Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas if it didn’t involve cooking enough food to feed a small army. However, knowing what to do with all the leftovers can be tricky.Especially if you don’t want to resort to the old throw it in the pan and fry again.
We recently turned to TikTok for inspiration and a new way to use up leftovers in the form of holiday leftovers toast. Not only can this toast be cooked in any of the best air fryers on the market, it even includes the TV show’s famous Moist Maker (a slice of bread soaked in gravy) friends.
In fact, the entire Christmas Leftover Sandwiches from @emilyscooking (opens in a new tab) The photo on TikTok appears to have been inspired by a scene of a co-worker eating a sandwich Monica made for Ross from Thanksgiving leftovers.
Below we’ve outlined our favorite recipe for this one, which is so quick, easy, and delicious, you won’t even realize you’re eating leftovers.
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Air Fryer Christmas Leftovers Recipe
This toast recipe is perfect for Christmas leftovers, but can also be used year-round for all kinds of leftovers.
We’ve outlined our take on the toast below, but given the nature of this recipe, you can substitute any ingredient depending on what’s left and your personal taste.
@emilyscooking_ (opens in a new tab)
♬ Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! – Dean Martin (opens in a new tab)
Air Fryer Christmas Leftover Toast Toppings
We have not listed fixed quantities of all ingredients below as this will depend on how hungry you are, the size of your loaf, and how much you have left. These numbers should be used as a guide.
- 1 stuffing ball, flattened
- 1 pig in a blanket (bacon-wrapped sausage), squashed
- leftover meat
- baked potatoes, mashed
- vegetables, mashed
- 1 teaspoon cranberry sauce
- 3 slices of bread – in our recipe we used 2 slices of bloomer and 1 slice of whole wheat bread, but any bread will do
- grated cheese for topping
- gravy
Air Fryer Christmas Leftover Bread Recipe
We used a Tower T17099 Vortx Eco Double Basket Air Fryer set to 200°C (392°F) for five minutes. We’ve tried this recipe several times and this is the perfect combination of heat and time for the most delicious toast.
However, times may vary, so make sure the toast is always piping hot before eating any reheated leftovers. This is to avoid food poisoning ruining your vacation.
step 1: Cut the bloomer into two large slices while soaking the third slice in the gravy.
Step 2: Spread cranberry sauce on each slice of bloomer bread.
Step 3: Start by layering your leftovers on one of the slices of bread. We prefer a layer of meat products on the bottom, but you can place the toppings in any order you like.
Step 4: Place the gravy-soaked slices of bread—the Moist Maker—on top of this bottom layer. At any stage, you can add seasoning or sauces to your taste.
Step 5: On top of the Moist Maker, layer the remaining ingredients, then place the second slice of bloomer bread on top to finish the toast.
Step 6: Sprinkle grated cheese over the top of the bloomer and bake it in the air fryer at 200°C for five minutes. This should be enough time for the ingredients to heat up to a safe temperature and for the cheese to melt.
If after five minutes, the ingredients aren’t hot enough, you can return the toast to the air fryer if desired. However, we recommend removing the top cheese layer after cooking so it doesn’t burn and turn bitter.
Step 7: Cut in half and serve.
hint: We always reserve a little of the gravy for dipping toast.
Air Fryer Christmas Leftover Toast Verdict
Christmas leftover toast is a delicious and comforting way to eat up any leftovers with minimal effort. It helps keep your festive feast going for longer and, in the UK, it makes a delicious and hearty Boxing Day lunch. The only limit to this bake is your imagination.
If you don’t have an air fryer, this toast can be baked in a standard oven. However, in our experience it takes longer to bring the ingredients to the desired safe temperature using this method, so you may want to allow for more time.
If you are still hesitating whether to buy an air fryer, you might want to read our article on deciding whether an air fryer is worth buying?
