The best bacon is baked bacon! Instead of the stovetop, the oven-baked version is mess-free and yields the perfect crispness. It’s the only way to make a large batch of your favorite breakfast side for a crowd.
Gone are the days of standing over a hot frying pan, with grease splattering everywhere! With this recipe, it’s as simple as preheating the oven and baking until your desired crispness is reached.
Plus, when is there ever a time when bacon isn’t a genius idea? Bake this ahead of time and use it during the week to add to sandwiches, salads, top twice-baked potatoes, loaded baked potatoes, or use it to make a warm bacon vinaigrette.
Serve this as a side dish with with:
How to Make Crispy Bacon in the Oven
5 Steps to Perfectly Baked Bacon!
- Line your pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- Evenly space bacon out on the foil-lined pan. Avoid overlapping for even cooking.
- Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, depending on desired crispiness. If you want even crispier pieces, place under the broiler for a minute or two, but watch carefully!
- Immediately transfer cooked bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Wait until the grease cools, then toss the aluminum foil with the grease or drain into a jar for later use. No mess! No draining!
Tips for the Best Bacon
We have Nordic Ware baking sheets that come with a rack. We love this brand and have found it to be super sturdy and durable. The cooling rack can be used during baking or just for cooling. It’s super handy!
Make sure to keep a close watch on the oven! We bake our bacon at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, but all ovens cook differently.
The bacon will be very hot and will continue cooking as it comes out of the oven. Keep this in mind as you near your favorite crispyness level!
One of the many perks of this recipe is that there is zero splatter, inside or outside of the oven. No need to slave over wiping down a greasy stove. It’s as simple as rendering the fat or tossing the aluminum foil when the grease has cooled.
Benefits of Baking Bacon vs. Frying Bacon
Here are a couple of key benefits to baking bacon instead of frying.
- It’s mess-free! No more grease splattering, fans running, or burns! It’s as simple as assembling and baking.
- It’s a time saver. With the oven doing most of the work, you’ve got enough time on your hands to prepare hard-boiled eggs, ambrosia salad, pancakes, etc.
- It cooks evenly. No more undercooked centers or too-crispy ends. Every piece is cooked evenly and crisp.
- It feeds a crowd. No more fretting over a busy stove for an hour, just to get the bacon done. Make this to feed a whole crowd.
Crispy vs. Chewy Bacon
There are two methods for making bacon in the oven: chewy and crispy.
Crispy is always our favorite way to go. Perfect for a BLT or breakfast!
- Crispy Bacon: place bacon on a foil-lined baking sheet and follow the cooking temperature and time until it reaches just the right texture for you.
- Chewy Bacon: place bacon on a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet and follow the cooking temperature and time.
Baking bacon with or without a rack: Bacon without the rack will be crispier because the bacon cooks in its own grease.
Storing and reheating cooked bacon
If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container or baggie. Bacon tends to keep for a long time because of the curing process. I would store in the refrigerator for no more than 1 week.
To reheat the cooked bacon, place on a paper towel or microwave-safe plate and heat for 15 seconds at a time.
Crispy Baked Bacon Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncooked bacon of your choice
- Cooking Spray*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place the baking rack on top of the foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.*
- Evenly space bacon on the cooling rack. Don’t overlap!
- Bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until you reach desired crispiness.
- Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Allow the grease to cool. Then, carefully dispose of the aluminum foil and grease, or render the grease for later use.*
Notes
Crispy vs. Chewy Bacon
- Crispy Bacon: place bacon on a foil-lined baking sheet and follow the cooking temperature and time until it reaches just the right texture for you.
- Chewy Bacon: place bacon on a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet and follow the cooking temperature and time.
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