How To Store & Reheat Bao To Keep Them Fluffy & Fresh

Bao are surprisingly easy to keep fresh.

You just have to follow a few simple steps to make sure they don’t stick together or become soggy.

In this article, I cover everything you need to know about freezing, refrigerating, reheating, and keeping your bao buns fresh. (use these links to jump to the relevant section if you’re in a hurry).

Here’s the quick answer:

The best way to store bao (also know as steamed buns) is in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can also store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, but they will become more stale with each passing day. You can reheat bao in the steamer or the microwave.

Keep reading for all the juicy details!

The best way to store bao buns

The best way to store leftover bao is in the freezer. Let the bao cool to room temperature before flash freezing them. Once solid, transfer the buns to a freezer bag, remove as much air as possible and freeze for up to 3 months.

Alternatively, you can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Freezing bao buns halts the staling process, so once you reheat them they’ll be good as new. Keeping them in the fridge wont stop the staling process, so the dough will slowly harden.

Normally freezing things is more of a hassle so people try to avoid it. But freezing bao is really easy, and you can reheat them straight from frozen in a few minutes.

How to freeze bao buns

1. Leave the steamed buns to cool down to room temperature.
2. Remove any lose fillings (you can store this separately).
3. Place the buns on a parchment-paper-lined baking tray. Spreading them out to make sure they’re not touching.
4. Place the baking tray in the freezer for 1-2 hours.
5. After 2 hours, place the buns in an airtight container or heavy-duty freezer bag.
6. If using a freezer bag, remove as much air as possible before sealing it.
7. Label the container and return the bao the freezer for up to 3 months.

It’s best to freeze bao after cooking because freezing them before cooking complicates the cooking process and means it’s easy to overcook them.

Bao can last up to 3 months in the freezer before the quality will start to deteriorate. However, they’ll remain safe to eat long after this time (as long as the freezer is kept below 0 degrees Fahrenheit). 

It’s very important that you let the bao cool before you freeze them. Otherwise the excess water will turn to ice and ruin the textur.

Pre-freezing the bao on a baking tray first hardens them and makes them less sticky. This means they won’t stick together when you transfer them to a bigger container.

If you want to really protect you bao from freezer burn, you can wrap each individual bao in plastic wrap before putting them in the final container. This is also an option if you don’t have time to flash freeze them..

Can you freeze bao before steaming?

You can freeze bao before steaming it (as long as the dough’s been proofed), but most people prefer to freeze them after steaming simply because it makes the reheating process easier and quicker.

Steaming frozen but uncooked bao carries a small risk that you’ll over or under cook them because the cooking time needed is less predictable.

If you choose to freeze the bao uncooked, shape and assemble the bao and then flash freeze them for an hour before putting them in the airtight container. The flash-freezing ensures that they don’t stick together. Use them within 3 months.

You can steam them straight from frozen. 

Can you refrigerate bao?

If you only need to keep your bao fresh for a day or two then you can refrigerate them instead of freezing them. It’s best to refrigerate cooked buns. Leave the bao to cool to room temperature before putting them in an airtight container and storing them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

If the bao have any lose fillings, remove these and store them in a separate airtight container.

It’s really important to let the bao cool.

If you don’t, condensation can build up and make the bao soggy. If you’re worried about moisture, put a sheet of kitchen towel in with the bao to absorb any excess moisture.

Try to avoid too much contact between the bao in the container – they will stick together very easily!

If there’s not enough room, separate the bao with parchment paper to avoid sticking.

Can you store uncooked bao in the fridge?

I’d always advise cooking bao before storing them. But, you can refrigerate uncooked bao as long as you’ve used yeast as the leavening agent and not baking soda or baking powder.

If you’ve used either of the latter, they’ll spend themselves in the refrigerator and the dough will become tough. 

To refrigerate unsteamd bao buns, place them well spread apart on a non-stick baking tray, then cover them with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap will stop the dough from drying out. The yeasted dough will last up to three days in the fridge, but it’s better if you use it within two. 

The dough will continue to rise in the fridge, albeit a lot more slowly.

To account for this, some people choose to use less yeast in their dough if they know it’s going to be refrigerated.

The reason I don’t advise storing the bao uncooked is that it can mess with the rising of the bun. In turn, this can affect the final product’s fluffiness.

How to reheat bao

There are several ways to reheat bao, with the best methods being steaming them for a few minutes or covering them with damp paper towel and them microwaving them for 20-30 seconds.  You can also fry or bake the buns to reheat them.

Steaming is very reliable and always results in a fluffy texture. Microwaving is more unpredictable but can give good results quickly.

Once you’ve reheated the bao, eat them straight away and don’t freeze or refrigerate them again. 

Reheating bao buns by steaming

1. Set up your steamer (bamboo or metal) and boil some water.
2. If the buns are refrigerated, take them out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature. Frozen buns can be put in the steamer straight from the freezer.
3. Steamer basket with parchment paper to avoid sticking.
4. Once the water is boiling, lower the heat to medium-high and place the buns in the steamer.
5. Cover the steamer with a dishcloth before putting the lid on.
6. Steam the buns for 7-8 minutes for frozen buns, or 2-3 minutes for refrigerated buns. These times are for filled buns, you can reduce them by a minute or so for unfilled buns.

Steaming is the best and most reliable way of reheating bao. 

The exact timings will vary depending on the size of your bao and how many you’re reheating. 

If you have big, filled buns you’re planning to reheat from frozen, you might want to defrost them a little before you steam them. This will ensure that the filling heats up evenly. 

The dishcloth helps to catch condensation before it drips on the buns. If any condensation drips on your buns, they’ll become wet and soggy. 

The texture of the bao comes from steaming, so it makes sense that reheating them this way results in the softest texture. The buns also stay hot for much longer than microwave reheating.

This a good thing because the buns usually go hard as they cool down.

Reheat bao buns in the microwave

1. Wrap your buns in a damp paper towel
2. Place 2-3 at a time in the microwave.
3. Microwave them in 10-second intervals until you have steaming hot buns, a single bun should take around 20 seconds.
4. Frozen buns will take 30-40 seconds.
5. Eat the bao as soon as they come out of the microwave. They’ll cool down very quickly and can become very hard if you leave them for too long.

Microwaving is the quickest way to reheat bao.

The damp paper towel will create the steam needed to re-fluff the buns. 

Other ways to create steam in the microwave include:

• Sprinkle the buns with a few drops of water and then wrap them loosely in plastic wrap.
• Microwave the buns with a cup of water in the microwave.
• Microwave the buns sitting ON TOP of a cup of water (life hack!). The water steams up and heats the bun from underneath just like in a real steamer. An alternative to this is to buy a microwave steamer.

Microwaving times will vary depending on the power of your microwave, the size of your buns, and how many buns you’re reheating.

This is why I suggest using 10 seconds intervals.

It’s very easy to over-nuke bao and the results are disastrous – a rubbery, chewy brick. 

Checking on your bao regularly is the best way to avoid this. 

If you have baked buns, you can still use the microwave to reheat them. But they might be a bit soggy – drying them for 2-3 minutes in a toaster oven afterwards will fix this.

Reheating bao buns in the oven (good for baked buns)

If you have baked bao buns, the best way to reheat them is in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lay the bao out on a non-stick baking tray.

Cover the bao with foil and bake them for 10-15 mins. Add a couple of extra minutes on for frozen buns.

The foil stops the bao from over-browning on the top.

If you’re reheating steamed buns this way, sprinkle them with water before adding the foil. This will help to create some moisture and prevent the dough from drying out too much.

Reheating bao buns by pan-frying

Pan-frying leftover bao buns is great if you’re bored of soft steamed buns and want some crisp. Heat oil in a pan before putting the buns in and frying them. After 2 minutes, flip the bao over to fry the other side. After 5 minutes they should be heated through.

Note: times will vary based on the size of the bao. This method will only work well for smaller-sized buns.

For this method, you’ll want to thaw frozen buns before frying them.

This will ensure they cook evenly and quickly enough to avoid burning the outside. Frozen buns will go soggy due to all the water melting in the pan. 

Reheatin bao buns a rice cooker or instant pot

If you don’t have a steamer, you can create a steamer out of a rice cooker or instant pot. Some of them even come with steamer attachments. 

Put 1-2 inches of water in the rice cooker and add the steamer attachment. Or use a bowl and rest a plate on top of the bowl.

Turn on the rice cooker/instant pot and wait for the water to boil. When the water’s boiling add the buns and close the lid.

I always put a dishcloth underneath the lid to catch any condensation.

Check on the bao buns after 7-8 minutes if they’re frozen, or 2-3 minutes if they’re thawed. They should be soft and heated through.

Do you need to thaw bao buns before reheating them?

No, there’s no need to defrost frozen bao buns before reheating (or cooking) them. You can put them in the microwave, steamer, or oven straight from frozen, just allow some extra cooking time.

If you decide to thaw them, they will defrost in the refrigerator in a few hours. Or in an hour at room temperature.

How long do bao last?

Cooked bao will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator and 3 months in the freezer.

After 3 months in the freezer the bao will start to deteriorate in quality. Bao should be stored in an airtight container in both the refrigerator and the freezer.

Uncooked bao (made with yeast) will last 2-3 days in the refrigerator. If the bao are made using baking soda or baking powder they shouldn’t be refrigerated. 

Uncooked bao made with yeast, baking soda or baking powder can frozen where they’ll stay at best quality for up to 3 months.

Can I make bao in advance?

Bao are great candidates for making in advance because they freeze really well. Assemble and cook your bao and then freeze them for up to 3 months. You can reheat the bao buns when you want to use them in just a few minutes and they’ll be nearly indistinguishable from fresh ones.

How to keep bao buns warm?

Bao buns are a popular party snack, but this raises the question of how to keep them warm for your guests. 

You don’t want to bao becoming cold because this will turn them hard. (Yuk).

To keep bao warm, keep them in a hot steamer with the lid closed. This will keep them warm for about 10-15 minutes.

If that isn’t long enough, the best thing to do is let the bao cool down and then reheat them when you need them. Reheating will take 30 seconds in the microwave or 2-3 minutes in a steamer.

Can you eat bao buns cold?

As bao buns cool down, their soft fluffy texture changes to tough and chewy. I wouldn’t advise eating cold bao. It doesn’t take long to reheat bao, you can stick them in the microwave for 30 seconds or steam them for 2-3 minutes. Bao buns reheat really well.

How To Store & Reheat Bao

Bao are surprisingly easy to keep fresh. You just have to follow a few simple steps to ensure that they don’t stick together or become too soggy.

In this recipe, I cover everything you need to know about freezing, refrigerating, reheating, and keeping your bao buns fresh.

5 from 6 votes

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Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Keyword: bao, steamed buns

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 1 person

Calories: 229kcal

Equipment

• Microwave steamer
• Tupperware
• Plastic wrap
• Ziploc bag

Ingredients

• 1 portion bao or steamed buns

Instructions

How to freeze bao buns

• It’s best to freeze bao after cooking because freezing them before cooking complicates the cooking process and means it’s easy to overcook them.
• Leave the steamed buns to cool down to room temperature.
• Place the buns on a parchment-paper-lined baking tray. Spread them out to make sure they’re not touching.
• Place the baking tray in the freezer for 1-2 hours.
• After 2 hours, place the buns in an airtight container or heavy-duty freezer bag.
• Label the container and return to the freezer.
• Bao can last up to 4-6 weeks in the freezer before the quality will start to deteriorate. However, they’ll remain safe to eat long after this time (as long as the freezer is kept below 0 degrees Fahrenheit). 
• It’s very important that you let the bao cool before you freeze them. Otherwise the excess water will ruin their texture in the freezer.

Refrigerating cooked bao

• If you only need to keep your bao for a day or two then you can refrigerate them instead of freezing them.
• Cooked buns will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
• It’s really important to let the bao cool. If you don’t, condensation can build up and make the bao soggy. If you’re worried about moisture, put a sheet of kitchen towel in with the bao to absorb any excess moisture.

How to reheat bao

• There are several ways to reheat bao, with the most popular methods being steaming or microwaving. 

  Steaming is very reliable and always results in a fluffy texture. Microwaving is more unpredictable but can give good results quickly. The following instructions are for steaming. See main post for microwaving tips.
• Set up your steamer (bamboo or metal) and boil some water.
• If the buns are refrigerated, take them out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature. Frozen buns can be put in the steamer straight from the freezer.
• Once the water is boiling, lower the heat to medium-high and place the buns in the steamer.
• Cover the steamer with a dishcloth before putting the lid on.
• Steam the buns for 7-8 minutes for frozen buns, or 2-3 minutes for refrigerated buns. These times are for filled buns, you can reduce them by a minute or so for unfilled buns.

Nutrition

Serving: 100g | Calories: 229kcal