Baking bacon in the oven is the ultimate hack for perfect hands-free bacon. It saves time and stovetop space and perfectly crisps the bacon without spattering oil all over the counter. If you’re cooking brunch for a larger crowd, it’s highly convenient to be able to throw several strips of bacon in the oven so you can focus on the many other breakfast tasks.
Baking bacon cooks the bacon more uniformly and eliminates the need to constantly shuffle larger quantities of bacon around in a crowded pan. It’s my go-to bacon method and I highly recommend you give it a shot if you haven’t already.
How to Bake Bacon in the Oven
There are a few different approaches to baking bacon, but I like to stack a wire rack on top of a foil-lined baking sheet. The wire rack keeps the bacon elevated off the pan for more even 360-degree cooking (no flipping necessary). The aluminum foil makes for easier cleanup and prevents a messy scorched pan.
Arrange bacon on the wire rack tightly but with no overlap. Bake bacon at 400°F for 18-25 minutes. I usually opt for thick-cut bacon over regular bacon because personally, I think regular bacon is too thin and shrivels up.
How to Bake Crispy Bacon
For crispier bacon, some swear by placing the bacon directly on the baking sheet to better fry/crisp the bacon within the bacon fat. Personally, I think the level of crispiness comes down to how long you cook the bacon in the oven. Baking bacon directly on a baking sheet will cook the bacon faster and narrows your window for perfect bacon.
Lining your baking sheet with parchment paper will absorb some of the extra grease and decrease your chances of scorching the bacon. Aluminum foil will behave similarly to placing the bacon directly on the baking sheet. Remember, bacon benefits from resting and will continue to brown and crisp even after it’s taken out of the oven.
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How to Bake Bacon
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 strips 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Description
The simple “hack” of perfectly preparing bacon right in the oven. No flipping required.
Ingredients
- 1 pound thick cut, smoked bacon.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil to prevent the drippings from burning onto the pan. Stack a wire rack on top of the baking sheet. You can alternately place the bacon directly on the baking sheet, just note it will cook within the fat and may cook faster, especially with aluminum foil.
- Lay bacon out flat as tightly as possible with minimal to no overlap for best results.
- Bake bacon for 18-25 minutes, or until the desired level of crispness is reached. No need to flip.
- Remove bacon and let drain on a paper towel-lined plate for 5 minutes before serving. Note, bacon will continue to cook/brown as it cools.
Notes
If you use regular (thinner) bacon, you may want to adjust the cooking time to 15-20 minutes.
For crispier bacon, some swear by placing the bacon directly on the sheet pan to better fry/crisp up the bacon within the bacon fat.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 slices
- Calories: 206
- Sugar: 0g
- Sodium: 878mg
- Fat: 15.9g
- Saturated Fat: 5.2g
- Carbohydrates: 0.5g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 14.1g
- Cholesterol: 42mg
Keywords: how to bake bacon, how to bake crispy bacon, how to bake bacon in the oven
I came upon this method on my own. I use 425 degrees, though, for ~20 minutes. Perfect EVERY time! You can get that crispy, melt-in-your-mouth texture that pan frying and microwaving lack. The strips are flat. I cook a pound at a time and store it in a gallon zip bag to reheat later.
One question, though: What are those crunchy, salty, bacony drip spots called? They’re my favorite part and you can’t get them by other methods. I’ve nicknamed them “bacon nummies!” Do they have a more technical name?
★★★★