How to Reheat a Big Mac – The 6 Best Ways

In case you’ve made a big order that you can’t finish all at once and want to save a Big Mac for later, the only problem with this plan is that a cold burger will never taste the same as a fresh one.

Luckily, with the right method, you can reheat a Big Mac at home and it will taste like you just got it from McDonald’s.

What is the best way to reheat a Big Mac? The best way to reheat a Big Mac is to use a skillet to heat the burger, then toast the bun separately.

The Best Ways to Reheat a Big Mac

The Big Mac is now the flagship of the McDonald’s menu, but perhaps also of fast food in general.

However, if you want to reheat McDonald’s Big Mac, you may have a hard time finding the best method to properly heat all the ingredients.

With that said, the first thing you need to do to prepare your Big Mac for reheating is to remove all the lettuce and pickles from the patty.

While other components such as cheese, beef patties, buns, and sauce can heat evenly and retain their texture, the same is not true for vegetables.

If you forget to remove these elements from the burger, you’ll most likely end up with a mushy salad and soggy buns, as the lettuce and gherkins will likely turn to mush inside the Big Mac.

Depending on the method, you can heat the entire Big Mac at once, but we’ve found that separating the items and heating them one by one gives much better results.

Another important thing to keep in mind if you’re not quite ready for your Big Mac yet and want to reheat it afterwards is that it shouldn’t be kept at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

So be sure to store your leftover burgers in the fridge, where they can be kept safely for up to 3 days.

However, if it is a larger batch of burgers that you know you won’t be able to consume in 3 days, a very convenient option is to freeze your Big Macs, since they can be kept like this for up to 2 months.

After removing the Big Mac from the freezer, allow it to fully thaw in the fridge for 8-12 hours, after which you can use any of the reheating methods below to warm it up.

How to reheat a Big Mac in the oven

There are many ways to reheat a Big Mac, and while some of them may take less time, heating up a burger in a skillet is still our favorite.

Even if it’s easier for you to reheat the entire burger at once, you probably won’t get the desired result, since the meat and the bun require different temperatures.

Reheating the entire burger without separating the meat from the bun can result in a dry, flavorless burger that has lost all its natural juices.

The main goal when reheating a Big Mac is to make sure the patties are juicy and tender, while the buns stay crisp on the outside.

To achieve this, it is necessary to first heat the burgers and then lightly toast the bun.

As we’ve said, this method can take longer than microwaving or popping the Big Mac in the oven, but it gives you a lot more control over the whole process.

Here are the steps to reheat a Big Mac in the oven:

1. Separate the patties from the bun, making sure to remove the lettuce and pickles.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the two patties, as well as the bottom of the bun with the cheese on top.
3. Pour a little water (about 2 tablespoons) into the pan and close it with a lid.
4. Let the meat and the bottom of the bun heat up for about 2 minutes.
5. Add the center and top of the bun to the pan and allow to crisp up for about 30 seconds.
6. Drizzle a little oil to prevent the meat and bread slices from burning.
7. Reassemble your Big Mac and add fresh lettuce and any other seasoning of your choice.

How to Reheat a Big Mac in the Air Fryer

Using an air fryer is one of the most convenient reheating methods, since preheating is usually not required.

An air fryer is best described as a mini oven that may be underpowered in terms of the space it offers, but not in the ability to fry, bake, and reheat.

However, like the oven, the air fryer also tends to dry out food, so it’s important to reintroduce the moisture by adding a bit of water, just like with the previous method.

Here are the steps to reheat a Big Mac in an air fryer:

1. If the model of air fryer you have requires preheating, set it to 350°F.
2. Separate the Big Mac and remove the lettuce and gherkins (skipping this step could result in the bun being mushy and soggy).
3. Place the bottom and top of the bun in the air fryer basket.
4. Place the remaining parts of the burger on the other side of the fryer basket.
5. Drizzle a little water over the burger elements (about 1 tablespoon).
6. Heat the Big Mac for about 6 minutes, making sure to turn everything halfway through.
7. After 6 minutes, remove all but the bottom and top of the bun.
8. Add a little more water and allow the bun slices to crisp up for another 30 seconds.
9. Assemble the Big Mac again and add fresh lettuce.

How to reheat a Big Mac in the microwave

There is no doubt that the microwave is the easiest and fastest method to reheat your Big Mac, or any other dish.

However, we wouldn’t recommend this solution if you have other options, as you could easily end up with a soggy, mushy burger, unlike anything you’d order at McDonald’s.

The secret to this method, as well as the others we’ve discussed, is to return some moisture to the burger, but not too much, as you don’t want the buns to get too soft.

However, in this case, we won’t be drizzling water over the burger, but instead wrapping it in a damp paper towel, which is a general rule of thumb for reheating bun in the microwave.

Be sure not to wrap the Big Mac too tightly on the bottom of the bun, as it could become quite spongy.

Here are the steps to reheat a Big Mac in the microwave:

1. Once again, remember to remove the lettuce and gherkins from your Big Mac when you reheat it. If you heat the whole burger in the microwave, the middle part will surely turn into mush.
2. Place the Big Mac on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel, making sure not to wrap the bottom.
3. Reheat burger in 30-second intervals until hot enough.

How to reheat a Big Mac in the oven

One drawback to reheating the Big Mac in the oven is that you’ll have to wait for it to preheat to your desired temperature.

Also, due to the high temperature, it can dry out the burger, especially beef patties. However, it’s still a good option if for some reason you can’t reheat the burger in the skillet.

Here are the steps to reheat a Big Mac in the oven:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Separate the burger, making sure to remove the lettuce and pickles.
3. If you’re in a hurry, you can just wrap the whole burger in a piece of aluminum foil and let it heat through for about 10 minutes.
4. However, a much better alternative is to line a cookie sheet with some parchment paper, place the outer parts of the bun on one side of the sheet pan, and drizzle the top with a little water.
5. As for the remaining part of the Big Mac (2 patties and the central part of the bun), wrap them in aluminum foil to preserve the juiciness of the meat.
6. Reheat for 10 minutes, or until the rolls are crisp enough.

How to Reheat a Big Mac in a Toaster Oven

We know how hot it can get in the kitchen when the big oven is on, which is precisely why the toaster oven is such a handy substitute.

To reheat a Big Mac in the toaster oven, you can follow pretty much all of the steps we’ve outlined for the oven.

Here are the steps to reheat a Big Mac in a toaster oven:

1. Preheat toaster oven to 350°F.
2. Remove the lettuce and pickles from your Big Mac to prevent the burger from getting mushy.
3. Wrap the middle layer of the patty in aluminum foil and place it on a tray or directly on the rack of the toaster oven.
4. As for the bottom and top parts of the bun, you can put them directly on the wire rack (which will cause them to brown more) or use a tray.
5. Heat the Big Mac for about 10 minutes.
6. After 10 minutes, you can reassemble the Big Mac or leave the bottom and top of the bun a little longer if you want them crispier.

How to reheat a Big Mac on the grill

Using the grill is not only the best way to make your burgers, but also a great way to reheat leftovers, and here’s how.

Here are the steps to reheat a Big Mac on the grill:

1. Choose a medium-high setting on your grill and allow it to preheat.
2. Remove the lettuce and gherkins from your Big Mac.
3. Separate the burgers from the bun pieces.
4. Place the burgers on the grill and heat them for about 2 minutes on each side.
5. Heat the bread pieces for 30 seconds, or until toasted to your liking.
6. Reassemble the Big Mac.

Can you reheat a Big Mac?

The best way to reheat your Big Mac is to separate the meat from the buns, as heating the entire burger can cause temperature inconsistency.

In addition to heating the burger in a pan, which is by far the best way to do it, we’d say using a grill is also a very effective option, as long as you don’t leave the burgers on the grill for too long.

If you’re in a hurry, the microwave, air fryer, or toaster oven will be your best friends. However, be sure to keep the burger from drying out by placing a damp paper towel on top or sprinkling a little water on it to retain moisture.

On the other hand, using the oven can be the trickiest way to heat up your burger, as it takes a long time to preheat. However, it’s the best solution for a larger batch of Big Macs.