Since I know how addictive and delicious the freshly made, piping hot Tempura is, I am here to offer you all the best ways that you can follow to efficiently reheat your leftover Tempura back to life.
I know how hard it is to throw away any leftover Tempura, but now you won’t have to!
Don’t be discouraged to the idea of warming up your leftover Tempura from the previous day, because I am going to show you in details How to reheat Tempura using what I believe are the best ways to do so, either using an oven, a deep fryer, or an Air fryer, That way you can enjoy the crispy heavenly Tempura one more time!
Before we go into the different ways you can warm up your leftover tempura, let me first give you an idea about some important food safety tips you should consider before reheating the Tempura.
Food Safety Tips For Tempura:
- Tempura shouldn’t be consumed after being left in the refrigerator for more than two days.
- It is important to keep the leftover Tempura in an airtight container so it doesn’t soak up all the different smells from the surrounding food. Make sure to align the Tempura pieces away from each other. Also, don’t overcrowd the container with more than one layer of Tempura without putting parchment paper in between.
- Leftover Tempura that wasn’t refrigerated for more than two hours shouldn’t be consumed to avoid any food contamination.
- Leftover Tempura can only be reheated once. It is not recommended to refrigerate and reheat it for a second time, as this can encourage bacterial growth, which could lead to food poisoning.
- Always check the smell and texture of the Tempura before attempting to reheat it.
The Best Ways To Reheat Tempura:
Eating any leftover Tempura can be challenging, as it usually loses all the heavenly crisp, some of the flavor, and becomes a soggy mess. But, don’t lose hope!
You can salvage your stale Tempura and bring it back to life using one of these three different ways of reheating.
Ways of reheating the Tempura:
- Using an Air fryer
- Using a Deep fryer
- In the oven
Reheating Tempura In The Air Fryer:
If you know me, then you would know how much I adore the Air fryer. I consider this one as one of the kitchen essentials. It is quick, safe, and cooks food without a single drop of oil. Kinda perfect if you asked me, especially when used to reheat any leftover Tempura, no matter how it was cooked in the first place. It gives it back the crispy texture it lost during refrigeration.
Here’s how to reheat tempura using the air-fryer:
- Start by preheating your Air fryer to 350-400°F.
- Once it reaches the temperature set, align the Tempura on the Air fryer rack so that each piece is away from the other. Make sure they are not overcrowded.
- Transfer the rack to the Air fryer and allow them to heat for three minutes.
- Take the rack out of the air fryer, flip each Tempura piece, then return them back to heat for an extra 3 minutes.
- Check whether they are warm enough, in case they are not, return them back for another three minutes.
- Serve them on a plate lined with paper towels. Enjoy!
The only downside to using the Air fryer is when you need to reheat a large number of Tempura pieces which would need to be done on many batches, as you can’t over stack them on top of each other to make sure they can crisp up and properly heat in the Air fryer.
On the other hand, the Air fryer will provide you with the least oily and the most crispy reheated Tempura!
Reheating Tempura In The Deep-Fryer:
Since Tempura is usually made by frying, using a deep fryer will most probably provide you with some reheated Tempura that exactly taste like the freshly made ones. The same crispy and delicious Tempura. There is one simple trick that can make or break this method, which is avoiding using too much oil that can turn your Tempura soggy and oily.
Here is how to reheat tempura in a deep-fryer:
- Let the oil heat in a deep pan till it reaches 350-375°F.
- Once the oil is hot enough, carefully start placing each Tempura piece in the pan. Make sure not to add too many in the pan at once so that each one can crisp up and not soak up any extra oil.
- Allow the oil to reheat them for 1-2 minutes while monitoring them and making sure their color doesn’t darken.
- Line the serving plate with paper towel before taking the Tempura of the oil so the paper towel can soak up all the excess oil.
- Enjoy them while they are still hot!
All you need to do is to allow some room between the Tempura pieces in the deep pan and not to leave them for longer time than intended to make sure they don’t lose their signature appetizing golden brown color!
Reheating Tempura In The Oven
I generally consider using the oven is the best way when it comes to reheating the Tempura. It always results in some wickedly crispy, golden brown Tempura pieces that are almost identical to the freshly cooked ones.
Here is how to reheat tempura in the oven:
- Start by spreading and lining a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Align your Tempura pieces along the baking tray and make sure there is enough room between each piece. While you are doing so, allow the oven to preheat till it reaches 425°F.
- Transfer the baking tray to the oven after it reaches the set temperature. Leave the tray for three minutes.
- Flip each piece of the Tempura after the first three minutes, then return them back to the oven for an extra three minutes.
- Check whether they are heated enough or not, then take them from the baking tray to a plate lined with a paper towel. Serve and enjoy!
This method always turns the soggy, moist, and oily Tempura into a crispy, hot, and delicious one. In addition to the fact that you can reheat large batches in one go. You just need to monitor them carefully to make sure they don’t lose their bright golden color.
Ways to Reheat Tempura – Comparison
This chart basically sums up all the different methods of reheating the Tempura, highlighting the time required using each method and the outcome we are expecting to receive.
| Method of reheating | Time required | Expected outcome |
| Stove | ± 6 minutes | A crispy, golden brown Tempura piece that doesn’t have any extra oil. |
| Deep fryer | ± 2 minutes | If the deep fryer is not overcrowded, then the Tempura pieces are almost as crispy as the freshly cooked ones. |
| Air fryer | ± 6 minutes | Doesn’t require a drop of oil and results in a crunchy and delicious Tempura. It does require longer time than the other methods, as you can only add a few pieces in the fryer rack in each batch. |
Frequently asked questions:
How to keep tempura warm and crisp?
Generally speaking, leaving the freshly cooked Tempura at room temperature doesn’t guarantee retaining their crispiness and freshness. That’s why the best way to do so is to transfer them to a preheated oven at 250 °F on a baking tray lined with parchment paper on a cooling rack. It is an efficient way to keep the earlier batches of cooked Tempura fresh while you are preparing the rest. It is not recommended to leave them for a long time in the oven so that they don’t dry out and lose their tender and moist texture.
Why does tempura batter need to be cold?
It is actually interesting to know that allowing the batter to cool before dipping the Tempura in it, and frying it allows the fried Tempura to be crispier and more crunchy, as the batter soaks up less oil when it is hot.
What is the best oil used to cook and reheat tempura?
Always go for the vegetable oil when it comes to Tempura. However, there are other options you can go for like, corn oil, safflower oil, canola oil, or Peanut oil. Don’t consider using olive oil, it doesn’t go well with the Tempura.
What’s even better, is some vegetable oil containing a couple of tablespoons of sesame oil. It gives it some extra toasty kick and more fragrant.
You can reuse this oil for reheating or frying few more times.
Hi, I’m Julie, the passionate foodie and founder of Juliesfamilykitchen.com. I created this blog out of a drive to prove someone wrong, and then I realized how much I truly enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. In my free time, when I’m not running around after my kids or spending quality time with my partner, you can usually find me in the kitchen experimenting with new dishes.