Cooking bacon in the oven results in crispy, perfectly cooked bacon and no splatter and mess in your kitchen. While it takes a little bit longer to cook than on the stovetop, the method is hands-free and super easy!
Why this recipe works
- baked bacon cooks evenly – while you’re cooking your bacon on the stove it curls up and you have spots that are already browned and spots that are undercooked, baked bacon is perfectly crispy on all its surface
- the are no splatters all over your stovetop
- it’s quick to clean up
- it’s easier to cook a bigger batch of bacon in the oven than on the stovetop
- while it takes a little bit longer to cook than on the stovetop, it also saves you time – you can prepare other ingredients while the bacon is baking
- there is no smoke or weird smells in your kitchen
How to cook bacon in the oven step by step
You only need 1 ingredient for this recipe – bacon! You can use any type of bacon – thin-cut or thick-cut.
STEP 1: Place bacon slices side-by-side on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The slices shouldn’t overlap.
The pan is lined with parchment paper for easy clean up. You can also use aluminum foil.
STEP 2: Bake the bacon at 400°F (200°C) until crispy.
Temperature for baking bacon: It’s best to bake bacon in a hot oven – 400°F (200°C).
How long to cook bacon in the oven?
The baking time may vary depending on the oven and thickness of bacon, keep an eye on it past the 12 minute mark.
Bake it for about 12-15 minutes for thin-cut bacon, 15-18 minutes for medium-cut bacon and 18-22 minutes for thicker bacon or until it’s reached your desired level of crispiness.
You can bake bacon in the oven without a baking rack. Baking rack is really not necessary to get crispy bacon and it’s so much work to clean it!
You don’t need to flip bacon, unless it’s very thick to ensure both sides cook evenly.
You can also start cooking bacon in a cold oven.
Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess fat. Your bacon will continue to crisp up once it dries.
Enjoy!
Bacon grease
You can reserve the bacon grease from the baking pan for other use (store it in the fridge). When baking bacon the grease stays clean so it’s perfect for cooking eggs or sauteeing veggies.
After you have transferred bacon to a plate, drain the grease through a fine-mesh strainer into a heat-proof bowl. Let cool completely and store in the fridge for future use.
Storage
Let the bacon cool completely, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
You can warm it up in a skillet or in a 350°F (180°C) oven.
Recipes with bacon
- Serve it with buttermilk pancakes and scrambled eggs for a classic breakfast.
- Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash (with bacon and eggs)
- Sprinkle it on top of soups such as Salmon chowder or Kidney bean soup.
- Flammkuchen – German pizza with bacon and onions
- I’m making my Green Bean Casserole (from scratch!) with bacon!
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap
- Turkey Wrap
- Bacon and Pea Pasta
- BBQ Chicken Wrap
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How To Cook Bacon in the Oven
Ingredients
- 1 package bacon
Instructions
- Place bacon slices side-by-side on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The slices shouldn’t overlap.
- Bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 12-15 minutes for thin-cut bacon, 15-18 minutes for medium-cut bacon and 18-22 minutes for thicker bacon or until it’s reached your desired level of crispiness. The baking time may vary depending on the oven and thickness of bacon, keep an eye on it past the 12 minute mark.
- Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess fat (your bacon will continue to crisp up once it dries).
- Enjoy!
Notes
- You can reserve the bacon grease from the baking pan for other use (store it in the fridge).
- A baking rack is not necessary to get bacon crispy.
- Calories = whole recipe (1.4 oz cooked bacon). This is only an estimate!
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