Name: The BEST Way To Reheat An Omelet
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 4 min
Ingredients: 1 portion omelet; 1 tbsp butter (or oil)

Table of Contents

You can’t get much better than a freshly cooked omelet.

But what about those situations where you just don’t have the time or energy to make one fresh?

Well, the good news is that you can prepare your omelets in advance and reheat them later.

I have experimented with countless different reheating techniques to find out what one truly delivers the best results.

In this article, I show you how to reheat your omelets to ensure that they maintain their characteristic custard-like interior and perfectly set outer.

(No overcooked or soggy omelets in sight!).

Ready? Let’s jump right in.

A note on my experiment

One evening I cooked up a batch of my favorite omelets -using a blend of onions, mushrooms, and parsley

(I might have had one for dinner – breakfast for dinner is the best right?!).

I left the omelets overnight and set about reheating them the following day. I tested four different reheating methods:

In a skillet – the best method, delicious eggs with good texture.
In the microwave – very convenient, but eggs were rubbery.
In the oven – slowest method but produced a good omelet.
In the air fryer – eggs were slightly overcooked for my liking, but not rubbery.

I took notes on the texture of the omelets once I’d reheated them, as well as how they tasted. I’ve outlined the methods and the results in more detail below.

Reheating an omelet in a skillet – the best way

To reheat an omelet in a skillet, heat some butter in a pan on a low-medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the omelet and heat it for 1-2 minutes on both sides. Thicker omelets will need longer. You can sub butter for oil, but butter gives the omelet a better flavor.

The stove is an excellent way of reheating an omelet because you can control the heat and make sure it doesn’t get too hot.

You just want to warm the omelet, not cook it further.

How to reheat an omelet in a skillet:

Melt some butter (or oil) in a pan on a low-medium heat.
When the butter has melted, add the omelet.
Heat the omelet for 1-2 minutes on both sides until it’s warmed all the way through.

Take the omelet out as soon as it’s heated all the way through, you don’t want to leave it too long, or the eggs will overcook.

You may notice some water leaking out of the omelet as it heats, this is perfectly fine and you can just leave it to evaporate.

You could even put a lid on the pan and use the heat from the steam to speed up the reheating process.

I always use butter as my source of fat in the pan because I like the flavor it adds to the omelet. But you can also use oil.

I suggest using a spray oil so the omelet doesn’t become too oily.

Verdict

This was the best reheating method for me.

The butter re-invigorated the flavors of the omelet and the eggs didn’t dry out. You’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between a reheated omelet and a fresh one from the stove.

The only downside was that it was a little hard to tell if the omelet was hot enough in the middle.

Reheating an omelet in the microwave

To reheat an omelet in the microwave, place it on a microwave-safe plate and cover it with a damp paper towel. Reheat the omelet for 30 seconds before checking on it. If the omelet needs longer, add on 10 seconds.

The microwave is a really convenient way of reheating your omelet, but it will alter the texture of the eggs.

The omelet will be more chewy and rubbery.

How to reheat an omelet in the microwave:

Line a microwave-safe plate with a dry paper towel (optional).
Place your omelet on top of the dry paper towel and cover it with a damp paper towel.
Reheat the omelet for 30 seconds before checking on it. If the omelet needs longer, add on an extra 10 seconds.

The bottom paper towel soaks up any excess water that the omelet releases as it cooks. This isn’t necessary, but be aware that the plate can get very watery if you have lots of vegetables in your omelet.

The damp paper towel creates steam in the microwave, which helps keep the omelet moist.

If you don’t have any paper towels, then sprinkle the omelet with a bit of water and cover it with some pierced plastic wrap.

Be very careful with the timing in the microwave.

Omelets are easy to overcook and the microwave is a harsh heating method.

Go slowly and check often, so you can stop heating the omelet as soon as it’s warm enough.

Verdict

There was no denying that the microwave was the quickest and easiest reheating method, but the texture of the omelet suffered.

It was a lot chewier than the original omelet. However, it still tasted fine so if all you want to do is heat up an omelet for a speedy breakfast, the microwave is acceptable.

Reheating an omelet in the oven

To reheat an omelet in the oven, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) while greasing a baking tray. Place the omelet on the baking tray and cover it with aluminum foil. Heat the omelet for 5-8 minutes. The foil traps any steam that’s produced and keeps the omelet moist.

The oven isn’t the quickest way to reheat omelets, but it’s useful if you have more than one omelet to reheat at once (or if you’re using the oven anyway).

How to reheat an omelet in the oven:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Spray some non-stick oil on a baking tray or line it with parchment paper.
Place the omelet on the baking tray.
Cover the omelet with aluminum foil.
Put the omelet in the oven and heat it for 5-8 minutes until it’s heated through.

You don’t want the eggs to stick to your baking tray, which is why you need some grease or fat. And covering the omelet with foil helps it retain moisture so it doesn’t dry out too much.

Verdict

For me, this method was too slow. Almost longer than cooking the omelet from scratch!

But the quality of the omelet that came out was good, the eggs weren’t tough, and it still tasted delicious.

If you have a big family and everyone wants omelets for breakfast, I can see the oven coming in useful.

Reheating an omelet in the air fryer

To reheat an omelet in the air fryer, preheat it to 350°F (180°C). Spray the air fryer basket with some non-stick spray or line it with parchment paper. Put the omelet in the air fryer basket and heat it for 1-2 minutes. It’s easy to overheat eggs in the air fryer, so check on it frequently.

If you have an air fryer, it can be a very quick way of reheating your omelets.

However, be aware that air fryers are harsh heaters, so you can easily overcook the eggs.

Less time is more when it comes to an air fryer.

How to reheat and omelet in the air fryer:

Preheat your air fryer to 350°F (180°C).
Spray the air fryer basket with non-stick spray or line it with some parchment paper.
Place the omelet in the air fryer basket.
Heat the omelet for 1-2 minutes.

Check on the omelet after a minute to see how hot it is. I always check early with an air fryer because they work so quickly.

If your omelet doesn’t fit in your air fryer basket, you can cut it in half.

Layering stuff doesn’t work out well in an air fryer, so you’ll have to heat each half separately.

Verdict

The air fryer produced a nice omelet (but maybe a little overcooked).

However, a potential downside is that your omelet might not fit in the air fryer basket.

This means you lose the speed advantage because you have to heat it in two rounds.

How to store omelets

To store an omelet, put it in an airtight container lined with paper towels. You can keep an omelet in the fridge for 3-4 days or up until the use-by date of any perishable ingredients (e.g. ham). The paper towels soak up any excess moisture that leaks out of the omelet, so it doesn’t get too soggy.

If you need to store several omelets in one container, separate the layers with parchment paper or more paper towels.

I recommend eating your omelet within three days.

After that, the quality can start to deteriorate. Especially if there are lots of watery vegetables in your omelet.

Can you freeze omelets?

Yes, you can freeze omelets. Wait for your omelet to cool to room temperature before wrapping it in plastic wrap and then putting it in a heavy-duty freezer bag. You can freeze several wrapped omelets in one bag. Squeeze the air out of the bag and freeze it for up to 3 months.

Omelets can last for up to a year in the freezer, but I find they start to lose some quality after three months.

This is because they’re very delicate and susceptible to freezer burn.

The double-layer wrapping (plastic wrap and a freezer bag) protects the omelet from developing freezer burn too early.

But the longer it’s in the freezer, the more likely freezer burn becomes.

Getting as much air out of the bag as possible also slows the development of freezer burn.

I use a straw to suck all the air out. (I’m basically a walking, talking vacuum sealer!).

When you’re freezing omelets, opt for freezer-friendly fillings.

Meat and cheese fillings freeze well, but with vegetables, you need to be more careful. Mushrooms, onions, and peppers freeze well.

Tomatoes are a popular omelet ingredient but turn to mush upon thawing, so I avoid using too many in my freezer omelets.

Cooked spinach can also be really watery, but fresh spinach freezes well.

How do you thaw an omelet?

To thaw an omelet, simply leave it on the counter to come to room temperature. This shouldn’t take long, but if you’re in a rush and want to speed the process up, you can submerge the sealed omelet in room temperature water.

If you want to use the frozen omelet as soon as you wake up, leave it in the fridge overnight or consider reheating it straight from frozen.

How to reheat a frozen omelet

To reheat an omelet from frozen, you can use the oven or the microwave. Preheat the oven to 350 and heat the omelet for 8-10 minutes until it’s heated through. Or microwave the omelet for 45-60 seconds.

The omelet will probably expel a lot of moisture during the reheating process. Drain this away before serving.

Tips for make-ahead omelets

If you’re looking to make omelets ahead of time for breakfast meal prep, you have a few options.

You can make your omelets as normal, keep them in the fridge/freezer, and then reheat them using one of the methods outlined here.

Or you just prep all the fillings you want, store these in the fridge or the freezer, and then cook the eggs fresh.

You’ll save a load of time not having to chop and prepare veg every morning!

How to reheat a Spanish omelet

The best way to reheat a Spanish omelet is in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and then cover the omelet in foil before baking for 5-10 minutes. Thicker omelets will take longer to reheat. You can also use the microwave. Cover the omelet with a damp paper towel and nuke it for 1-2 minutes.