An air fryer reheats food better than a microwave does. It also takes several times longer and cannot do the handful of things a microwave is uniquely good at, which is the honest trade.
I use mine for reheating and prefer it, which surprised me. Leftovers come out with texture rather than steamed into softness. Our comparison of air fryers and ovens covers the related question.
What Each One Does Better
| Task | Microwave | Air fryer |
|---|---|---|
| Reheating fried or crisp food | Poor, goes soggy | Excellent |
| Reheating pizza | Poor | Excellent |
| Reheating soup and liquids | Excellent | Poor |
| Defrosting | Good | Poor |
| Speed | Excellent | Slow |
| Steaming vegetables | Good | Not possible |
How We Picked
Selections are grouped by what makes a unit good at reheating specifically, since that is the job a microwave is being replaced for. Capacity and speed carry the most weight.
Descriptions come from documented construction, alongside using a French door air fryer oven as the primary way of reheating leftovers.
Why Reheating Is Different
A microwave heats by exciting water molecules throughout the food, which is fast and produces steam inside whatever you are heating. Steam is why pizza crust goes limp and fries go soft.
An air fryer heats from the outside with moving hot air, which drives moisture off the surface rather than trapping it. That restores crispness instead of destroying it.
The cost is time. A microwave reheats in a couple of minutes and an air fryer takes considerably longer, plus preheating on some models.
For anything that was crisp when fresh, the wait is worth it. For soup it is pointless. Our note on what to cook in an air fryer covers the range.
1. An Oven-Style Air Fryer, Best Overall
Why It Stands Out
A large flat cavity holds a plate, which is what reheating usually involves, and a basket does not.
Rack levels let you reheat several things at once, which closes some of the speed gap against a microwave.
Worth Knowing
Takes considerably more counter space than a basket unit, which matters if the microwave was going to leave and this arrives.
Larger cavities take longer to come up to temperature. Our roundup of French door air fryer ovens covers this style.
This suits anyone reheating full plates. Skip it if counter space is the constraint.
2. A Fast-Preheat Model, Best for Speed
Why It Stands Out
Preheating is where most of the time goes, and units that reach temperature quickly narrow the gap against a microwave more than raw cooking speed does.
Some models skip preheating entirely for reheating functions, which is worth looking for specifically.
Worth Knowing
Fast preheat usually means a more powerful element, which means more noise and more power draw.
Manufacturer preheat times are optimistic. Our note on whether you need to preheat an air fryer covers when it matters.
This suits impatient households. Skip it if you plan ahead.
3. A Model With a Reheat Preset, Best for Simplicity
Why It Stands Out
A dedicated reheat setting uses a lower temperature and gentler airflow than a cooking preset, which warms food through without drying the outside.
It also removes the guesswork, which matters because the most common reheating failure is cooking food a second time rather than warming it.
Worth Knowing
Presets are generic and cannot know what is on the plate, so results vary by food.
Any unit can do this manually at a lower temperature. Our roundup of air fryers covers the category.
This suits anyone who wants to press one button. Skip it if you adjust settings anyway.
4. A Large-Capacity Unit, Best for Families
Why It Stands Out
Reheating several portions at once is the only way an air fryer competes with a microwave on total time when feeding more than one person.
Larger cavities also take taller containers, which basket units cannot.
Worth Knowing
Substantial counter footprint, and heating a large empty cavity to warm one plate is wasteful.
More to clean after every use. Our note on counter space covers the footprint.
This suits households of three or more. Skip it for one or two people.
5. A Compact Basket Model, Best for Small Portions
Why It Stands Out
A small cavity comes up to temperature fast, which for a single portion makes it quicker overall than a large oven-style unit.
Baskets also crisp more aggressively than a flat rack, which suits fries and anything fried.
Worth Knowing
Will not take a dinner plate, so food goes in loose and comes out onto a plate afterward.
Small capacity means one portion at a time. Our roundup of air fryers for one or two people covers small households.
This suits single-portion reheating. Skip it for family meals.
6. A Toaster Oven Air Fryer Combo, Best All-Rounder
Why It Stands Out
Handles reheating, toasting, and baking in one footprint, which is the argument for replacing a microwave rather than adding to the counter.
Toaster oven modes run gentler than air fry, which suits reheating anything that would dry out under full airflow.
Worth Knowing
Air frying performance is generally a step behind a dedicated unit.
Doing several jobs means it is always occupied. Our roundup of air fryer toaster oven combos covers these.
This suits kitchens replacing two appliances with one. Skip it if crisping is the priority.
The Counter Space Question
Replacing a microwave with an air fryer only saves space if the air fryer is smaller, and frequently it is not.
Countertop microwaves have a fairly standard footprint. An oven-style air fryer capable of taking a dinner plate is comparable or larger, particularly once you add the clearance manufacturers specify around it.
Over-range and built-in microwaves complicate it further, since removing one leaves a gap that needs filling and the air fryer still needs counter space.
Basket units are genuinely smaller and cannot take a plate, which is the reason they do not replace a microwave for most people.
Measuring the actual footprint of both, including required clearance, before deciding is worth the two minutes. Our note on kitchen drawer organizers covers the numbers.
What You Lose Without a Microwave
Liquids are the clearest loss. Soup, sauces, and anything in a bowl reheat badly in moving hot air, which dries the surface and leaves the middle cold.
Defrosting is the second. Microwaves do it adequately and an air fryer starts cooking the outside before the inside thaws.
Steaming vegetables in a covered bowl with a splash of water is a microwave job with no air fryer equivalent.
Speed is the honest one. Two minutes versus ten matters on a weeknight, and anyone reheating a single mug of something will miss it. Our roundup of microwaves covers keeping one.
What Reheats Genuinely Better
Pizza is the obvious case, coming out with a crisp base rather than a soft one.
Fried food of any kind, including fries, wings, and breaded things, recovers texture instead of turning limp.
Roast vegetables and roast potatoes re-crisp rather than steaming into softness.
Bread products, pastries, and anything with a crust come back close to fresh, which a microwave cannot approach. Mine handles all of this and it is why I stopped reaching for the alternative. Our note on baking bread in an air fryer covers that side.
Containers and What Goes In
Microwave and air fryer containers are not interchangeable, and this catches people out on the first week.
Plastic containers safe in a microwave will melt in an air fryer, since the heat is real rather than induced in the food. That includes most takeaway containers and a lot of meal prep boxes.
Metal is the reverse: fine in an air fryer, never in a microwave. Foil, metal trays, and oven-safe pans all become options that were previously unavailable.
Ceramic and glass work in both, provided they are oven-safe rather than merely microwave-safe, and that distinction is printed on the base of most dishes.
The practical consequence is that leftovers need transferring out of plastic before reheating, which adds a step and a washing-up item. Our roundup of food storage containers covers oven-safe options.
What to Look For
A cavity that takes a plate
Reheating usually means a plate of leftovers, and baskets cannot accommodate one.
A gentle setting
Full air fry airflow dries food out. A reheat preset or a lower manual temperature warms through instead.
Quick preheat
Where the time actually goes. Models that skip preheating for reheating close much of the gap.
Footprint against what leaves
If the microwave is going, check the replacement genuinely fits the space rather than assuming. Our note on where to put an air fryer covers placement.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Reheating at cooking temperature
The most common failure. Full heat cooks food a second time and dries the outside before the middle is warm.
Expecting microwave speed
It will not happen. The trade is quality for time, and knowing that upfront prevents disappointment.
Reheating liquids
Soup and sauces do not work in moving hot air. Keep a hob or a microwave for those.
Getting rid of the microwave first
Live with both for a few weeks before deciding. Some households find they use each for different things. Our roundup of air fryer accessories covers oven-safe dishes.
Recommended Reading
See our comparison of air fryers and toaster ovens, our note on combo cookers versus separate appliances, our roundup of air fryers for small kitchens, and a note on common air fryer mistakes, and air fryers without a vent hood, and getting crispy rather than dry results.
Replacing a Microwave FAQ
Can an air fryer replace a microwave?
For reheating most solid food, yes, and better. It cannot do liquids, defrosting, or steaming, and it is considerably slower at everything.
Does food reheat better in an air fryer?
For anything that was crisp when fresh, substantially. I use mine for reheating and prefer it, because leftovers come out with texture rather than steamed soft.
How much slower is it?
Several times, plus preheating on many models. Two minutes in a microwave becomes ten or more, which is the real cost of the better result.
What temperature should I reheat at?
Lower than you would cook at. Full heat cooks the food a second time and dries the outside before the center is warm.
Can I reheat soup?
Poorly. Moving hot air dries the surface and leaves the middle cold, so liquids belong on a hob or in a microwave.
Will it defrost?
Not well. It starts cooking the outside before the inside thaws, which is the one job a microwave does that has no good air fryer equivalent.
Basket or oven-style for reheating?
Oven-style, because it takes a plate. Baskets crisp more aggressively and mean transferring food in and out loose.
Should I get rid of my microwave?
Live with both for a few weeks first. Many households find they keep the microwave for liquids and defrosting while the air fryer handles everything else.
