How To Reheat Meatballs – I Test 8 Methods

This post was updated on 20/07/2023 for clarity and to incorporate new insights.

Reheating meatballs can be a little tricky – if you’re not careful you can dry out your meatballs, leaving them tough and lifeless.

But don’t worry, I’ve experimented with more meatball reheating methods than you can shake a stick at. The goal? To find methods that deliver a tender, moist meatball.

In a rush?

The best way to reheat sauced meatballs in in the microwave or on the stove. Add a little water to the sauce before reheating it to rehydrate it. For plain meatballs, you can fry them in a skillet if you want a crispy outside. Or reheat them in the microwave for a softer texture.

A note on my experiment

I cooked up a batch of meatballs, some in a tomato sauce and some plain. After demolishing my dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, I put the leftover meatballs in the fridge.

The following day, I tested several different ways of reheating meatballs (both sauced and plain). I tested:

• The microwave (sauced and plain): My favorite method.
• The stove (sauced and plain): Also great.
• The oven (sauced and plain): Slow, good for big portions.
• In broth (plain): Super juicy meatballs
• An air fryer (plain): Nice if you want a crust.

Reheating meatballs in the microwave

Time: 60-90 seconds
Rating: 8/10

1. Put the meatballs in a microwave-safe bowl and sprinkle them with a small amount of water.
2. Cover the bowl with a pierced plastic wrap or a lid to keep the moisture in.
3. Microwave the meatballs in 30 seconds intervals until they’re heated through. Stir the mixture every 30 seconds.
4. Refrigerated meatballs will need 60-90 seconds, while frozen ones can take up to 5 minutes.

Going in 30 second intervals might sound tedious, but it helps make sure you don’t overcook your meatballs and turn them tough.

If you have frozen meatballs, be aware that they might release a lot of water, which can thin out your sauce. If the meatballs are plain you can line the plate with a paper towel to soak up this excess moisture.

The microwave works best with smaller portions. With bigger portions, the heating can become uneven. 

Results: I was impressed with the microwave results. It was quick and hassle-free, and the meatballs were soft and moist (no crunch though). Another thing I really liked about the microwave is that your meatballs will never be hot on the outside but cold on the inside.

Reheating meatballs on the stove

Time: 10 minutes
Rating: 8/10 (sauced), 9/10 (plain)

Sauced meatballs:

1. Put your meatballs and sauce in a pan and heat it on a medium-low heat. 
2. Add a few tablespoons of water to the pan to loosen up the sauce.
3. Bring the sauce to a slow simmer and gently stir it until the meatballs have heated through. It should take around 10 minutes for fresh meatballs and 20 minutes for frozen meatballs.
4. If the sauce starts to dry out, add some more water.

Plain meatballs:

1. Fill a pan with some water or stock and start heating it on low-medium heat.
2. Add the meatballs after 2-3 minutes, or once the water is warm (you don’t need to wait until it’s hot).
3. Heat the meatballs on medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check the meatballs are hot all the way through before serving them. Frozen meatballs will take 15-20 minutes.

Watch the temperature of the sauce/stock and keep it to a very low simmer. If you boil the liquid, you risk overcooking the meatballs or the sauce drying up.

Make sure to pick an appropriately sized pan for the sauced meatballs. You want the sauce to surround the meatballs rather than spread out. And for plain meatballs, I highly recommend using stock over water. It’s a great way to infuse some extra flavor into the meatballs.

Results: Both types of meatballs were juicy and flavorsome, but I especially liked this method for the plain meatballs. I used low sodium chicken stock, and they tasted so good!

Reheating meatballs in the oven

Time: 15-20 minutes
Rating: 7/10

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
2. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of water over the meatballs and cover them with foil.
3. Heat the meatballs for 15-20 minutes, checking halfway through to stir. Add more water if needed. Frozen meatballs will take 25-30 minutes.

The oven is a good choice for large portions of meatballs. It’s slower than the other methods but makes up for it by being low effort.

For a small portion of meatballs, 15 minutes should be long enough. But the more meatballs you have, or the bigger they are, the longer this method will take. If the meatballs are taking too long to heat through, cut them in half. This will speed the process up.

The foil helps to keep the moisture in your meatballs, without it they’d end up very dry!

Results: The meatballs took on a ‘baked flavor’, which I enjoyed, and the sauce one the sauced meatballs was nice and thick. It was slower than the other methods, but would be the easiest method if you’ve got a big batch to reheat.

Reheating meatballs in a skillet (plain)

Time: 6-8 minutes
Rating: 8/10

1. Lightly oil a skillet and heat it on a medium heat.
2. Add the meatballs along with 1-2 tablespoons of water.
3. Put a lid on the pan and heat the meatballs for 3-4 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to turn the meatballs.
4. Remove the lid and continue to fry the meatballs for another 3-4 minutes, or until heated through. Frozen meatballs will take 5 mintues longer.

The lid traps steam and helps keep moisture in, and the oil crips up the outside of the meatball. Bigger meatballs can be hard to heat evenly with this method, so I suggest cutting them in half to make sure they heat all the way through. 

You may get a few patches of overdone-ness, but that adds to the flavor.

Results: This method kept the meatballs moist while also giving them a crispy outside. I loved the taste and texture of the crust that formed on the outside of the meatball. One downside is having to wash up a greasy pan though!

Reheating meatballs in the air fryer (plain)

Time: 3-5 minutes
Rating: 8/10

1. Set to air fryer to 300°F (150°C).
2. Arrange the meatballs in the air fryer basket in a single layer, minimizing touching
3. Heat the meatballs for 3-5 minutes (7-10 minutes from frozen).

The outside of the meatball will get very hot very quickly, but this doesn’t mean the inside is hot yet. Always check the inside of the meatball before assuming that they’re done. You can use a meat thermometer for this, or you stick a knife through the meatball and feel the metal when you pull it out. If the metal’s warm, the meatball is ready.

Don’t overload the air fryer with meatballs, or they won’t heat properly. If you have lots of meatballs to reheat, it’s best to do them in batches.

Results: The air fryer is a quick and convenient method (if you have one), but it’s pretty drying. My meatballs were on the small side, so they heated through quickly and the outside crisped up nicely. Bigger meatballs might dry out more because they’ll need longer.

How to store meatballs

To store meatballs, wait for them to cool to room temperature before putting them in an airtight container in the fridge. The meatballs will last for up to 5 days. You can store meatballs with or without sauce, but sauced meatballs may become a little soggy after a few days.

Never leave your meatballs out at room temperature for more than two hours. After two hours, the meat will enter the danger zone for bacteria. 

How to freeze meatballs

To freeze meatballs, wait for them to cool to room temperature and then transfer the meatballs into a heavy-duty freezer bag. Squeeze as much air out of the bag as you can before putting it in the freezer. The meatballs will last for up to 6 months, and you can freeze them with or without sauce. 

Tomato sauce is the best sauce for freezing meatballs in. Avoid freezing cream-based sauces because these can split upon thawing. 

If you have plain meatballs, you can flash freeze them before putting them in the freezer bag. This will stop the meatballs from sticking together and mean you can take out as many as you need each time. 

To flash freeze the meatballs, lay them out on a baking tray so they’re not touching, and put them in the freezer for 1-2 hours.

You can thaw the meatballs by leaving them in the fridge overnight.

How to reheat meatballs from frozen

You can use the microwave, oven, or stove to reheat your frozen meatballs. The microwave is the quickest method, but you need to be careful not to overcook the meatballs. Place the meatballs on a microwave-safe plate and heat the meatballs in 30-second intervals.

How To Reheat Meatballs [Tested Methods]

I've experimented with more meatball reheating methods than you can shake a stick at. The goal? To find the method that delivers a tender, moist and light meatball. Just like the moment it was cooked.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: meatballs, reheat meatballs

Prep Time: 0 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 person

Calories: 197kcal

Ingredients

• 1 portion meatballs in sauce
• 1 portion unsauced meatballs

Instructions

Reheating meatballs in a sauce

• The best way to reheat sauced meatballs is in the microwave. Put the meatballs in a microwave-safe bowl.
• Set the microwave to 50% power.
• Cover the bowl with a pierced plastic wrap to keep the moisture in.
• Microwave the meatballs in 30 seconds intervals until they’re heated through. Stir the mixture every 30 seconds.
• Refrigerated meatballs will need 1-2 minutes, while frozen ones can take up to 5 minutes.

Reheating unsauced meatballs

• The best way to reheat unsauced meatballs is on the stove in water or broth.
• Fill a pan with some water or stock.
• Add the meatballs.
• Heat the pan on a low heat.
• Heat the meatballs for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check the meatballs are hot all the way through before serving them. Frozen meatballs will take 15-20 minutes.
• The water will slowly heat up and transfer this heat to the meatballs. Ideally, the water would cover the meatballs, but if it doesn’t, turn the meatballs every so often.

  This is a great way to get some extra flavor into the meatballs. Any stock you use will seep into the meatballs and enhance their taste.

  Don’t allow the water to boil. A low simmer is ideal. Boiling the water will lead to overcooked meatballs.

Nutrition

Serving: 100g | Calories: 197kcal