Air Fryer vs Microwave: Which Should You Use?
Two completely different mechanisms - and why leftovers belong in one of them.
Updated 9 September 2026
It depends - microwave for speed and moisture, air fryer for anything that should be crisp
A microwave heats water inside the food, so it is unbeatable for liquids and steaming but makes crisp things soft. An air fryer heats the surface, so it re-crisps leftovers a microwave ruins.
These appliances are not really competitors, because they heat food by entirely different physics. A microwave excites water molecules throughout the food. An air fryer blasts the outside with hot air. That is why one reheats soup in ninety seconds and the other rescues yesterday’s pizza.
Air Fryer vs Microwave: side by side
| Air fryer | Microwave | |
|---|---|---|
| How it heats | Hot air on the surface | Water molecules throughout |
| Reheat speed | 3-5 min | 1-2 min |
| Crisps food | Yes | No - makes it soft |
| Cooks from raw | Yes | Poorly |
| Browning | Yes | None |
| Liquids and soup | No | Excellent |
| Steaming vegetables | No | Excellent |
| Energy per reheat | Higher | Lower |
| Best for leftovers | Anything once crisp | Anything saucy |
Why a microwave cannot crisp
Microwaves heat the water already in the food, and that water turns to steam inside it. Steam has nowhere to go but out through the surface, which is exactly the opposite of what crisping requires.
That is why microwaved pizza has a floppy base and microwaved chips are limp. No power setting fixes it - it is the mechanism, not the appliance.
Which leftovers go where
Air fryer: pizza, chips, roast potatoes, fried chicken, pastry, spring rolls, anything breaded. Three to five minutes at 160-180°C / 320-360°F and it comes back close to fresh.
Microwave: soup, stew, curry, rice, pasta in sauce, anything you want to stay moist. Putting a saucy dish in an air fryer just dries the top and leaves the middle cold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an air fryer better than a microwave?+
For anything that should be crisp, yes. For liquids, saucy dishes, rice and steaming, the microwave is both faster and better. They do different jobs.
Can an air fryer replace a microwave?+
Not really. It cannot heat soup or a saucy dish well, and it is slower for simple reheating. Most kitchens benefit from both.
Which is better for reheating pizza?+
The air fryer, by a wide margin - 3-4 minutes at 180°C / 360°F gives you a crisp base. A microwave steams the base soft.
Is a microwave cheaper to run than an air fryer?+
Yes for reheating - it draws less power and finishes faster because it heats the food directly rather than heating air around it.