How To Keep Pizza Warm In The Oven

Pizza is a dish best served hot! Maybe you're hosting a pizza party but the guests are running late. The problem is keeping the pizza from getting cold. Luckily, we can look towards the oven to help avoid this. If you're wondering how to keep pizza warm in the oven, we have the answer!

One way to keep a pizza warm in the oven is by keeping it in the box. It should be safe as long as you don't heat it over 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Other ways to keep it warm include using an inverted baking sheet, wrapping slices in aluminum foil, using oven-safe dishes, etc.

Keeping a pizza warm is a simple task. The difficulty comes from the situation you have to deal with. What if the pizza is too big to fit in the oven? In addition, how long can you keep the pizza in there? These are some of the issues we'll cover further ahead. Just keep reading!

Keeping Pizza Warm In The Oven

The best way to keep your pizza warm depends on the situation. Did you receive it moments ago? If you did, keep it in the box. Use an insulated bag if you have one large enough to store a pizza box. 

However, you're most likely not a pizza delivery person, so you won't have an insulated bag to use. If that's the case, you can still keep it in the box. But, we'll head over to the oven to keep it warm. 

Pizza Box in the Oven

Some pizzerias say that you can place the box inside the oven. Of course, some of you might be wondering if that is safe. In general, it should be safe as long as you don't heat the box higher than 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

So, if you're going with this method, make sure to use the lowest temperature setting on your oven, which should be about 150 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Let the oven preheat. Then, you can place the box on the middle rack. This way, the box creates an oven-like environment. It absorbs the heat and keeps the pizza warm. 

Others recommend cutting off the top and using the bottom of the box as a holding dish. If you want to push it a bit, you can set the temperature as high as 200 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Still, if you're not comfortable leaving a box inside the oven on high heat, you can turn it off 30 minutes before you're ready to eat. Leave the pizza box inside. This way, you can keep it warm without worrying about starting a fire. 

Using Aluminum Foil

But what happens if you can't fit the pizza box into the oven? Cramming it inside doesn't seem like a good idea. In this situation, we'll have to look for other solutions. 

If you don't feel safe putting a pizza box inside the oven, you can use aluminum foil instead. However, it's going to take a bit more effort. You will have to wrap each slice in foil. 

For half an hour or so, the pizza slices should be able to hold their heat this way. Of course, it will eventually get cold. But, since they're wrapped in foil, you can pop them in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Leave the slices in there for 5 to 10 minutes. After this period, you can remove the foil and serve them to your guests.

Inverted Baking Sheet

What if you don't want to portion the pizza? Wouldn't it be better to keep the whole thing warm? For this, you'll need a baking sheet. 

All you have to do is flip it over. This way, it can hold the pizza without some slices hanging out. Still, this depends on how big the pizza and baking sheet are. 

Regardless, if you found that this solution might work, set the oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit. You can leave it in there until the guests arrive. However, it's a good idea to check on it periodically. 

Cast Iron Skillet

Maybe you don't have a baking sheet. But luckily enough, it can work with a cast iron skillet too. 

Skillets can range from 12 to 17 inches. Thus, you might be able to fit a whole pizza in there. If you can't, you can try to portion it. You can put some slices on the skillet. Wrap the others that don't fit in aluminum foil. 

Oven-Safe Dish

In the worst case, you might not have the items mentioned above. Still, there's a lot more you can use! You can try to use oven-proof dishes to keep the pizza warm. 

For this method, you'll need to check your dishes first. If it has an oven-safe label, it should be safe to put in an oven. However, if there's no label indicating it's oven safe, you shouldn't take the risk. 

Sometimes the dish might not have an oven-safe label anywhere on it. In this case, you can look up the manufacturer to see if the dish you have is oven safe. Once you confirm it is, you can set the oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit to keep the slices warm. 

Slide The Pizza onto the Middle Rack

When there are no tools to use, it might be worth considering sliding the pizza inside by itself. Of course, this can be risky. Is there a possibility the pizza will fall through the racks? 

Cooked pizzas have crusts that are solid enough to prevent this from happening. Still, you might want to proceed with caution if it's a thin-crusted pizza with heavy toppings. Another problem with using this method is getting it out. 

Unless you have a pizza peel lying around, you're going to have to take it out slice by slice. 

How Long Can I Keep Pizza Warm in the Oven?

You can keep pizza warm in the oven for 20 minutes to an hour. It all depends on the temperature you use. If you preheat an oven to 200 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, the pizza should stay hot for 15 to 20 minutes. 

After this period, the temperature will drop. So, you might have to adjust the oven's temperature to a higher setting. In any case, check on the pizza periodically. 

How Do You Keep Pizza From Drying Out?

When you're trying to keep a pizza fresh, you're also going to have to think about preventing it from drying out. The best way to keep the slices from drying out is by wrapping them in aluminum foil. This way, you limit how much moisture escapes while waiting for guests. 

Still, no matter how long you wait, the pizza might not look the same after a few hours of waiting. If you want to revive the slices, you can place them on a rimmed baking sheet at 275 degrees Fahrenheit in the oven. Leave them in there for 20 to 35 minutes.

This way, it should reverse the retrogradation process that starch goes through. In other words, your pizza won't appear as dry as it once was. 

At What Temperature Should Pizza Be Reheated?

There are a few temperature settings you can use to reheat pizza. It will depend on how you're reheating it. If you plan on reheating it on a baking tray, you would have to set the temperature to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. 

If you're using the aluminum foil method, you have two options. You can heat it to 450 degrees Fahrenheit if you want to eat it right away. For a softer crust, heat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

You will have to wait 10 minutes until it's ready. At 450 degrees, you will only have to wait 5 minutes. 

Can You Store Pizza in the Oven?

Storing a pizza in the oven is an option to consider when you don't have room anywhere else. However, does it make sense to do so?

Some pizzerias suggest it is if you're trying to keep it warm for a little while. What if you want to keep it there overnight? Fortunately, many have reported having safe experiences with doing that.

The crust shouldn't mold until three days or more. As far as the cheese and sauces go, they should have some preservatives to keep them from spoiling quickly. In any case, if you have any doubts, you can always reheat it at 375 degrees Fahrenheit to kill off any germs.

How Do You Make Leftover Pizza Crispy in the Oven?

If you want to achieve a crispy crust with leftover pizza, you need to use a baking sheet. You can also use aluminum foil if you'd like. Regardless, start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the baking sheet inside.

After 15 minutes, place the pizza slice on the baking sheet. Bake it for 10 minutes. If you want it crispier, you can wait a little longer.

Final Takeaway

There's nothing more worrying than trying to keep food fresh for guests. Luckily, we can always depend on others to give us tips to preserve the quality of the food! We hope you found the information above helpful.

Before you go, do you have other foods you want to keep warm? What about a casserole? To learn more, check out this post:

How To Keep A Casserole Dish Warm [7 Effective Ways!]

Are you wondering if glass containers keep food warm? We have the answer! For more information, check out this post:

Do Glass Containers Keep Food Warm?