The best way to reheat a croissant is in a preheated 350°F oven or toaster oven, uncovered on a baking sheet, for 3 to 5 minutes if it is a day old and 8 to 10 minutes if it comes straight from your freezer. Let it rest for 2 minutes before eating: the butter settles and the outer layers turn crisp again. Skip the microwave, which turns the layers soft and then chewy as they cool.
That covers a croissant that has already been baked: yesterday's from the bakery, or leftovers you froze yourself. Frozen croissants from our bakery are a different case. They are not reheated, they are baked from frozen at a higher heat, following the instructions on each product page. We explain both below, along with how long croissants last, how to store them and how to freeze them.
Reheating croissants: times and temperatures at a glance
These are general times for a plain butter croissant of standard size. Ovens vary, so check a minute early the first time.
| Method | Day-old croissant | Baked croissant you froze | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oven, 350°F | 3 to 5 minutes | 8 to 10 minutes, no thawing | The most even: crisp outside, soft and warm inside |
| Toaster oven, 350°F | 3 to 4 minutes | 6 to 8 minutes | Same result for one or two; the top browns faster, watch it |
| Air fryer, 300 to 320°F | 2 to 3 minutes | 4 to 5 minutes | Very crisp and fast, but the outer layers darken quickly |
| Skillet, medium-low | 1 to 2 minutes per cut side, split in half | Thaw first | A toasted, buttery inside; good for a sandwich |
| Microwave | 10 to 15 seconds at most | Not recommended | Warm but soft, then chewy within minutes |
How to reheat croissants in the oven, step by step
The oven wins because it heats the croissant from every side with dry air. The butter between the layers melts again, the moisture in the crust escapes, and the outside turns crisp while the inside stays soft.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Wait until it is fully hot. A croissant that goes into a cold oven warms slowly and dries out before the crust crisps.
- Lay the croissants on a baking sheet, with some space between them. Parchment paper is optional. Do not wrap them in foil: foil traps steam and softens the crust.
- Bake on the middle rack for 3 to 5 minutes for a day-old croissant, a little longer for a large one.
- Check it. It is ready when the top flakes slightly under your finger and the bottom feels warm, not hot.
- Rest 2 minutes. Straight out of the oven, the layers are fragile and the butter is liquid. A short rest lets them firm up and finish crisping.
Baker's tip: if the croissant is two days old and feels dry, mist it very lightly with water, or flick a few drops on it with your fingers, before it goes in. The little steam brings back some softness to the crumb, and the heat crisps the outside again.
Can you reheat croissants in an air fryer?
Yes, and it is the fastest way. Set it to 300 to 320°F, a little lower than the oven, because the fan blows hot air directly onto the thin outer layers. Place the croissant in the basket without overlapping, and heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Check after 2: past a certain point the tips go from golden to dark in under a minute.
An air fryer basket is small, so it suits one or two croissants. For a brunch, the oven is easier: everything comes out warm at the same time.
Why you should skip the microwave
A microwave heats the water inside the croissant, not the air around it. That water turns to steam and soaks into the layers, so the crust softens instead of crisping. As it cools, the starch firms up again and the croissant becomes chewy, sometimes rubbery. If a microwave is all you have, give it 10 to 15 seconds, just enough to take the chill off, and eat it right away. Better still, warm it 10 seconds in the microwave and finish it 1 to 2 minutes in a hot skillet or toaster oven to bring back some crunch.
How to reheat frozen croissants
Here we need to separate two kinds of frozen croissants, because they do not follow the same method.
Croissants you baked or bought, then froze
These are already fully baked. Do not thaw them on the counter, where they turn damp. Put them straight into a 350°F oven, on a baking sheet, for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are warm in the center. If the tips brown before the middle is warm, lay a loose sheet of foil over the top for the last few minutes.
Frozen croissants from our bakery: bake them, do not reheat them
Our croissants are shipped frozen from the Fresh Baguette kitchen in Germantown, Maryland, and they are made to go from the freezer to the oven. That is baking, not reheating, and the instructions are not the same: the oven is hotter than the 350°F used to reheat a leftover. For our Butter Croissants, the product page says:
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Take the croissants out of the freezer and out of their packaging.
- Place them on a baking sheet on the middle rack.
- Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until warmed through and crisp.
- Let them cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
The same instructions are printed on our Chocolate Croissants and our Almond Croissants, but always follow the page of the product you have: each one in our croissant collection carries its own. The advantage is that you bake only what you will eat. The rest of the pack waits in the freezer, so you rarely end up with a croissant to reheat at all.
Butter Croissant, pack of 3
Made with real butter and shipped frozen. Bake straight from the freezer at 425°F on a baking sheet for 5 to 7 minutes, then let them cool 5 minutes. One of the 4 to 12 packs in your box (boxes from $89).
Shop the croissantsHow to reheat filled croissants
A filling holds more heat and more moisture than plain dough, so it needs a gentler approach.
- Chocolate croissants (pain au chocolat). 350°F for 4 to 5 minutes. The chocolate softens before the dough is crisp, so let them rest 2 to 3 minutes: the chocolate inside stays very hot for a while.
- Almond croissants. The sliced almonds on top burn before the rest. Bake at 325 to 350°F for 4 to 6 minutes, and cover the top loosely with foil if they color too fast.
- Ham and cheese croissants, or a croissant sandwich. Take out lettuce, tomato or anything fresh first. Heat at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese melts and the center of the filling reads 165°F on a food thermometer, the temperature FoodSafety.gov gives for reheating leftovers, then add the fresh ingredients back.
How long do croissants last?
A croissant is at its best the day it is baked. After that, the butter firms up, the crust absorbs moisture from the air and the crumb starts to dry out. As a general guide:
- At room temperature: 1 to 2 days, loosely covered. A day-old croissant reheats well; by day three it is better used in a recipe.
- In the fridge: we do not recommend it for plain croissants. Cold air makes the crumb go stale faster. Only croissants with a perishable filling, such as ham and cheese, belong there: refrigerate them within 2 hours and eat them within 3 to 4 days, following the FoodSafety.gov storage chart for leftovers with cooked meat.
- In the freezer: about a month for croissants you baked or bought and froze yourself, well wrapped. Our own frozen croissants keep up to 6 months in their sealed packaging, according to our FAQ.
How to store croissants and keep them fresh
The goal is to slow down two things at once: the crust going soft and the crumb drying out.
- Let them cool completely before covering them. A warm croissant in a closed bag sweats, and the crust turns limp.
- Use a paper bag for the first day. It lets the crust breathe. A closed plastic bag keeps the inside soft, but the outside goes leathery overnight.
- Keep them away from heat and sun, which melt the butter and make them greasy.
- Freeze what you will not eat by tomorrow. Freezing on day one gives a much better result than freezing a croissant that is already stale.
How to freeze croissants
To freeze baked croissants, let them cool, then wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap or foil and put them all in a freezer bag, pressing out the air. Label the bag with the date. Freezing them one by one means you can take out just one for breakfast. When you want one, reheat it straight from frozen at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes, as above.
If the croissants are too dry to revive, they are perfect for cooking. Day-old croissants soak up custard beautifully, which is why they are often used in a bread pudding, a breakfast casserole or French toast. Too many left over? Turn them into a rich croissant bread pudding.
For toast, there is also our Butter Croissant Loaf: croissant dough baked as a wide-sliced loaf, which goes into the toaster straight from the freezer for 90 to 120 seconds. Watch it closely, because its crumb browns quickly. To see how our breads and pastries go from freezer to table, read how it works.
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Croissant reheating questions
Are croissants supposed to be warmed up?
A croissant baked the same morning does not need it. Eaten slightly warm, though, it tastes more buttery and the crust is crisper, which is why many people warm even a fresh one for a few minutes. A day-old croissant almost always gains from a short reheat.
Can you eat croissants the next day?
Yes. A plain croissant kept loosely covered at room temperature is good the next day, especially after 3 to 5 minutes in a 350°F oven. Croissants with ham or another perishable filling should go in the fridge and be reheated until the filling reaches 165°F. For fillings that hold up in the oven, see our croissant sandwich ideas.
Should you wrap croissants in foil to reheat them?
No, not for the whole time. Foil holds in steam and softens the crust. Use it only as a loose cover over the top, when the tips or the almonds brown faster than the inside warms.
Why did my reheated croissant turn hard?
It most likely stayed in the oven too long, or the oven was too low and dried it out slowly. Reheating gives a croissant a second life, not a third: reheat it once and eat it while it is warm.
Fresh Baguette has been baking in Washington, D.C., since 2013, when Florent and Bertrand, who came from France, opened a small neighborhood bakery. You can read our story here, or browse our frozen croissants, ready to bake whenever you want one.