Bacon is a beloved breakfast staple, but frying it on the stove can be messy and time-consuming. Enter oven-baked bacon-a method that promises cooking bacon into perfectly crispy strips with minimal effort and cleanup. It's my favorite way to cook thick-cut bacon. Also, it's the easiest way/only way to cook a big batch of bacon for a crowd or just large amounts for your family to have on hand.
Why Bake Bacon?
Even Cooking - The oven provides consistent heat, ensuring that each strip is evenly cooked golden brown bacon.
Less Mess - No more splattering grease all over your stove top, plus if you use parchment paper, no scrubbing the baking sheet after!
Batch Cooking - You can cook a lot of bacon amount at once, perfect for feeding a crowd. I also love to make extra to keep on hand in the freezer. I mean frozen bacon is like the best snack too.
What You'll Need
Thick Cut Bacon - For oven-cooked bacon, I've found a center cut is the best type of bacon. Pay attention to whether your bacon is thick sliced or regular because you will need to adjust your cooking time. If you are able to see through the packaging, look for bacon that has a somewhat even fat to meat distribution. I've found bacon without a lot of fat doesn't crisp up as nicely and is kind of chewy.
Baking sheet or cookie sheet - Make sure you have a pretty large baking sheet so the entire package of bacon will fit on it. It's okay if the bacon slices overlap a little, but they will start sticking together. I love how my rimmed baking sheet cooks the bacon evenly, so I leave off the parchment paper and skip the easy cleanup.
Parchment paper - If you don't want to scrub you pan after, add a piece of parchment paper to your pan for an extra easy clean up. You can use aluminum foil as well, but I typically avoid it when baking since there isn't a clear consensus on whether or not it's bad for you.
Wire rack (or a plate lined with a paper towels) - This baking rack will drain the extra bacon grease after it comes out of the oven leaving the bacon extra crispy.
Tongs or a fork - Tongs are my preferred choice, but you can use a fork or spatula to flip the bacon.
Instructions
Set your oven to 400°F. This temperature is ideal for achieving crispy bacon without burning it. Line a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper, if you want, and lay the slices of bacon in a single layer. Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes then, using tongs or a fork, carefully flip each slice and cook another 10 - 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your bacon and how crispy you like it. The key to extra crispy, glass shattering strips of bacon is the bacon cooks in its own fat. Keep an eye on it after the 20-minute mark to ensure it doesn't burn.
Use tongs or a fork to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate or cooling rack. This will soak up any excess grease. Serve immediately and enjoy! Let the bacon grease cool and solidify on the pan, and save it for a delicious cooking fat instead of butter or throw away. Growing up in the south, we keep that bacon fat.
Tips for Perfect Oven-Baked Bacon
Uniform Strips - Try to use bacon strips of similar thickness for even cooking.
Watch the Time - Thinner bacon may only need 12-15 minutes baking time, while thicker cuts can take up to 20 minutes.
Flavor Up - For a twist, sprinkle brown sugar or a dash of chili powder on the bacon before baking. Game changer!
Storage - Leftover bacon can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat in the oven or microwave. You can also store leftovers in the freezer for several months. (It makes a great snack right out of the freezer for those bacon lovers!)
Cleanup Made Easy
If you use parchment paper, once the bacon grease has cooled and solidified, save it or simply fold it up and discard it. If you used a metal rack, wash it with hot, soapy water to remove any remaining grease.
Let us know how your oven-baked bacon turns out and if it's your favorite method to cooking extra crispy bacon in the comments below! Do you have any special twists or additions to this recipe? We'd love to hear from you. Also, you could tag a photo on Instagram @hungrywaitress and I'll be sure to share it. Happy cooking!
PrintGet the Recipe
Oven-Baked Bacon
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Oven-baked bacon-a method that promises perfectly crispy strips with minimal effort and cleanup.
Ingredients
- 1 lb center cut thick bacon
Instructions
- Set your oven to 400°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (totally optional) and lay the bacon strips in a single layer.
- Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Using tongs or a fork, carefully flip each slice and cook another 10 - 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your bacon and how crispy you like it
- Keep an eye on it after the first 15 minutes to ensure it doesn't burn (especially if you aren't using thick cut bacon).
- Use tongs or a fork to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. This will soak up any excess grease. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- I think each brand of bacon cooks differently as well as each batch depending on the fat to meat ratio, so you usually have to tweak the cook time each batch. It's important to babysit it after the first 15 minutes because it can burn quickly after that point.
- It's important to remove the bacon from the pan to cool. If it sits in the extra grease, it will loose it's crispiness.
- I love keeping a bag of cooked bacon in the freezer to have on hand, and it also make a yummy snack!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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Liz says
SO easy and delicious! This is my favorite bacon for a blt sandwich
Nolan says
The best!