What Happens When You Reheat Donuts In The Microwave?
On the odd occasion that you have leftover donuts, you have a few options for reheating them. The microwave, while humble, is actually a great way to revive your day-old donuts and achieve a warm, crisp bite.
The exact time will vary depending on how you like your donuts, but the general range is eight to 20 seconds. For glazed donuts, eight seconds is usually enough to reheat them thoroughly without causing the glaze to melt. You can push this to 10 or 12 seconds, but keep in mind that donuts contain a fair amount of moisture in both the pastry and the toppings, so they heat up quickly. For thicker, filled donuts, you can warm them for closer to 20 seconds to ensure the insides are soft and melty again. However, be sure to let them cool for a minute or two afterward — otherwise, you risk burning yourself.
If your donut was rolled in sugar, the sugar may have melted by the time you get to the reheating stage, but rest assured that you can recreate this as well. Reheat the donut in the microwave as usual, but set aside some sugar and dunk or roll your rewarmed donut in it afterward. You don't need to do this as soon as you pull it out of the microwave — doing so may just re-melt the sugar — but don't wait for it to cool down entirely either, as this will make it harder for the sugar to stick.
Best practices for reheating donuts in the microwave
The key to even reheating in the microwave is ensuring that heat is distributed evenly without too much moisture pooling in one spot, which can make that area feel soggy and simultaneously lava hot. For this reason, some people prefer to use their air fryer to reheat donuts, as the dry heat keeps everything crispy. There's also a case for reviving stale donuts on the stove, and while both of these are good options, don't go thinking your microwave is outdated for the job.
One helpful tip is to place your donut on a damp paper towel before microwaving. This provides an even distribution of moisture, which will get soaked into the rest of the donut. This option is especially helpful if the bottom of your donut has gone stale from storage, but you don't want to leave it in the microwave too long at the risk of melting off the glaze.
If you think the glaze is up for the challenge, you can also place the donut in an enclosed microwave-safe container, which will give you a more intensive and even reheating. In this case, you don't need to heat it for as long. If worst comes to worst, take heart — you can make a donut glaze with just three easy ingredients, and slathering that onto your reheated donut will mitigate any textural deficiencies.