Oh dear, you’ve woken up with a hangover, a cold takeaway doner kebab, and an empty belly.
Ah well, best not let that doner meat go to waste. You could eat it cold, but can you reheat it for breakfast?
You can reheat doner meat and eat it the next day as long as you have stored it in the fridge and reheat it to 75°C, which is a temperature that will kill off any bacteria. If the doner meat was left out at room temperature for over 2 hours, dangerous bacteria might have grown on it.
Reheating doner meat
The instructions in this section for reheating doner meat assume you have stored it correctly overnight, separated the doner meat from the rest of the food, and have scraped off any garnish or sauces.
How to reheat doner meat in a frying pan
The best way to reheat doner meat is in a frying pan on the hob to help retain the juices. Preheat the pan on a medium heat and then add a little oil.
Add the doner meat and any other veggies you want to warm up into the pan. Heat whilst stirring until the doner meat is piping hot (internal temperature of 75°C).
How to reheat doner meat in the microwave
Another great way to reheat doner meat is in the microwave. Place the doner meat in a single layer on a microwavable plate. Pat the meat with some kitchen roll to remove any excess fat.
Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds and then remove for 30 seconds. Repeat this process until the doner meat is steaming hot (internal temperature of 75°C).
How to reheat doner meat in the oven
Reheating doner meat in the oven will dry it out, so here’s my bread steamer trick.
Lay slices of bread on a baking tray so there’s enough surface area for your doner meat in a single layer.
Soak the bread with water (or stock) and lay your doner meat on top. Heat in a preheated oven at 180°C for 6-8 minutes until it reaches 75°C.
How to reheat doner meat in the air fryer
Reheating doner meat in an air fryer will make it crispy.
If you want the doner meat to be moist, remove excess fat with a paper towel, wrap it loosely in tin foil, and add a few tablespoons of water.
Drop the foil parcel in the air fryer for 5 minutes or until it reaches 75°C.
Related: How to reheat a delivery pizza
Reheating a doner kebab
If you had your doner meat wrapped in naan or served in a pitta, here’s how you can reheat the whole lot.
The fastest way to reheat a doner kebab
The fastest way to reheat a doner kebab (in naan or pitta) is to wrap it in damp kitchen roll, put it on a microwaveable plate and then microwave in 1-minute bursts until it reaches an internal temperature of 75°C (piping hot throughout).
Reheat a doner kebab in the oven or air fryer
If you want to reheat a doner kebab (naan or pitta) in the oven or an air fryer without dismantling it, wrap it in foil and place it in a preheated oven (or cold air fryer) at 150°C and warm it 15-30 mins (until the internal temperature reaches 75°C)
The two methods for reheating a doner kebab above are not ideal as they will also reheat any veggies, salad or sauces you have in the kebab. It may also make the bread soggy or chewy as it will steam inside the foil. It’s better than not having the foil, though, as that will dry the bread out. To avoid this dilemma, use the slower but more effective reheating methods below:
How to reheat a doner kebab in naan
The best way to reheat a doner in naan is to reheat the components separately.
Preheat a frying pan over a medium heat. Remove the doner meat and any veggies you want to warm up from the naan and place into the pan with a little oil and heat gently, stirring frequently.
Meanwhile, scrape off as much of the veggies, salad and sauces from the naan as possible.
Preheat another frying pan on the highest heat, heat the charred side of the naan for 12 seconds, add a few drops of water to the other side, flip it over and heat for another 18 seconds.
You can use this method for reheating a doner wrap too, just reduce the time for heating the bread
Once the doner meat is piping hot (75°C), reassemble and enjoy.
How to reheat a doner kebab in pitta
The best way to reheat a doner in pitta is to reheat the meat and bread separately.
Preheat a frying pan over a medium heat. Remove the doner meat and any veggies you want to warm up from the pitta and place into the pan with a little oil and heat gently, stirring frequently.
Meanwhile, scrape off as much of the veggies, salad and sauces from the pitta as possible.
Preheat another frying pan on medium heat, sprinkle water on both sides and then heat each side of the pitta for 15-20 seconds.
Once the meat is piping hot (75°C), reassemble and enjoy.
Reheating doner meat and chips
The best way to reheat doner meat and chips is to reheat the chips in the air fryer and the doner meat in a frying pan.
This method will bring the meal to a safe temperature whilst making crispy chips and juicy doner meat.
Reheat the chips
To reheat the chips, add them to the basket of a preheated air fryer at 180°C and heat for 3-5 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 75°C.
If the chips are more than a single layer, shake the basket every minute or two.
Reheat the doner meat
You can use any method for reheating doner meat listed at the top of this page, but we recommend you use the frying pan method as it keeps the doner meat juicy and soft.
Psst! We also wrote guides on reheating chip shop fish and chips and reheating a Chinese takeaway that may come in handy for you someday 😉
FAQ
Can you eat doner meat cold the next day?
You can eat doner meat cold as long as you put it in the fridge within 2 hours of it getting to room temperature. Otherwise, there’s a chance harmful bacteria has started to grow on it. Always remember to put your leftovers in the fridge.
Can you reheat doner meat the next day?
You can reheat doner meat the next day as long as you put it in the fridge within 2 hours of it getting to room temperature. Reheat the doner meat to an internal temperature of 75°C. If you left it out all night, there’s a chance that types of harmful bacteria that don’t die from reheating will have grown on it.
Can you reheat doner meat twice?
Technically you can reheat doner meat twice if you store it in the fridge (or it is at room temperature for less than 2 hours), then you reheated it up to 75°C both times. However, the NHS advises against reheating any food multiple times. The food spends more time at dangerous temperatures, increases the chance of you making a mistake, and therefore increases the risk of food poisoning. Aside from that, doner meat reheated multiple times will not taste as nice.
Can you eat doner meat 2 days later?
It is safe to eat doner meat two days later if you put it in the fridge within 2 hours of it reaching room temperature. You can eat it cold or reheat it to an internal temperature of 75°C.
Can you freeze doner meat?
You can freeze doner meat safely as long as you put it in the freezer within two hours. Defrost thoroughly in the fridge before reheating.
Can you reheat a chicken doner wrap?
You can reheat a chicken doner wrap using any methods for reheating doner kebabs that we outlined on this page.
