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Simple tutorials are one of my favorite things here at Wholesome Yum, and today I want to show you one I use at least once a week: How to cook bacon in the oven! I’ve been cooking bacon this way for 5+ years, and while it’s super simple, I’ve got a few tips and tricks to help you get those perfectly uniform, crispy results every time. Make this oven baked bacon with me, and you might never cook it another way again!
Why Should You Bake Bacon?
- Crispy bacon every time – It’s wavy, it’s gorgeous, it’s perfect! I love the consistent results of this method.
- Quick and easy – Pop it in the oven and go do something else. Much better than standing at the stove.
- Can make a lot at once – Baking bacon in the oven is a great way to make large batches, and faster than a few slices at a time in a skillet. (I use this method for turkey bacon in the oven, too.) If you want a smaller batch, my methods for microwave bacon and air fryer bacon are your best bet.
- Less mess – The oven cooks more evenly than the stovetop, which means gentle sizzling instead of a splattering mess all over your stove. If you do get a few splatters inside the oven, most ovens have a self-cleaning cycle that makes them easy to wipe away.
How To Cook Bacon In The Oven
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Preheat your oven. This ensures even cooking. (See temp info below!)
- Arrange the bacon strips. Place an oven-safe cooling 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.
- Bake bacon in the oven. Pop the pan into the preheated oven and let it do all the work! Don’t miss my tips below, too.
My Tips For Crispy Results
- My top tip for crispy bacon in the oven: Use a wire rack! I use and love this set. This means it doesn’t sit in the grease as it cooks (so the fat drips down) and there is more air flow, which gets you that perfect crispness. I discovered this method when making bacon wrapped asparagus, but the same concept works for baking bacon all by itself, too.
- But can you do it without a rack? Yes, you can. It’s just more crispy with the rack.
- Should you line the pan? Yes, I recommend lining the pan with aluminum foil underneath the rack, going over the edges of the pan. That way, you can fold it inward at the end for easy cleanup. Sometimes I use parchment paper (pictured above), though that doesn’t clean up as nicely, but looked better for my pictures (lol).
- Make sure the slices are not overlapping. However, they will shrink a little while cooking, so a tiny bit of overlap is okay. If I’m trying to fit in that extra piece and they are a little crowded, I spread them out with tongs halfway through baking once they shrink.
- Do you have to flip the pieces? I usually don’t, but you can if you like. I do recommend flipping if you don’t have a rack.
- Have a particularly sensitive smoke detector? Mine never goes off when I cook bacon in the oven, but if you’re worried about it, you can add a small amount of water to the bottom of the rimmed sheet pan (underneath the rack). You won’t really be able to save the bacon grease that way, though, since it will be mixed with water.
- Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and pat dry. Your baked bacon will crisp up more as it cools, and you can improve its crispness by removing excess grease. Use tongs to transfer to a paper towel-lined plate after cooking, then blot the extra grease away on top.
- How do you know when it’s done? This is partially a matter of preference, but I look for the fatty part to shrink significantly and signs of crispness. It won’t be fully crisp until you blot it and it cools from hot to warm, though, which is the case with any cooking method.
How Long To Cook Bacon in the Oven?
The cooking time for oven baked bacon will vary depending on its thickness. I usually get average bacon and bake it for 18 to 23 minutes at 400 degrees F. Thin bacon will be faster, 15-19 minutes, while thick cut bacon will take longer, 22-26 minutes.
Saving The Bacon Grease
One of the reasons I love cooking bacon in the oven is that the bacon grease drips down, so it’s super easy to reserve for other uses.
- Save it: Tilt the pan over a container or jar, so that the bacon fat collects at the corner and drips down. Do this while the pan is still hot, before the bacon grease becomes solid. I just use an oven mitt to hold the pan.
- Store it: Keep the reserved grease in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last at least 3 months. It will solidify, but will melt if you heat it later. You can also freeze it, pretty much forever.
- What to do with it: Bacon grease can add flavor to savory dishes instead of butter or oil, as long as the heat isn’t too high. I use it to fry eggs, or add it to stir fry vegetables (or simply sauteed veggies) toward the end.
Ways To Use It
I love making a big batch of oven bacon to use in different ways throughout the week. Here are some serving ideas for both now and later:
- Breakfast – My favorite simple breakfast is bacon, fried eggs, and sliced avocado, pictured above, or you can turn them into my breakfast salad if you want something more special. You can also serve it on the side with almond flour pancakes (or banana oat pancakes — my kids’ favorite!), oven baked eggs, my build-your-own omelette recipe, a simple egg scramble, or even a fritatta.
- Casseroles – My most popular ones are chicken bacon ranch casserole and cheesy loaded cauliflower casserole.
- Soups – While you can saute the bacon before adding the liquid, adding it pre-cooked is more convenient if you have some on hand. My fave is bacon cheeseburger soup, but many readers told me they add it to my 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 in my Cobb salad and wedge salad.
- Appetizers – My bacon deviled eggs, jalapeno poppers, and cheese ball are always crowd pleasers when I set them out at a gathering.
- Side Dishes – Amp up crispy pan fried brussels sprouts, fried cabbage, or even rice or cauliflower rice by adding crumbled bacon to the pan.
- Sandwiches – Grab your favorite bread and make a BLT!
My Favorite Pan & Rack Sets
I have and recommend this large rack or this medium rack, depending on the size you need. Both come with the sheet pan included. They are sturdy, oven safe, don’t stick easily, and made in the USA!
How To Cook Bacon In The Oven
By
Get my fast, easy method and tips for how to cook bacon in the oven! Baking makes it perfectly crispy every time, without the mess.
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
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Line an extra-large baking sheet (at least 14 x 20) with foil for easy cleanup. Place an oven-safe rack that fits inside over the baking sheet. (Get the perfect pan + rack here!)
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Arrange the bacon slices in a single layer on the rack.
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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.
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Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain and pat the top with more paper towels to help it get crisp. Allow it to cool for a few minutes to get more crispy.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 slice, cooked
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How To Cook Bacon in the Oven
146 Comments
Linda Axon
0What 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
0Hi Linda, you can just cook it for slightly less time.
Diane
0Wow, 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
0I cook my bacon this way, but I rub brown sugar on it before I put it in the oven. My family loves it.
Adina
0Try 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
0It 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
0Hi Diana, did you line your pan and/or use a rack? Both go a long way to prevent sticking.
Lynn Shipley
0You don’t need to flip the bacon?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lynn, Nope, no need to flip it. It cooks evenly due to the air flow using the rack.
Shay L.
0I only make bacon in the oven, it really IS the best way to make it!
J.R.
0My 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
0I totally agree! This is absolutely the best way to cook bacon! I’ve been doing this forever since culinary school!
Anne Lawton
0I 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
0I’ve found this to be the easiest and least messy way to make bacon! I love this! Great tutorial as well 🙂
Jennifer
0Definitely a life skill everyone should know!!!! Thanks for sharing
Zuzana
0I just love this full proper instruction. Now I really have to try it.
Hope
0Totally the best way to cook bacon! It gets so lovely and crispy and love that it is minus all the splatter!
Jean
0So easy without all the splatter! This is the only way I do it when I’m cooking for a group.
Joni Gomes
0This is for sure the best way to cook bacon!
Raia Todd
0I love bacon in the oven so much better than from a pan!
Irena Macri
0Once you go oven-baked, you never go back! Thanks for sharing the magic because someone needs to. Yum!
Kelly
0I definitely need to do this. So much less mess!
Erica D.
0We love doing bacon in the oven, even the toaster oven (after all, it’s just a tiny convection oven!).