How To Cook Bacon In the Oven (Crispy & Easy)
Learn how to cook crispy, mess-free bacon in the oven with this simple step-by-step guide. Perfect results every time – no flipping, no splatter!
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Here are my simple and foolproof tips on how to cook bacon in the oven. If you have never baked bacon before, give it a try. You will be convinced that baking bacon is easier and tastier than pan-frying bacon.
Below I share my recipe tips for the best way to bake bacon, including what is the right temperature and time for cooking. Don’t miss the helpful tips at the end for storing bacon and how to store and use the bacon fat.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- The bacon cooks more evenly. Bacon cooks more evenly in the oven because it receives heat from all sides, unlike stovetop cooking, which often leaves edges crisp and centers undercooked.
- Oven baked bacon is more crispy. Oven-cooking bacon ensures even crispiness without burning, giving you the golden, irresistible bacon you love.
- Effortless and less time consuming. Oven-baking bacon is perfect for prepping a big batch, allowing you to cook up to 24 strips on two baking sheets in just 15-20 minutes. During this time, you can make fried eggs, hard-boiled eggs, omelet or to make a batch of healthy pancakes to complete your breakfast.
- There is no splatter. With the oven-baked bacon method, there’s no splatter—just sizzling bacon, with the foil catching the grease and keeping the oven clean.
- Easy cleanup. No messy cleanup. Line the pan with foil or parchment paper up the sides to catch the bacon grease, store the drippings, toss the foil, and enjoy easy dishwashing! Usually, if you use heavy duty aluminum foil, the pan hardly gets greasy.
How To Cook Bacon In the Oven
- Preheat oven to 400 F & line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Lay bacon strips in a single layer on the baking sheet & bake until the bacon is crispy, about 15 – 20 minutes depending on its thickness.
- Remove from oven and use tongs to move the bacon slices to drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Then, serve immediately, store in the fridge, or freeze in a freezer ziplock bag.
TIPS FROM NELI’S KITCHEN
Tips For Oven Cooked Bacon
- Use a large rimmed baking sheet. This will help you eliminate bacon fat drippings.
- Line the baking sheet with foil. I use heavy-duty foil to make cleanup a breeze.
- Cook at 400 F for the crispiest bacon. Depending on the thickness of the bacon, it can take between 15 – 25 minutes.
- You don’t need an oven baking rack. I have tried cooking bacon with a rack in the baking sheet and without one, and I have found no value in cooking with one. It takes longer for the bacon to bake, and it’s hard to clean the cooling rack. The bacon is equally crisp regardless of whether I use a baking wire rack or not.
- No flipping required. There is no flipping or constant monitoring required with this bacon recipe. Just stick the baking sheet in the oven and set the timer.
Ways To Use Bacon
A great way to use cooked bacon is not only for breakfast with fried eggs and avocado but also for salads, sandwiches, or soup toppings. Some of my favorite recipes that use cooked bacon are:
How To Store It
In the refrigerator
You can store cooked leftover bacon in a zip lock bag or airtight container in the fridge for about 7-10 days. When storing fresh bacon in the fridge, if bacon starts to change color or smell off, it’s safest to discard it.
In the freezer
Freeze cooked, cooled bacon in a gallon size freezer ziplock bag for up to 6 months. I like to batch-cook bacon when it’s on sale, then store it in the freezer for quick meals. Just reheat it in the microwave or convection oven for a few seconds when you need it.
Save The Bacon Fat
Bacon fat adds rich, savory flavor to roasted vegetables, soups, stews, and meats.
Once you move the bacon to a plate, let the grease cool slightly, then pour it through a sieve into a clean, heat-safe glass jar. Make sure you use oven mitts to handle the hot baking sheet.
Cover and store it in the fridge—you can keep adding more grease as it solidifies.
FAQs for Cooking Bacon In the Oven
For the perfect crispy oven bacon, preheat the oven to 400 F, set the rack in the middle position of your oven, and cook the bacon at the same temperature the whole time. I find that this is the right temperature for perfect crispiness. If you bake it at 375 F, it will probably be a little bit chewy and you have to cook it longer. And if you cook it at 425 F, you tend to risk burning the edges. I highly recommend cooking the bacon at 400 F for best results.
Depending on the thickness of the bacon and the accuracy of your oven, cooking time for bacon can vary, but on average, a full baking pan of bacon will take between 15 – 25 minutes to cook at a temperature of 400 F.
Bake thin bacon for about 15 minutes, medium-thick bacon for about 20 minutes, and thick-cut bacon for about 25 minutes, or to your desired level of crispiness.
Several factors could prevent your bacon from getting crispy in the oven – low temperature, shorter cooking time, overcrowding the bacon in the baking sheet, and the quality and thickness of the bacon. To ensure crispy bacon in the oven, preheat oven to 400°F, cook for 15-20 minutes, arrange slices in a single layer without overlapping, and use high-quality bacon. These steps help promote even cooking at the correct temperature and cooking time.
No need to flip it while cooking! Simply place the bacon on a foil lined baking sheet, pop it in the oven, and set a timer. As it bakes, the bacon sizzles quietly without splattering and transforms into the crispy, golden-brown delight we all adore.
If you enjoyed this Oven Baked Bacon recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
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- Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Lay bacon strips in a single layer on the baking sheet. Because they will shrink as they cook, you can place the bacon slices close together, but don’t overlap them. Bake until the bacon is crispy, about 15 – 20 minutes depending on its thickness.
Remove from oven and let the bacon slices cool on a paper towel-lined plate. Then, serve immediately, store in the fridge, or freeze in a freezer ziplock bag.
- Use a large rimmed baking sheet. This will help you eliminate bacon fat drippings.
- Line the baking sheet with foil. I use heavy-duty foil to make cleanup a breeze.
- Cook at 400 F for the crispiest bacon. Depending on the thickness of the bacon, it can take between 15 – 25 minutes.
- You don’t need an oven baking rack. I have tried cooking bacon with a rack in the baking sheet and without one, and I have found no value in cooking with one. It takes longer for the bacon to bake, and it’s hard to clean the rack. The bacon is equally crisp regardless of whether I use a baking wire rack or not.
- No flipping required. There is no flipping or constant monitoring required with this bacon recipe. Just stick the baking sheet in the oven and set the timer.
Calories: 43kcal | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3.3g | Saturated Fat: 1.1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 137mg | Potassium: 45mg | Vitamin A: 10IU | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Nutrition Disclaimer: Nutritional values are estimates and may vary with ingredients, brands, and portion sizes. For accuracy, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this recipe is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical or nutritional advice. I am not a doctor or a dietitian. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalized guidance regarding your diet or health. For more details, please read my full disclosure page.