out for longer than two hours.
- Refrigerated: In an airtight container in the fridge, McDonald’s apple pies stay fresh for two days.
- Frozen: McDonald’s apple pies frozen and stored in airtight ziplocked bags last 3 to 4 months in the freezer.
The BEST Way To Reheat A McDonald’s Apple Pie
Ingredients
- 1 portion McDonald's apple pie
- 1 spray cooking oil optional
Instructions
- Set your oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Lightly oil a baking tray with cooking spray.
- Place your apple pie, uncovered, in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Remove it from the oven and flip it over.
- Return your apple pie to the oven for a further 2 to 3 minutes.
- Allow it to cool for a minute or two before serving.
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