Experience perfectly crispy, evenly cooked bacon without the splattering mess or curling. This easy and quick recipe for making bacon in the oven gives you a hassle-free method to make perfect bacon every time.
The Perfect Oven Bacon
Weekend mornings at my house often involve a homemade breakfast.
Sometimes we make something sweet like fluffy pancakes or coffee cake muffins. Other times it’s all savory, like a spinach mushroom omelette or hash brown egg cups.
But no matter what, one thing stays the same: bacon. There’s nothing like perfect crispy bacon.
If you’re anything like me, you love bacon too. And you probably learned how to cook bacon in a skillet on the stove.
Cooking bacon on the stovetop is time-consuming, messy and not to mention a little dangerous. It’s also hard to get the bacon evenly crispy and to stop it from curling.
There’s a better way. Oven baked bacon is the breakfast hack you didn’t know you needed. You can cook a whole pound at once, with less mess, even cooking and no curling.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Consistency – You get a consistent result every single time without the hassle.
- It’s quick to make and you can have an entire pound of bacon cooked evenly in 20 minutes.
- You only dirty a sheet pan — not a skillet, your stovetop and all the countertops nearby.
- The oven provides even cooking, and your bacon won’t curl.
- It’s all ready at once. No need for multiple batches (unless you need a LOT of bacon).
Cooking bacon in the oven is a great way to meal prep toppings for cobb salads, twice-baked potatoes and hamburgers.
You can even add it to guacamole and macaroni and cheese.
Everything you need for Crispy Bacon in the Oven
What do you need to make perfect oven cooked bacon? Add this to your grocery list:
- one pound of bacon – You’ll need about 16 slices.
That’s really it! If you like, you can sprinkle on black pepper or maple sugar to give your bacon some extra flavor.
The kind of bacon you use is up to you, so start with your favorite. I prefer thick-sliced or center cut bacon, but a thinner slice also works. However, it may affect the cook time so just plan to keep an eye on it.
Center cut bacon is simply regular bacon that has the fatty ends cut off. If you prefer less fat, get center-cut. You can also use kitchen shears to cut off excess fat. But do remember that a little fat is what makes bacon so good!
You can experiment with uncured bacon and different smokes like hardwood smoked, maple bacon and hickory smoked bacon.
How to cook Bacon in Oven
Cooking bacon in the oven is going to be your new favorite way to cook bacon!
- First, preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
- Then, arrange the bacon pieces flat on the parchment paper, in a single layer. You don’t want them to overlap. However, it is okay to place them close together because they will shrink a little bit when cooked.
- Bake the bacon in the oven for around 15-20 minutes.
- Remove the bacon from the oven. Use a paper towel to blot them and remove any excess grease.
- Use tongs to remove them from the hot pan and add to a serving platter.
Tip
You may need more or less time depending on the thickness of your bacon and the desired crispiness. Really thin bacon will go from cooked to burned very quickly, while thick cut bacon will need more time.
What temp to cook Bacon in Oven?
Bacon should be cooked in a 400°F (204.5 °C) oven. Be sure to preheat the oven and place your bacon on a parchment-lined pan for best results.
How long to cook Bacon in the Oven?
When cooking bacon in the oven, it will crisp up in about 15-20 minutes. But exactly how long depends on the thickness of the bacon and how crispy you like it.
kitchen tools to make bacon in the oven
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Buy Now → How to cook Bacon in the Oven without a rack
While some use a cooling rack to cook bacon in the oven, it isn’t necessary. (But if you prefer a rack, this one is my favorite.)
Cooking bacon right on the sheet pan yields equally crispy results, plus there’s less hassle and fewer dishes. Sometimes the bacon can also stick to the rack which is frustrating and makes the rack even harder to clean.
Here’s how to cook bacon in the oven without a rack:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lay the bacon slices flat in a single layer on the parchment paper. You want them close without touching.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. You may need more or less time depending on the thickness of your bacon and your desired crispiness).
- Remove them from the oven and blot them with a paper towel to remove the excess grease. You can also place them on a paper towel lined plate.
Tips for the best Oven Cooked Bacon
You don’t need a wire rack to cook bacon in the oven. The bacon is equally as crispy without it and it’s less hassle and fewer dishes. Sometimes the bacon can also stick to the rack which is frustrating.
Try cracking black pepper on each piece of bacon for extra flavor or sprinkle maple sugar on top for extra sweetness.
Eat it hot or break it up into small pieces to use as a topping for salads, baked potatoes and more.
If you don’t have parchment paper, aluminum foil lined baking sheets work as well.
You’ll want to use a rimmed baking sheet to avoid grease spilling over into the oven.
Oven Baked Bacon FAQs
Bacon comes together in the oven in just 15-20 minutes at 400°F. Though it depends on your desired level of crispiness as well as the thickness of the bacon. Thick cut bacon will take longer to crisp up than a thinner cut.
Never pour bacon grease down the drain. Instead, you can dispose of bacon grease in the trash. Let paper towels soak it up then throw them away.
You can also use the leftover grease to cook with. Keep it in the fridge and use a little bit instead of oil or butter to cook things like green beans, potatoes and roasted vegetables.
Recipes that use bacon
What can you make with oven-cooked bacon? So many things! Here are a few favorite recipes using bacon:
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Oven Baked Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 lb bacon about 16 slices of thick sliced)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lay the bacon flat in a single layer on the parchment paper.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. You may need more or less time depending on the thickness of your bacon and your desired crispiness).
- Remove them from the oven and blot them with a paper towel to remove the excess grease.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- While some use a rack to cook bacon in the oven, I find that it isn’t necessary. The bacon is equally as crispy without it and it’s less hassle and fewer dishes. Sometimes the bacon can also stick to the rack which is frustrating.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
