Learning How to Cook Bacon in the Oven is an easy, mess-free skill for making a full pound of perfectly crisp, golden bacon. No splatter, no flipping, just hands-off, evenly cooked bacon every time.
Add a side of crispy bacon and fruit salad alongside any breakfast main from quiche to waffles for the perfect start to your day.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Bacon in the Oven
Why Make It: There is no need to babysit or flip bacon over; simply bake in a rimmed pan.
Flavor: Oven cooking melts fat slowly for rich, savory flavor and a perfect crispy bite.
Skill Level: Foolproof! Even beginners can master this.
Prep Note: I line the pan with parchment paper or heavy-duty foil for easy clean-up.
Serving Suggestions: Serve it for breakfast, add it to a BLT sandwich or burger, or crumble it over a cobb salad.
Cook Time: 18 minutes Servings: 8 Cook Method: Oven
Choose the Best Bacon!
- American Bacon is the most common type of bacon, which is strips of pork belly. Flavored bacon (like maple or peppered) is great oven-baked, too.
- Thick-Cut Bacon works well in the oven. This bacon is cut about ¼” thick, so it will need a bit more time.
- Turkey Bacon is a bit leaner and requires less cooking time in the oven to ensure it doesn’t dry out.
Holly’s Pro Tips
- While you can use a wire rack or cooling rack on the sheet pan, I prefer to bake the bacon slices directly on the baking pan. It will crisp nicely as it bakes in its own fat.
- Arrange the bacon in a single layer, without overlapping, for even cooking.
- If you have a few extra minutes, start the bacon is a cold oven and preheat the bacon with the oven for maximum fat rendering and crispiness.
- For a big batch, use two baking sheets, rotate them halfway through, and add a few minutes to the cooking time.
- Adjust cooking time slightly based on your desired level of crispiness.
No, you do not need to flip the bacon.
You can, but it isn’t necessary. This crisps the bacon perfectly as it bakes in it’s own fat.
Never pour bacon grease down the drain, as it will solidify and cause severe plumbing clogs. Let the grease cool and solidify in the pan, then scrape it directly into the trash with a spatula. Alternatively, you can pour the warm (not hot) grease into a disposable container like an empty tin can, let it harden, and throw the can away.
Depending on the brand it can take anywhere from 10 to 17 minutes.
Storage
Leftover bacon can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 2 months. You can use bacon right from frozen; it thaws in minutes.
Breakfast Favorites That Love Bacon
Have you made this crispy oven bacon? Leave a comment and rating below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 package bacon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. If desired, line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Arrange the bacon slices in a single layer on the prepared pan.
- Bake for 12 minutes. Check on the bacon and continue cooking for an additional 6 to 8 minutes* or as needed until crisp. Thick-cut bacon will need extra time.
- Use tongs to transfer the bacon strips to a paper towel-lined plate.
- If desired, allow the bacon fat to cool for 10 minutes and reserve in a jar for cooking.
Notes
- *Be sure to check the bacon early. Cooking time can vary based on the pan used as well as the brand of bacon.
- Store brand bacon is often cut very thin and can sometimes cook faster than national brands. Check it early!
- For easy cleanup, line a rimmed sheet pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper before adding the strips of bacon. No baking rack is required.
- 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.
- Keep leftover bacon in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven, in the microwave, or the air fryer.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Breakfast, Pork
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
My daughter told me about cooking bacon this way several months ago. I flip the bacon over half way through the cooking time which only takes about 12 minutes total. Bacon doesn’t shrink up cooking this way but it does take a little longer to get breakfast on the table.
Excellent! Thanks for the tips!
Thank you for this recipe! Finally, I am able to cook bacon perfectly, and with less clean up! :)
Your recipe doesn’t say what temperature (or even setting- e.g. bake or broil) or rack!
Hi Rachel, you can find the recipe towards the bottom or by using the “jump to recipe” button at the top. But you’ll want to bake this recipe at 400°F for 12 minutes on a rimmed baking sheet. I hope that helps!
Everything by this author is great – instructions and end results
I just have a question
Does the bacon splatter grease inside the oven?
No, I have never had that problem when making this recipe. Enjoy!
Do you cover the bacon with foil as well as lining the baking tray
I cook it uncovered.
I started cooking my bacon in the oven for weekly meal prep and it’s so much easier than on the stove! Instead of dealing with a greasy stove, I cover my pan with foil and just toss the foil after!
This approach has worked well for years for me. I do use a rack. I still get crispy bacon without being greasy. With care in arrangement you can cook a whole pound (common package size) in a standard half-size sheet pan.
I fully concur with using aluminum foil to line the pan.
Baking bacon works for English bacon (“rashers”) as well as American bacon (“streaky”). It takes longer, from 20 to 30 minutes depending on how thick the rashers are.