Air Fryer Reference
Reheat Fried Rice in an Air Fryer
Reheat · leftover
- Temperature
- 350 °F
- 177 °C
- Total time
- 4 min
- Shake at
- 2 min
- shake once
- Serving
- 1–2 cups of leftover fried rice spread thin in a foil or parchment-paper boat
- leftover
Doneness
Grains separate when shaken (no clumping); rice is steaming hot in the centre when tasted; the layer that was on the bottom shows visible new crisp spots from contact with the parchment.
Technique
Line the basket with a piece of perforated parchment or fold a small foil tray (sides 1–2 cm tall) — the rice grains will fall through the grate otherwise. Spread the rice in a thin even layer, no thicker than 2 cm. Shake or stir at the 2-minute mark so the bottom layer (which has been re-crisping against the parchment) is brought to the top. No oil needed; the original fry-oil rehydrates and recoats the grains as they warm.
Watch out for
- Do not load the basket more than 2 cm deep. A thick layer steams in the middle and the top sits cold — the whole point of using the air fryer over a microwave is the bottom-crisping, which only happens in a thin layer.
- Skip the air fryer for any fried rice that has scrambled-egg pieces visibly larger than a pea — they'll over-cook into rubber in the time the rice takes to heat. Pick the eggs out, reheat the rice, then stir the eggs in cold at the end.