How to Reheat Sunday Pancakes for the Fluffiest Breakfast All Week Long

If your weekends routinely include a tall (or short) stack of hotcakes, then it’s worth your time to learn a few cooking tips about how to reheat pancakes — because let’s face it, nothing says Saturday morning like the delicious smell of home-cooked pancakes. 

It’s easy to mix up some extra batter and throw a few leftover cakes in the fridge for the next day, especially if want to get some extra shut-eye on a lazy Sunday morning. 

But if getting out of bed early to heat up the griddle doesn’t sound like the way you want to spend your last weekend morning, then it’s critical that you know how to reheat leftover pancakes.

How to Reheat Pancakes in the Microwave

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When it comes to knowing how to reheat pancakes in the microwave, Food Network digital’s Dan Langan — the man behind Dan Can Bake It — says the microwave is useful if you’re crunched for time. But be aware that your pancakes will turn out much softer than they would with other reheating options. “The key here is to make sure your ‘jacks’ have plenty of room on the plate, so they have space to heat evenly,” he says. Here, Langan shows us in three easy steps how to reheat pancakes from fridge to microwave.  

1. Place your pancakes on a microwave-safe plate between two sheets of paper towel. Langan recommends reheating one to four pancakes at a time to make sure they reheat evenly.
2. Microwave on high for about 15 to 20 seconds for one pancake. 
3. Heating more than one pancake? Set your microwave on high for 45 seconds to one minute.

If you don’t want your pancakes to end up tough and chewy, HelloFresh chef Claudia Sidoti says you need to eat them right away. Which means you might want to brush up on how to reheat a pancake (one, that is) before nuking up a whole stack of them. 

How to Reheat Pancakes in the Oven

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When you have a family, being efficient in the kitchen is essential. That’s why knowing how to reheat pancakes in the oven is critical to your success as a breakfast chef. And if your leftover pancakes are from one of your favorite breakfast joints, don’t sweat it. Knowing how to reheat IHOP pancakes is no different than reheating hotcakes made on your own griddle. Here, Sidoti gives us a quick lesson on how to reheat pancakes in the oven in five easy steps.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the pancakes on a nonstick, ungreased baking sheet. 
3. Keep some distance between the pancakes; you don’t want to stack them on top of each other.
4. Cover the sheet with aluminum foil (make sure it’s tight) and place in the oven.
5. Reheat for five to 10 minutes. Before serving, make sure the pancakes are entirely reheated and not cold in the middle. 

To liven up the taste of your pancakes, Langan says you can brush the pancakes with melted butter before reheating in the oven or sprinkle the buttered pancakes with cinnamon sugar and place them under a low broiler for a minute or so.

How to Reheat Frozen Pancakes 

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Between work, family, activities, and social time (if you have any), it can be challenging to find time to prepare meals that your family will actually want to eat. The good news: If you know how to freeze and reheat pancakes, you will always have a quick and tasty meal within minutes. 

But before you learn the steps for how to reheat frozen pancakes, here’s a tip from Langan: If you know you’re going to have leftovers, aim to freeze them on the same day you make them for ultimate reheating fluffiness.

To get your frozen pancakes to resemble their former texture, Langan says to use the skillet. “The frying pan will give you the crispy edge and soft center pancakes are known for, but be sure to coat your pan in butter to guarantee the cakes stay moist,” he explains. Here, Langan shares more of his expert tips for reheating frozen pancakes.  

1. Warm up your skillet on low heat. You want to give your pancakes time to thaw on the pan, so it’s important to be patient; too high of a temperature could burn them before their middles are even warm.
2. Coat your pan with butter or another nonstick spray of your choice (Langan recommends PAM or vegetable oil). Combining butter and oil will give you a rich flavor and prevent over-browning. 
3. Place your frozen pancakes on the warmed skillet and continue flipping until they are warmed through (you can flip them every 30 seconds or so to help them heat evenly).

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You can’t expect us to end an article about reheating pancakes without giving you a few ideas on how to dress up your hotcakes, right? If you’re looking to impress, Langan says you can really get creative and use reheated pancakes to make a mini-layered cake, like his Caramelized Peach and Mascarpone Shortcake (just sub the shortcakes for pancakes). 

And if your breakfast party is sans kids, you can even brush your pancakes with a liqueur-infused syrup before reheating. To do this, Langan says to take a 1/4 cup of milk and add a tablespoon of sugar and a dash of spirits (think coffee liqueur, maple bourbon or fruit flavored liquor). Then, use a pastry brush to lightly brush the pancakes with this flavored milk before reheating them in the oven or a skillet. Your pancakes will reheat with a fresh new texture and a kicked-up flavor.