Frozen pizzas are one of the most popular frozen foods. Almost everyone in America has had a frozen pizza at some point in their lives, but what do you do when you want your pizza hot but don’t have an oven? Can you use a microwave to heat up your pizza?
Can You Microwave Frozen Pizza?
You can microwave frozen pizza. Microwave does offer a quick and easy way to reheat a pizza. However, it does have some downsides. The main problem with microwaving a frozen pizza is that the crust will get soggy and limp, while the cheese will melt unevenly, resulting in a gooey mess of cheese and sauce.
Here’s a short guide on how to microwave frozen pizza:
To microwave your frozen pizza, first, defrosts and puts the pizza on the microwave-safe plate. Next, get a microwave-safe glass, fill it with water, and place it next to your pizza. Then, microwave the pizza on high for a few minutes.
To understand why microwaving a frozen pizza causes the crust to get soggy, it is important to understand how microwaves work. The microwave works by causing water molecules in the food to vibrate, creating heat through friction rather than heat.
When microwaving a pizza, the water molecules in the pizza will be energized and turn into steam. The steam eventually condenses and turns back into a liquid. It will trickle down and collect under the crust, making the crust soggy.
How To Microwave Frozen Pizza
Although I would generally recommend using a toaster oven or a regular oven if you have one, you can still use a microwave to heat up a frozen pizza if this is what you have available.
There are some tricks that you can use to minimize the amount of limpness in your crust when microwaving a frozen pizza. If this is something that you want to try, here are some tips for microwaving a frozen pizza.
Here are the steps if you want to microwave your frozen pizza:
- Defrost your frozen pizza by setting it in on your countertop for 1-2 hours. Don’t bake the pizza while it is still frozen, as it will cause the outer layer of frost to turn to steam and make the crust and toppings soggy.
- Remove your thawed pizza from its box and place it on a microwave-safe plate.
- Find a microwaveable glass plate that will fit in your microwave and fill it with about 2/3 cup of water. This will add moisture to the air while microwaving your pizza so that the pizza doesn’t dry out.
- Heat it on a medium-high setting. The time it takes will vary depending on the size and thickness of your pizza.
- Check the pizza by touching it gently on top to see if it is warm enough. If not, heat it again in 30-second increments.
- That’s how you can microwave a frozen pizza!
If your pizza still looks and tastes frozen, that means it’s not done yet. The internal temperature must reach 160 degrees F before you can safely eat the pizza.
Now the next question is, how long should you microwave your pizza? The first place to look is on the product’s box. Every frozen pizza will list how long to heat it in a microwave oven, so following the instructions is all you have to do.
But if the box doesn’t say how long to heat it for, here are some general guidelines:
- Pizza slice – 1-2 minutes
- Mini Pizza Pack – 3-5 minutes
- French Bread Pizza, – 7-8 minutes
- 8-9 inch pizza – 4-6 minutes
- 10-11 inch pizza – 5-7 minutes
- 11-12 inch pizza – 7-11 minutes
Some Tricks to Keep the Crust From Getting Soggy
As mentioned above, the biggest problem with microwaving a frozen pizza is that the crust will get soggy and limp.
One trick to help prevent this is to place a microwaveable item like a glass plate to suspend the pizza in the air while it is being microwaved. This way, the steam has a way to escape, so your crust won’t turn soggy.
Many microwavable pizzas are also packaged with heat-reflective trays that are designed to help your pizza heat up more evenly and keep the crust crispy. If your frozen pizza is packaged with a tray like this, make sure to use it!
A microwave crisper pan is magic cookware that will get you that golden brown crunchy crust every time. Simply preheat your pan in the microwave for 2-3 minutes and then place your pizza directly on top of it.
The last trick is to use a dual cooking method by using a combination of microwaving and stove. To do this, you microwave the pizza for a few minutes until the cheese is almost melted, and then you can fry it in a deep frying pan to crisp up the crust.
Safety Tips for Microwaving Frozen Pizza
Although it is safe to microwave a frozen pizza, there are still some safety tips you should follow so that your experience with microwaving a frozen pizza will be safe and tasty.
- Don’t use a pizza stone when microwaving a frozen pizza. Pizza stones have never been tested for safety in a microwave oven. Microwaving a frozen pizza on a pizza stone will likely cause the stone to break and shatter, which can damage your appliance.
- Don’t use aluminum foil or metal when microwaving a pizza. The metal can potentially spark and cause a fire hazard.
- Always read the manufacturer’s instructions before microwaving a frozen pizza.
- Do not leave your microwave unattended while microwaving a frozen pizza.
- Do not use anything that is labeled as NOT microwave-safe.
Conclusion
So can you microwave a frozen pizza? The answer is yes, but don’t expect the result to be the same as when you bake it in an oven. A frozen pizza is meant to be baked in a conventional oven and will produce a better result than microwaving.
However, if the only option you have available is your microwave and you must use it, there are a few tricks to prevent it from getting soggy.
If you love the convenience of having your pizza ready to go after you work an eight-hour day but hate the limpness of microwaved pizzas, you might be surprised that there are other options available.
Consider buying a toaster oven or pizza maker which can cook your pizza quickly and evenly to provide you with juicy goodness in a crispy crust.
If you’re looking for more tips on microwaving pizza, be sure to check out our other posts on microwaving Totino’s pizza, microwaving pizza rolls, and thawing pizza dough in the microwave.
