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Crispy bacon in the oven is SO easy, leaves no mess, and is perfectly crisp every time. Once you try oven-baked you’ll never go back!
Enjoy this crispy bacon with Scrambled Eggs, Breakfast Potatoes, and Orange Juice Smoothies.
Oven Baked Bacon
Can we all agree that bacon is the best?! It’s one of our favorite breakfast sides.
When I first learned how to make bacon in the oven, my mind almost exploded. OF COURSE! It is so obvious! Why would you do it any other way?? It’s the easiest, quickest, and cleanest way to cook bacon.
Cooking bacon on the stove is SO messy. The bacon grease gets everywhere – on the counters, on the floor, and on you! Skip this all together by baking the bacon in the oven.
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
Cooking this oven bacon recipe also frees up space on the stove. This is great when you’re cooking a big breakfast and need room to make Pancakes, eggs, and Sausage. Just put it in the oven, set the timer, and forget about it until it’s done cooking.
PREP. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil (optional, but allows for easy cleanup), and lay out the desired number of bacon slices.
BAKE. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until it’s cooked to your level of crispiness. It will cook perfectly on both sides, no need to flip it!
Alternative oven temperatures:
- 375°F for 20 minutes
- 425°F for 15 minutes
- 450°F for 12 minutes
Air fryer bacon
Air fryer bacon is another way to keep a splatter-free kitchen, though these will not be big batches.
Set the air fryer to 350°F. For regular-cut bacon, fry for 7-9 minutes. For thick-cut bacon, fry for 9-12 minutes.
Bacon Cooking Tips
Oven bacon is quick, simple, and so crispy! I also love the easy cleanup.
Thick or thin. Depending on the cut, the cooking time may need to be adjusted. Keep an eye on it every few minutes toward the end.
Easy cleanup. Using a foil-lined baking sheet marked for easy cleanup. Let the bacon oil cool, and toss the foil. Then wash the pan with soap and water to get rid of any lingering oils.
Splattering oil. Sometimes a thicker cut will produce more grease and splatter. Place the pan in the lower third of the oven, and put a sheet of foil under the bacon.
If it is still splattering, lay a sheet of foil on top, but remove it for the last 5 minutes of cooking so the bacon can get perfectly crispy.
Draining. Place cooked bacon on wire racks or a paper towel-lined plate or sheet pan and allow the extra grease to drip off.
Large batches. Overlapping the strips of bacon can cause the bacon not to crisp up as well, a single layer works best.
- To cook a large batch of bacon, overlap the strips just a little. Use tongs to separate and flip the strips during the baking time to ensure all sides are cooked and crispy.
Flavor. This recipe is tailored to pork bacon and may not work when using other types. We love to use hickory smoked or applewood pork bacon.
- Add extra flavor to the bacon by seasoning the slices before they go into the oven. Some good bacon flavors are black pepper, sriracha, honey, maple syrup, garlic, chili powder, and brown sugar.
Serving suggestions. Try pairing bacon in the oven with scrambled eggs, hash browns, and a smoothie or your favorite breakfast options!
Storing Info
STORE uncooked bacon. An unopened package of uncooked bacon can last in the fridge for 2 weeks or in the freezer for 8 months. If the package has been opened the storage time shortens to 5-7 days in the fridge and up to 6 months in the freezer.
STORE cooked oven bacon. Leftover baked bacon recipe can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or in the freezer for 4-6 months. Reheat in the oven or air fryer to keep them crispy.
The cooked bacon can be used to add flavor to almost any dish!
Recipe FAQ
Absolutely! Bacon grease can come in handy to oil a pan when cooking other dishes. You can use it to oil the pan for cornbread or add some to a pan before cooking scrambled eggs. Let the grease cool a bit before pouring it through a mesh sieve to remove any bit of bacon. Store the strained grease in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 3 months or in smaller portions in the freezer indefinitely.
All types of pork bacon can be cooked in the oven just adjust the cooking time according to thickness. You can also cook turkey bacon in the oven. Place a wire rack onto a baking sheet and lay the turkey bacon strips on top. Bake at 400°F for about 18 minutes.
Leftover bacon crumbles can enhance so many dishes. I love adding leftover bacon to salads like Cobb Salad, on soups like Cheese Cauliflower Soup, or in sandwiches and Hamburgers. You can even add it to sweet treats like these Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls.
For Recipes That Use Cooked Bacon, Try:
- Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball
- Bacon Pancakes
- Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
- Bacon Potato Corn Chowder
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Bacon in the Oven Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon (or as much bacon as you like)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil (optional, but allows for easy cleanup), and lay out as many bacon slices as you want on the sheet.
- Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until it's cooked to your liking. It will cook perfectly on both sides, no need to flip it!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very impressed. Will do this every time. No mess.
Yes, I love how clean this method is for cooking bacon. I can’t go back! Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
You havE instrutions On how to cook with foil line pan but what about with the bacon on a rack?
I use the foil to catch the grease & for easy clean up. You don’t have to line the rack with foil.
This may be silly, but every time i try to cook my bacon in the oven my house fills up with smoke. What am i doinG wrong?
It could just be grease in the oven???
Love cooking in oven. But I always pour off my bacon grease into a foil lined dish that I keep in the fridge. I use it to cook chicken, Sautee veggies, fry an egg.
Great idea!! Thank you for sharing!
I love bacon. My husband lovEs bAcon. My kids love bacon. i do Not lovE smelling like bacon. Cooking in thE oven provides us with the bacon we love without the lingering smell. Thanks for sharing!
we love bacon in the oven. NO mess and the bacon is cooked EVENLY and is crisp. Best ever!!! thanks for the tip
Why have I not done this sooner!? This was so much easier & the bacon came out perfectly!! I will be doing this from now on!
Bacon is the most sought after breakfast item in our home. Putting it in the oven is the eAsiEst way to cook this up. It turns out just right for us.
I Literally never thought to make my bacon in the oven until I saw a post about it on IG. Hello busy mom this is amazing! We have been hAvIng brinner (breaKfast for dinner)haha and making our bacon in the oven is so easy!
Isn’t breakfast for dinner the best?! And, yes, it’s so much easier!
I love cooking bacon in the oven!! With just 2 of us in the home, I hated messing up the stove for just a few slices of bacon. Now, I cook a whole pack in the oven until slightly underdone, and then freeze it in a zipper bag. Now, when the bacon cravings hit one of use, we just remove a few slices from the freezer and reheat in the microwave or in the dish we’re preparing. So very convenient!
It is so convenient! That’s perfect for 2! Thank you so much!