How To Reheat Stuffing

After making a delicious Thanksgiving meal, you may have some stuffing leftover and wonder how to reheat it.

There are some great ways to do this and still eat tasty stuffing days after cooking.

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What is stuffing?  

Stuffing is a combination of ingredients stuffed in the cavity of a turkey and then baked together.

It’s made with celery, bread cubes, chicken broth, onions, and carrots. Once these ingredients are mixed together, stuff the cavity of your turkey and bake. 

This is an incredibly tasty side dish since the juices from the turkey drip down through the stuffing and gives it an extra layer of richness. 

You can also add cornbread, sage, thyme, rosemary, chicken, sausage, parsley, breadcrumbs, or broth to this casserole. 

Also learn the difference between stuffing and dressing.

How to reheat stuffing

There are several ways to reheat stuffing once it’s been stored in the refrigerator or freezer, and they all produce different results but work equally well. 

Be sure the internal temperature reaches 165°F before eating the stuffing with any method, like this rotisserie chicken. This is important because bacteria can begin to grow while the dish rests in the refrigerator or freezer and the best way to kill them is with heat. 

On the stovetop 

Use a saute pan and olive oil to reheat the dish by placing the mixture in the pan and stirring until it’s hot all the way through. You may need to add a little more broth if it dries out. This is the quickest way to reheat leftover stuffing. 

In the oven 

If you have a big batch left over and want to reheat the entire dish all at once, heating it in the oven is the most efficient way to cook it, even though it will take the longest. 

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake until it’s almost completely reheated, and then remove the foil to finish baking.  

reheat stuffing In the microwave 

Another option is to heat it in the microwave. This is another quick way to reheat stuffing, but it won’t make it crispy. In fact, you may notice that it’s a bit soggy. 

To heat it in the microwave, cover the dish with an off-center lid or loose plastic wrap and heat it in 30-second increments until it’s hot all the way through. Stir occasionally to help the heat reach all the layers.  

Air fryer 

Using the air fryer to reheat this dish is the perfect way to get the stuffing hot and crispy in a hands-off manner. It also takes less time than the oven, which is a plus. 

This works best if your air fryer has a tray rather than a basket. If your air fryer does have a basket, you can place a layer of aluminum foil on the bottom first. 

Using the air fryer will crisp the bread back up and make the dish taste much fresher. 

reheat Stuffing From frozen 

You can cook this dish right from the freezer if you’ve saved leftovers there. This is helpful because you don’t need to allow it to thaw before starting right in with reheating it. 

To do this, cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for at least an hour. 

Check the temperature with a digital thermometer to see how close the center is to 165°F; then remove the cover and allow the top to get crispy and finish cooking. 

You can also freeze stuffing to store it.

How to reheat stuffing without drying out?

The best way to reheat stuffing without it drying out is to add more broth before heating it up. This will allow the stuffing to soak it up and heat without becoming dry.

This will work for any reheating method. Stir in a bit of broth before heating it up, and add more if needed while cooking or at the end. Don’t pour in too much since this can make it soggy.  

It’s also a bit like keeping mashed potatoes warm as well.

How to keep stuffing warm and moist

During dinner, it’s essential to keep the stuffing warm and moist. You can do this by placing it in a warmed casserole dish and covering it with a lid. 

It’s best if the dish is ceramic, porcelain, or stone to retain the heat as well as possible. You may also want to place it in the oven at a lower temperature while the turkey rests to keep the dish warm. 

Conclusion 

It’s easy to reheat leftover stuffing by using one of four methods. You can microwave it, heat it on the stovetop, bake it in the oven, or cook it in the air fryer. All of these ways work well and have different results. 

Test them all out to see which one works best for you.