How To Cook Bacon In The Oven

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Simple tutorials are one of my favorite things here at Wholesome Yum, and today I want to show you the one I use multiple times a week: how to cook bacon in the oven! I’ve been baking bacon this way for years, and while it’s super simple, I have a few tips and tricks to share, so that you get perfect oven baked bacon that comes out crispy every time.

You’ll never want to do it any other way again for making large batches, but if you want a smaller batch, microwave bacon and air fryer bacon both work surprisingly well.

The trick I use for the oven bacon method came to me when making bacon wrapped asparagus, and I’ve used it when wrapping other things too, like bacon wrapped brussels sprouts and green bean bundles.  The same concept works for baking bacon all by itself, too — that’s what I’m showing you today.

Read on to learn my method for cooking super crispy bacon in the oven, and why it’s the best way to cook bacon…

The Trick To Baking Bacon Perfectly

If you want to cook crisp bacon in oven, the main trick is to use an oven-safe cooling rack — instead of placing the bacon directly on the sheet pan. The rack is my #1 tip for baking bacon perfectly, because it lets the fat drip down. You want the fat away from the bacon because that gets it CRISPY!

Recommended Rack For Bacon:

I recommend this rack or this rack, depending on the size you need. They are both sturdy, oven safe, and don’t stick easily.

How To Cook Bacon In The Oven

This section shows how to cook crispy bacon in the oven, with details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

1. Preheat your oven. I like to cook oven baked bacon at 400 degrees F.
2. Arrange bacon. Place a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet, and arrange the strips of bacon on the rack in a single layer. You can line the pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper underneath the rack, for easier clean-up.

TIP: For the crispiest bacon, make sure the bacon pieces are not overlapping.

But, the slices will shrink a little while cooking, so a tiny bit of overlap is okay.

3. Bake bacon in the oven. It’s done when the level of crispiness is to your liking.

TIP: Pat with paper towels to crisp up even more.

Blotting the extra grease away will help your bacon get extra crisp as it cools from hot to warm. You can also transfer to a paper towel lined plate to help soak up excess grease.

What Temp To Cook Bacon In The Oven?

I highly recommend cooking bacon in the oven at 400 degrees F. It’s faster than lower temperatures, plus the bacon gets more crispy. Any higher and you tend to risk burning the edges.

When choosing the temperature for baking bacon, also consider how uniform the thickness of your bacon is:

• If the slices are all fairly similar, a high temperature (400 or even 425) works best — it’s faster and you get the advantage of maximum crispness.
• If there’s a lot of variance in thickness, stick with a lower temperature (350 or 375).

I’ll give you the time estimates for each temperature to make it easy! 🙂

How Long Do You Cook Bacon in the Oven?

Cook time for oven bacon depends on the oven temperature and the thickness of the bacon. For average thickness, bake for 18 to 23 minutes at 400 F, which is the recommended temperature.

If you want to try a different temp, use the chart below:

Can You Cook Thick Cut Bacon In The Oven?

Yes, you can! Thick cut bacon in the oven will take an extra 4-5 minutes compared to the regular kind. Typically, thick cut bacon takes about 22-26 minutes at 400 degrees F.

Does Bacon Splatter In The Oven?

No, bacon does not usually splatter while baking. The oven cooks more evenly than a pan, which means sizzling bacon instead of a splattering mess. If you find that you do get a few splatters, most ovens have a self-cleaning cycle that will make them easy to wipe away.

Storage Instructions

• Store: Oven baked bacon is delicious made fresh for breakfast or brunch, but it also stores very well! Keep leftover bacon in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Reheat: Reheat (previously cooked) bacon in the oven at 350 degrees F, covered in foil, for 10-20 minutes.

Can You Freeze Cooked Bacon?

Yes, oven baked bacon can be frozen for 1-3 months. For best results, wait for it to cool, then freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Once frozen solid, transfer to a freezer bag. You can thaw and reheat using the method above.

What To Do With Bacon Grease?

A bonus advantage of cooking bacon in the oven on a rack is that the bacon grease drips down and is super easy to reserve.

• To save the bacon grease: Simply tilt the pan over a container or jar, so that the bacon grease collects at the corner and drips down into the vessel. Do this while the pan is still hot, so that the bacon grease doesn’t solidify. Just use an oven mitt to hold the pan.
• To store the bacon grease: You can keep the bacon grease on the counter, but I prefer the fridge to be safe. It will solidify as it cools.
• What to do with the grease: You can use bacon grease in most savory applications in place of butter or oil, as long as the heat isn’t too high. My favorite ways include frying eggs or adding to stir fry vegetables toward the end. (Both also happen to be delicious with your crispy oven baked bacon added to them, too.)

Ways To Use Baked Bacon In Recipes

One of the advantages of baking bacon in the oven is you can make a big batch, which means you can use it in lots of different ways! Here are some serving ideas, as well as classic recipes for bacon lovers that can take advantage of your big batch:

• Breakfast – Serve it on the side with pancakes, oven baked eggs, or the perfect omelette. Recipes for quiche or fritattas also often call for cooked bacon.
• Casseroles – Popular ones include chicken bacon ranch casserole or cheesy brussels sprout casserole.
• Soups – While you can saute the bacon before adding the liquid, adding it pre-cooked is even more convenient if you have some. My fave is bacon cheeseburger soup, but I’ve seen many readers add it to broccoli cheese soup as well.
• Salads – Cooking bacon in the oven is particularly convenient for salads, since you’re not usually cooking other parts of the dish, and can do it ahead. It’s a classic on a cobb salad, broccoli bacon salad, or wedge salad.
• Appetizers – This perfect baked bacon recipe is excellent to use as part of an appetizer, like Caprese skewers or bacon deviled eggs.
• Stir Fry – Add bacon to crispy fried brussels sprouts, Southern fried cabbage, or even rice or cauliflower rice.

4.79 from 80 votes

How To Cook Bacon In The Oven (Crispy & Easy!)

The BEST method for how to cook bacon in the oven – it's easy + takes just 20 minutes. This trick for oven baked bacon makes it SUPER CRISPY!

Prep: 2 minutes

Cook: 18 minutes

Total: 20 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com

Servings: 12 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Ingredients

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• 12 slices Bacon ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Line an extra-large baking sheet (at least 14 x 20) with foil for easy cleanup. Place an oven-safe cookie rack of the same size on top of the baking sheet. (Get the perfect pan + rack here!)

3. Arrange the bacon slices in a single layer on the rack.

4. Place bacon in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 18 to 23 minutes for average bacon, 15-19 minutes for thin bacon, or 22-26 minutes for thick cut bacon, until done to your liking.

5. After baking bacon in the oven, pat any excess grease to help it get crisp. Allow it to cool for a few minutes to get more crispy.

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Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 slice, cooked

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 43

Fat 3.3g

Protein 3g

Total Carbs 0g

Net Carbs 0g

Fiber 0g

Sugar 0g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keywords: bacon in the oven, baking bacon, oven baked bacon

Calories: 43 kcal

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