How To Cook Bacon In The Oven

Bacon in the Oven is simple and easy, no doubt about it. Great for breakfast, BLT sandwiches, and adding crumbled bacon to recipes.

There is no need to stand over a splattering pan of bacon with this handy method. What’s even better is that this effortless method makes perfect crispy bacon every time.

Oven Cooked Bacon

• Much like air fryer bacon, this is one of the best ways to cook bacon. Just lay out the strips of bacon on a baking pan, pop it in the oven, bake, and voila perfect bacon.
• This will free up the stovetop; baking bacon in the oven means no splattering mess like pan-fried in a skillet.
• There is no need to babysit or flip the bacon over. Simply bake.
• Bacon in the oven does not take long and if you like to reserve bacon grease, there will still be plenty in the pan to save.
• This crispy bacon is good for sandwiches, crumbling into Caesar salad, sprinkling on mashed potatoes, and adding to a breakfast casserole.

Use Any Kind of Bacon

American Bacon is the most common type of bacon.  This popular cut comes from the belly of the pig and tends to be a fatty cut of meat. Flavored bacon (like maple or peppered) is great oven baked too.

Thick-Cut Bacon works well in the oven. This bacon is cut about 1/8″ thick so it will need a bit more time. If you check it at 20 minutes and it needs more time flip it over and pop it back into the oven for a bit.

Turkey Bacon – Turkey bacon, which is a bit leaner, does work. It will require less cooking time in the oven at the same temperature to ensure it doesn’t dry out.

Preparing the Pan

You do not need a wire rack or cooling rack to cook bacon. I actually prefer to bake bacon slices directly on the baking pan. It will crisp nicely baked in the fat.

I do like to line the pan with foil and/or parchment for easy cleanup.

How to Cook Bacon in the Oven

You will need to bake bacon at 400°F for about 20 minutes.

1. Preheat oven to 400°F per the recipe below.
2. Place bacon on the prepared rimmed baking sheet.
3. Bake until bacon reaches desired level of crispiness (no need to flip it), about 20 minutes.
4. Remove bacon from the pan & place on paper towels to drain grease.

For turkey bacon: Arrange on a sheet and cook for 11-13 minutes.

For thick-cut bacon: Cook at the same temperature but for the full 20 minutes. Because the bacon is so thick it may need to be flipped and cooked a few minutes extra.

Tips for Crispy Oven Bacon

• For easy cleanup, line a rimmed sheet pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper before adding the strips of bacon.
• Ensure the bacon slices are in a single layer, overlapping pieces won’t crisp as well.
• If you’re making larger batches of bacon, use two pans and switch the placement of the pans after about 10 minutes. You may need to add a few minutes of cooking time.
• Preheat the oven before adding the bacon to the pan.

Save The Bacon Grease

• If you’d like to save the bacon grease, allow it to cool on the pan for about 10-15 minutes before pouring it into a jar.
• The bacon fat on the pan can be reserved and is great added to Homemade Creamed Corn, salad dressings, BLT Pasta Salad, or for frying up eggs!
• Use bacon grease to make bacon gravy with biscuits.

Storage

Leftover bacon can be kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

Use bacon right from frozen, it thaws in just a couple of minutes.

What to Do With Cooked Bacon

• Creamy BLT Dip
• Bacon Pancakes
• Easy Broccoli Salad Recipe
• Dill Pickle Bacon Grilled Cheese – favorite recipe
• Warm Bacon Cheese Dip – the ultimate appetizer
• Chicken Corn Chowder with Bacon

Have you made this crispy oven bacon? Let us know your favorite tips for cooking bacon in the oven below!