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If you want to learn how to cook bacon in the oven, I’m excited to show you how easy it is to make perfect oven baked bacon – and why you’ll never want to do it any other way again. In fact, I’ve been baking bacon this way for years! The trick I use came to me when making bacon wrapped asparagus, and the same concept works without the asparagus. Read on to learn my method for cooking super crispy bacon in the oven…
Why Oven Baked Bacon?
Why should you learn how to make bacon in the oven? Here are the main advantages of doing it this way as opposed to frying:
- It’s quick and easy. If you can arrange bacon on a rack and turn on your oven, well… you’ve just learned how to bake bacon in the oven! 😉
- You can make more at once. Baking bacon in the oven is pretty much
- It’s the best way to cook bacon evenly. No soggy pieces, yay! If you want crispy bacon, this is the way to get it.
- It’s hands off. Pop the pan into the oven and go do something else. Much better than standing at the stove waiting for it to cook!
- No splattering. It just won’t happen with oven baked bacon.
Just add keto pancakes. Hello, breakfast! 😉
The Trick To Cooking Bacon in the Oven
If you want to know how to cook crispy bacon in oven, the main trick is to use a rack.
What is a bacon rack for the oven, you ask? It’s actually not anything specific for bacon!
An oven bacon rack is simply an oven safe cooling rack, the same as what you’d use for cooling cookies.
The rack is the #1 key to baking bacon perfectly, because it lets the fat drip down. Even if you are on a keto diet where fat is a good thing, you want the fat away from the bacon in this case because that gets it CRISPY!
I like this rack or this rack, depending on the size you need.
How To Cook Bacon In The Oven
You have your pan with a rack. Now, how to bake bacon in the oven with it?
Preheat your oven first. Then, place the rack over the pan, and arrange the bacon on the rack in a single layer:
Tip: For the crispiest oven baked bacon, make sure the bacon pieces are not overlapping!
Place the pan in the oven and bake until done. Yep, the method for how to make crispy bacon in the oven really is that easy!
The only question left to answer is, how long to bake bacon in the oven?
How Long Do You Cook Bacon in the Oven?
How long to cook bacon in the oven depends on the oven temperature, and on the thickness of the bacon.
Thick bacon in the oven will take longer than thinner slices. And, a lower temperature will take longer than a higher one.
What Temp To Cook Bacon In The Oven
What temperature do you cook bacon in the oven? The main choices are 350, 375, 400 or 425 degrees Fahrenheit (177, 190, 204, and 218 degrees Celcius).
I highly recommend cooking bacon in the oven is 400 degrees F! It’s a bit 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 works best and you get the advantage of maximum crispness. On the other hand, if some slices are thicker than others, stick with a lower temperature.
I’ll give you the time estimates for each temperature to make it easy! 🙂
How Long To Cook Bacon In The Oven At 350 F
Bake bacon for 22 to 27 minutes at 350 F.
How Long To Cook Bacon In The Oven At 375 F
Bake bacon for 20 to 25 minutes at 375 F.
How Long To Cook Bacon In The Oven At 400 F (Recommended!)
Bake bacon for 18 to 23 minutes at 400 F.
(This is the temperature I recommend!)
How Long To Cook Bacon In The Oven At 425 F
Bake bacon for 15 to 20 minutes 425 F.
Does Bacon Splatter In The Oven?
No, bacon does not splatter in the oven! The oven cooks much more evenly than a pan, which means sizzling bacon instead of a splattering mess. Yay!
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, so that the bacon grease collects at the corner and drips down into the container. Make sure to do this while the pan is still hot, so that the bacon grease doesn’t solidify. Just use an oven mit to hold the pan.
You can store the bacon grease on the counter, but I prefer the fridge to be safe. It will solidify as it cools. You can use bacon grease in most savory applications in place of butter or oil. My favorite ways include frying eggs and using it a stir fry!
More Bacon Recipes
If you like this crispy oven baked bacon recipe, try these other recipes for bacon lovers:
- Crispy Brussels Sprouts With Bacon
- Bacon Ranch Crack Dip
- Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders
- Bacon Shrimp Skewers
- Jalapeno Bacon Deviled Eggs
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
Tools To Make Bacon In The Oven:
Click the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
- Bacon rack for oven – This pan comes with an oven safe rack to put on top. They have large and small versions!
How To Cook Bacon in the Oven (The Best Way!):
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How To Cook Bacon in the Oven (The Best Way!)
The BEST method for how to cook bacon in the oven! It's super quick and EASY. Plus, this trick for oven baked bacon makes it SUPER CRISPY!
Recipe Video
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- 12 slices Bacon
Instructions
RECIPE TIPS + VIDEO in the post above, nutrition info + recipe notes below!
Click on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
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!)
Arrange the bacon slices in a single layer on the rack.
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes on the middle rack, until the bacon is done to your liking. The time will vary depending on the thickness of the bacon.
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
Video Showing How To Make Bacon in the Oven:
Don't miss the VIDEO above - it's the easiest way to learn how to make Bacon in the Oven!
Nutrition Information Per Serving
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database. You can find individual ingredient carb counts we use in the Low Carb & Keto Food List. Carb count excludes sugar alcohols. Net carb count excludes both fiber and sugar alcohols, because these do not affect blood sugar in most people. We try to be accurate, but feel free to make your own calculations.
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61 Comments
Pete
How do you know if a rack is oven-safe?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Pete, An oven-safe rack should be metal and fit into a walled sheet pan as shown in the images. Please don’t use a flat cookie sheet, the grease will spill off the sides and make a huge mess.
Deb
So easy and nice and crispy.
Gary Mcclintock
I love bacon cooked this way. The first time I tried it the bacon perfect but the rack was difficult to clean.
Now when the bacon is done and removed I drain the grease from the pan, remove the foil liner and set the pan (mine is almost 1 inch deep) across the sink , place a kitchen sponge under one end to level pan, set rack in pan upside down.run hot water into pan adding a little dish soap and let it soak a bit. The rack is easy to clean with just a sponge and warm soapy water.
Mimi
Too much wok to clean up the rack and pan. I line the pan with foil or parchment, bake at 400 until my preferred crispiness, drain the grease for later (yasss!) and throw the foil away. No cleaning needed!
Ruth Cooper
I’ll try it but I get perfectly flat bacon by sandwiching it between two cookie trays and baking in the oven. Then I drain off the fat to use for cooking and let the bacon sit on paper towels until cool enough to store in the fridge.
Damion
You should mention that thicknesses heavily vary the time it takes. In my oven at 400 degrees, even thick cut bacon is crispy in less than 10 minutes. Any more and I’m eating charcoal.
Deb Grossheim
Quick method – place bacon the rack of a parchment lined baking sheet.
Place in a cold oven, set temp to 400′ and set the timer 10 minutes. My oven usually takes 12 minutes, but I don’t like burned bacon.
Katy Gammons
Bacon grease is also great for popping popcorn on the stove! Just use bacon grease instead of oil- Best popcorn you’ll ever eat! My husband’s grandmother used to fry slices of hog jowl(which tastes just like bacon), pop popcorn in the grease, and then mixed the pieces of crispy fried hog jowl in with the popcorn. Not heart healthy but it tasted great! Lol
Michelle
Prefect bacon at 400 degrees for about 22 to 23 minutes! My husband made bacon in the microwave for at least 30 years. Now that he’s having some health problems, I decided to try making it in the oven on my half-sheet pan with a rack, as making it in the microwave was messy and always required my cleaning the microwave afterwards. Your directions on wholesomeyum came up first and I followed your 400 degree directions to the T. The bacon was not only delicious but perfectly crisped and picture-perfect pretty, too. My husband said we’re never doing it any other way from now on. I’m just checking in this morning to refresh my memory as we’re heading downstairs in a bit to have some bacon with my famous blueberry pancakes!
JR
Never again. Oven was grease splattered. Whole house smells.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Sorry you had issues with it. I’ve made this about 100 times and never had it splatter in my oven. Did you do anything differently from the recipe? The bacon smell is expected and will happen when cooking bacon, even if you cook it using a different method. 🙂
Cathy Bjornberg
If you put aluminum foil on the bottom of the pan, it aids with greasy clean-up. It also makes collecting your bacon fat easier.
Arthur Morgan
Thick sliced is best for me. I like to go a couple more minutes longer at 400 deg than the 23 minutes in the recipe. I also like adding a sprinkle of brown sugar to the bacon and a little shake or two of liquid smoke over the sugar.
Michelle in New Orleans
Right before I made blueberry pancakes this morning, I looked up how most people make bacon in the oven and found your instructions. My husband normally makes it in the microwave but he’s going through chemo and is on a walker so I figured I’d try making it in the oven. He wrapped the sheet pan in foil and I put the rack on and 8 pieces of bacon fit on it with just a smidge of space between pieces. I preheated my oven to 400F and started out at 20 minutes because the bacon, while not being thick-cut, was a little thicker than the normal brand we use. After checking it and both of us thinking it needed a bit more cooking, I put it back in for 2-1/2 minutes. Took it out, patted the bacon with a paper towel and let it sit for a couple of minutes until the pancakes were ready. Even my husband said it’s too easy not to do it this way all the time. Delicious! Thanks for helping me out!
G. Poon
Recipe works very well. Five stars. Blog entry is too wordy…just get to the recipe and facts.
Virginia
Air Fryer Oven, would it work in it?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Virginia, Yes, and air fryer will do the job just as well!
Barbara blumer
If cooking ahead of time (day before) how would you reheat it?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Barbara, You can reheat it either in the oven again at 350 degrees F or in a frying pan.
Jeanette Duval
We all need to remember that all ovens vary in temperature, evenness of cooking, and speed with which it heats up. Experiment and watch like a hawk the first few times you use this method… it is well worth it. I line my pan with foil and let the bacon cook in its grease, I remove it it immediately from the sheet and my bacon does not absorb too much of the rendered fat… my oven runs hot, so I tried 375 fir 20 minutes… way overcooked, not burnt just very well done… I will try 16 minutes next time. Thank you for sharing this with us!
Linda Axon
What if I don’t like my bacon crispy? I don’t want it uncooked or too limp, but prefer a little “bend- ability.” Should i cook it shorter, at a lower temp or what?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Linda, you can just cook it for slightly less time.
Diane
Wow, no kidding? It doesn’t make a mess in your oven, really?
I’ve known about this method for a couple of years but have not done it in the oven because I was sure I’d be having to do a big ol’ major oven clean right after! You almost have me considering it. I may try it.
Shea Wiley
I cook my bacon this way, but I rub brown sugar on it before I put it in the oven. My family loves it.
Adina
Try brushing bacon with a bit of chili paste or spicy ketchup. Gives it a nice little kick but won’t be quite as crispy. There are plenty of low carb options. Almost always cook my bacon in the oven, way less mess. Thanks for the temps/times. I usually have to guess.
Diana
It needed about 29 minutes at 400 degrees to be done. 90% of the bacon was so stuck on the rack that the only way I could remove it was to break it to tiny bits. Maybe if I had taken it out earlier when it still wet and translucent in parts, maybe that would have helped the sticking problem.
Wholesome Yum
Hi Diana, did you line your pan and/or use a rack? Both go a long way to prevent sticking.
Lynn Shipley
You don’t need to flip the bacon?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Lynn, Nope, no need to flip it. It cooks evenly due to the air flow using the rack.
Shay L.
I only make bacon in the oven, it really IS the best way to make it!
J.R.
My family has been cooking bacon this way for years. If you don’t have a rack, no problem. We’ve cooked bacon with and without a rack and it does still get perfectly crispy.
Leslie
I totally agree! This is absolutely the best way to cook bacon! I’ve been doing this forever since culinary school!
Anne Lawton
I used to cook my bacon on the microwave because on top of the stove was too messy! And then I discovered the oven method, which is the best way and it smells so good! Thanks for the tips they are very helpful!
Katie
I’ve found this to be the easiest and least messy way to make bacon! I love this! Great tutorial as well 🙂
Jennifer
Definitely a life skill everyone should know!!!! Thanks for sharing
Zuzana
I just love this full proper instruction. Now I really have to try it.
Hope
Totally the best way to cook bacon! It gets so lovely and crispy and love that it is minus all the splatter!
Jean
So easy without all the splatter! This is the only way I do it when I’m cooking for a group.
Joni Gomes
This is for sure the best way to cook bacon!
Raia Todd
I love bacon in the oven so much better than from a pan!
Irena Macri
Once you go oven-baked, you never go back! Thanks for sharing the magic because someone needs to. Yum!
Kelly
I definitely need to do this. So much less mess!
Erica D.
We love doing bacon in the oven, even the toaster oven (after all, it’s just a tiny convection oven!).
Erin Dee
So quick and easy! This is bacon perfection!
Wilhelmina
I will never make bacon any other way!
Alyssa
Perfect bacon! Cooking it in the oven is a game-changer.
Cathy
Love making bacon in the oven, so easy and less oily and messy!! Thank you for the full explanation to how to make the bacon perfectly in the oven!
Mike Hultquist
Yes! This is the perfect way to make bacon in the oven. No fail! Thanks for sharing the info!
Lisa Huff
You had me at bacon. 🙂 Cooking it in the oven is the best! It’s perfect!
Juli
Crispy bacon is the best. When my mom cooks bacon she takes her electric skillet outside so she doesn’t make a greasy mess on her stove. I am going to share this tip with her!!! Thank you for sharing!
Anita
Cannot agree more. This too has been my way of cooking bacon, with oven. Not to mention one whole big batch at once, super helpful.
Pam Forrester
What about clean up of the rack? I just do mine in the oven on foil. I have some racks but don’t want to have scrub off bacon debris…Thanks
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Pam, Great question! With the non-stick rack, it cleans pretty easily if I clean it when it’s still warm (not scalding hot, of course). There’s usually no need to scrub it if I do that. I definitely think this is worth it and the bacon comes out way crispier than just baking on foil (which I have tested for comparison).
Michelle
My rack isn’t non-stick but no bacon stuck to it at all when I cooked it per your 400 degree instructions. I don’t waste any time trying to clean the rack — I just lay it down on top of the top rack of the dishwasher right on top of all the dishes up there. Comes out perfectly clean with no effort on my part. Thank GOD for a dishwasher!
Jenna Urben
I’m definitely going to give this a try next time I have family in town! My mom and I love our bacon extra crispy 🙂
Karla Frazier
My mommy wont cook it for me. Sigh. It sounds so good.
Lee Haas
I’m on a low sodium diet. How much salt is in bacon cooked this way?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Lee, This will vary based on the bacon you buy, so it’s best to just check the package label.
Sarah
Cooking bacon in the oven is my favorite way! I haven’t tried cooking it on a rack yet though, I bet that would help it drain better. I’ll try that next time I make bacon!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
You have to try it, it’s a total game changer!