Cooked too many fritters and wondering how you’re going to reheat them tomorrow?
In the past, my reheated fritters have been soggy, oily, and sad.
To remedy this, I tested out six different methods of reheating fritters to find ones that revived their crunchy outsides but didn’t dry them out.
In a rush? Here’s the short answer:
The best way to reheat fritters is in a skillet. Lightly oil a skillet and set it on high heat. Remove any residual dip from the fritters before reheating them. Press them down a little to reheat them evenly, then fry for 2 minutes on each side. Drain the fritters on a paper towel before serving.
A note on my experiment
I made loads of corn fritters (my favorite) and left them in the fridge overnight ready for my experiments the next day.
These are the five methods I tried:
- In the oven/toaster oven (good consistent results)
- In a skillet (my favoruite method)
- In the microwave (soggy fritters)
- In an air fryer (super quick and crispy)
- By re-frying (crispiest fritters, but a bit greasy)
- In the toaster (quick and easy)
I got good results from the oven, My fritters were tasty with a crisp texture and no oiliness.
But I loved the fritters from the skillet, and the air fryer fritters were pretty perfect too.
Note: I experimented with corn fritters, but you can apply these techniques to any kind of fritters (sweet or savory).
Think apple fritters, banana fritters, zucchini fritters, all reheat equally well using these methods.
Related: How To Store Half A Banana
Reheating fritters in the oven/toaster oven
To reheat the fritters in the oven, preheat it to 350°F (180°C). If your oven is not a convection model or toaster oven, set it to 400°F (200°C) instead. Spread the fritters out on a wire rack and heat them for 5-10 minutes. To get a really crisp outside, broil them for 1-2 minutes at the end.
How to reheat fritters in the oven/toaster oven:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) (or 400°F (200°C) if it’s not convection or a toaster oven).
- Space the fritters out on a wire rack.
- Heat your fritters for 5-10 mins, or a little longer if they’re frozen.
- Optional: turn on the broiler once the fritters are hot and crisp them for a further 1-2 minutes.
The fritters come out crispier using a wire rack rather than a baking tray because it allows better air circulation for an all-over crisping effect.
If you want to use a baking tray, then preheat it while you’re preheating the oven to get it hot.
This will help prevent soggy bottoms.
I would also flip the fitters halfway through heating.
My verdict
If you’ve got lots of fritters to reheat, then a big oven is ideal.
A toaster oven is better for smaller quantities and to get the best crispiness.
The results from the oven weren’t the crunchiest, but it was very consistent, and the fritters tasted nice.
They were still moist in the middle and weren’t dry.
Reheating fritters in a skillet
Reheating fritters in a skillet requires a lightly oiled pan set on high heat. Remove any dip from the fritters before placing them in the skillet. Press them down a little to heat them evenly, then fry for 2 minutes on either side. When hot, put them on a paper towel to drain off any excess grease.
How to reheat fritters in a skillet:
- Lightly oil a skillet and get it hot on high heat.
- When the skillet’s hot, place the fritters in the pan.
- Fry the fritters for 2 minutes on each side.
- Let the fritters rest on some paper towel for 30 seconds before serving.
Don’t put too much oil in the skillet, or the fritters can become very greasy.
You might not need any oil at all if the fritters have a lot of residual oil leftover from their first frying.
Keep an eye on the fritters as they’re heating and check that the bottoms aren’t burning.
If they’re getting too brown for your liking, flip the fritter and consider turning the heat down.
If your fitters are quite thick, I would use a medium heat instead of a high heat to ensure the middle warms through before the outside burns.
My verdict
This was my favorite method.
I used a little butter in the pan and I loved the flavor this gave the fritters. The outside was crunch, while the inside was soft and moist.
The only downside was that I had a pan to wash up afterwards.
Reheating fritters in the microwave
To reheat fritters in the microwave, line a microwave-safe plate with a dry paper towel. Arrange the fritters so that they’re not touching each other. Heat the fritters in 30-second intervals until they’re hot. Let them rest for a further 30 seconds, and then serve them immediately.
How to reheat fritters in the microwave:
- Line a microwave-safe plate with a dry piece of paper towel.
- Spread the fritters out with a gap between them.
- Heat the fritters for 30-seconds at a time until piping hot.
- Let the hot fritters rest for 30 seconds, and then serve them immediately.
The paper towel soaks up any extra grease that might leak out of the fritters.
For the best results, only heat a few fritters at a time. This ensures that they heat quickly and evenly.
If you over-microwave the fritters, they’ll become dry and hard to eat.
Eat the fritters as soon as possible after they come out of the microwave. If you leave them too cool down they’ll turn into cardboard.
You’ve been warned!
My verdict
I wasn’t a fan of heating my fritters in the microwave.
They lost any crunch (an integral part of a good fritter) and were instead pretty soggy.
Only use the microwave if you have no other options.
Reheating fritters in an air fryer
To reheat the fritters in an air fryer, preheat it to 350°F (180°C). Very lightly spray the fritters with some oil (to make them extra crispy) and spread them out in the basket. Leave space around each fritter to aid air circulation and heat them for 3-4 minutes.
How to reheat fritters in an air fryer:
- Preheat your air fryer to 350°F (180°C).
- Spray a little oil on the fritters for some extra crispness (this is an optional step).
- Spread the fritters out in the basket so that they are not touching each other.
- Heat the fritters for 3-4 minutes until warmed through.
The fritters will already have some residual oil from when they were first fried.
Adding extra oil is not necessary but can help to add a little extra crunch.
The air fryer works best when there is sufficient airflow around the fritters to provide maximum crisping, so don’t overcrowd the basket.
Be careful not to leave the fritters for too long; otherwise, they can dry out and the edges will burn.
My verdict
The air fryer worked great!
It was quick and resulted in super crispy fritters.
This would definitely be my go-to method if I had an air fryer. The only issue is you’d have to do multiple batches if you have a lot of fritters to heat.
Reheating fritters by re-frying
To re-fry fritters, heat a few inches of oil (enough to cover the fritters) to 350°F (180°C). Carefully place the fritters (a few at a time) in the oil and fry them for 30 to 40 seconds. Take them out of the oil and drain them on a paper towel before serving.
It’s important to get the oil temperature right with this method. I would use a thermometer to measure it.
If the oil is too cold, the fritters will soak up all the oil.
And if it’s too hot, they’ll burn.
Re-frying gives you really crispy fritters – they were probably the crispiest fritters of all my tests!
But I found them overly greasy and oily, so I wouldn’t recommend this method (although my friend LOVED them, so you might too).
Reheating fritters in the toaster
To reheat your fritters in a toaster, you’ll need toaster bags. Or you can fashion your own using parchment paper and make a simple pocket to put the fritters in. You don’t want any grease to drip into the toaster. Toast the fritters on high for 2-3 minutes, or until hot.
The toaster is another quick method and perfect if you’re on the go.
If your office has a toaster, I’d use this over the microwave.
The fritters weren’t super crispy, but they weren’t soggy (like in the microwave).
How to store fritters
To store fritters, allow them to cool to room temperature and pat them with a paper towel to remove any excess grease. Place them in a paper towel-lined, air-tight container and cover them with another paper towel before closing the container. They’ll last 3-4 days in the fridge.
To minimize touching in the container, separate each layer of fritters with a sheet of paper towel or parchment paper.
I know it seems like I’m going overboard with the paper towel, but trust me – this is the best way to keep your fritters crisp.
The paper towels will absorb any moisture in the container instead of the fritters.
Make sure the fritters are cool before you store them, otherwise condensation will build up and leave them soggy.
Can you freeze fritters?
Yes, fritters freeze well, but they might not be quite as crispy as the first time you cooked them. Fritters will last for up to 3 months in the freezer, they’ll be safe to eat beyond this, but you may notice a quality decline. You can also freeze fritter batter.
How to freeze fritters:
- Allow the fritters to cool down to room temperature.
- Arrange them on a baking tray covered with parchment paper, leaving a gap between them.
- Flash freeze the fritters by placing the tray in the freezer for about 2 hours until they are hard.
- Then transfer them to a freezer bag and remove as much of the air as possible from the bag.
- Label and date the bag, then store the fritters in the freezer for up to 3 months.
By flash-freezing the fritters, you prevent them from sticking together when inside the freezer bag.
You can then remove the ones you want without worrying about having to break them apart.
Removing the air from the bag helps to protect the fritters against freezer burn.
The best way to get rid of air is with a vacuum sealer, but if you don’t have one of those you can suck it out with a straw.
Or you can place the freezer bag in a bowl of water to force the air out.
How to reheat frozen fritters
Reheat your fritters straight from the freezer. I don’t advise thawing the fritters because it can leave them soggy and they don’t take long to heat from frozen. The best way to reheat frozen fritters is in the oven. Preheat it to 350°F (180°C) and put the fritters on a wire rack to heat for 10-15 minutes.
Using a microwave also works, but the fritters will lose their crispness.
Exactly How To Reheat Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 portion fritters corn fritters, apple fritters, banana fritters, zucchini fritters, etc
Instructions
- Lightly oil a skillet and get it hot on high heat.
- When the skillet’s hot, place the fritters in the pan.
- Fry the fritters for 2 minutes on each side.
- Let the fritters rest on some paper towel for 30 seconds before serving.