Here at Michaels Bakery, our donuts come out of the fryer in the early morning and we'd always rather you eat them within a few hours. But if you saved a few for tomorrow — or you grabbed a box on a road trip and now they've been sitting on the counter — there's good news. The structure of a yeast-raised donut bounces back beautifully with a little heat.
Below are the three methods we recommend, ranked from best to fastest, plus the one mistake that turns a perfectly good donut into something you should compost.
Method 1: The Oven (Best Results)
If you have ten minutes, the oven is the gold standard. It dries the surface gently while warming the interior, which is exactly what makes a fresh donut feel fresh.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Place donuts on a baking sheet — not touching, so the heat circulates.
- Heat for 4-5 minutes for glazed and cake donuts. Filled donuts (cream sticks, jelly bismarks) need a slightly cooler temp — try 325°F for the same time.
- Let them rest for one minute before eating. The glaze re-sets and the interior steam redistributes.
The oven method works for all donut types — glazed, cake, cream-filled, fritter, you name it.
Method 2: The Air Fryer (Fastest with Crispy Edges)
An air fryer is essentially a tiny convection oven, and it's our second-favorite method. The fast-moving hot air does an amazing job restoring that just-fried texture on the outside of yeast donuts.
- Preheat the air fryer to 300°F (150°C).
- Place donuts in a single layer in the basket. Don't crowd them.
- Heat for 2-3 minutes. Check at 2 minutes — air fryers vary.
- Pull them out as soon as the glaze starts to look glossy again.
For cake donuts and fritters, this method gives you a crisp exterior you can't quite match in the oven.
Method 3: The Microwave (When You're in a Hurry)
The microwave isn't ideal, but it works if you do it right. The trick is to keep the time very short and add humidity so the donut steams instead of dries out.
- Place the donut on a microwave-safe plate.
- Set a small glass of water next to it (or cover the donut with a damp paper towel).
- Heat on medium power for 10-15 seconds. That's it.
Eat it immediately. Microwaved donuts go from perfect to rubbery in about 60 seconds as they cool — the moisture redistribution that makes the microwave fast also makes it temperamental.
The One Mistake to Avoid
Do not microwave for 45+ seconds, ever. The starch structure inside a yeast donut sets quickly when over-microwaved, and it goes from soft and pillowy to tough and chewy. Once it crosses that line, you can't bring it back. Short bursts of heat, always.
Bonus: How to Store Donuts So You Don't Have to Reheat
If you know you won't eat your donuts within a few hours of buying them, store them right and you can skip the reheating altogether.
- Same day: Leave them on the counter, lightly covered with a clean towel. Airtight containers trap moisture and make the glaze weep.
- 1-2 days: Wrap individually in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature. They'll still be quite good.
- Longer: Freeze them in a zip-top bag with the air pressed out. Freeze-fresh donuts thaw beautifully — let them sit at room temp for 30 minutes, or reheat using Method 1 above (oven is best after freezing).
One thing we'd never recommend: storing donuts in the fridge. Refrigeration stales bread products faster than the counter does, and donuts are basically enriched bread.
Or, Come Get Some Fresh
Of course, the very best way to enjoy a donut is to grab one straight from the bakery, within a few hours of when it was fried. If you're anywhere near Wayne County, Ohio, come see us at 145 W Market St in Orrville — we start baking at midnight so everything is fresh when the doors open at 6 AM.
And if you can't make it in, you can order online for pickup — we'll have your box ready when you arrive.