How To Cook Bacon In The Oven

Making Bacon in the Oven is simple and splatter-free!

Skip the splattering pan of bacon on the stove top, and bake bacon in the oven for a hands off way to prepare perfect crispy bacon every time.

Serve it for breakfast, add to BLT sandwiches, and or add a boost of flavor to recipes with crumbled bacon.

Oven Cooked Bacon

• Baking bacon in the oven means no splattering or mess like pan-fried in a skillet.
• There is no need to babysit or flip bacon over – simply bake on a rimmed pan.
• This is one of the best and easiest ways to cook bacon.
• Baking bacon in the oven is quick, and you can still save the excess grease to use.

Use Any Kind of Bacon

American bacon is the most common type of bacon which are strips of pork belly. Flavored bacon (like maple or peppered) is great oven-baked too.

Thick-cut bacon works well in the oven. This bacon is cut about 1/8″ thick so it will need a bit more time. If you check it at 20 minutes and it needs more time flip it over and pop it back into the oven for a bit.

Turkey bacon, which is a bit leaner, does work. It will require less cooking time in the oven at the same temperature to ensure it doesn’t dry out.

This crispy bacon is good for sandwiches, crumbling into Caesar salad, sprinkling on mashed potatoes, and adding to a breakfast casserole.

Preparing the Pan

There is no need for a wire rack or cooling rack to cook bacon. The bacon slices can be cooked directly on the baking pan. It will crisp nicely as it bakes in its own fat.

How to Cook Bacon in the Oven

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F per the recipe below.
2. Place the slices of bacon on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil and/or parchment for easy clean up.
3. Bake until bacon reaches the desired level of crispiness (no need to flip it), about 12-18.
4. Remove bacon from the pan & place on paper towels to drain the grease.

For turkey bacon: Arrange on a sheet and cook for 11-13 minutes.

For thick-cut bacon: Cook at the same temperature but for the full 20 minutes. Because the bacon is so thick it may need to be flipped and cooked a few minutes extra.

Tips for Crispy Oven Bacon

Air fryer bacon is great for a few slices, oven bacon is perfect for more).

• Line the baking sheet with foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup.
• Arrange bacon in a single layer without overlapping for even cooking.
• For larger batches, use two baking sheets and rotate them halfway through and add a few minutes of cooking time.
• Adjust cooking time slightly based on your desired level of crispiness.

Save The Bacon Grease

• If you’d like to save the bacon grease, allow it to cool on the pan for about 10-15 minutes before transferring it into a jar.

Storage

Leftover bacon can be kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Use bacon right from frozen; it thaws in just a couple of minutes.

Have you made this crispy oven bacon? Let us know your favorite tips for cooking bacon in the oven below!