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If you like crispy, perfectly cooked bacon and have never cooked it in the oven, you’ve been missing out! It’s easy, less messy, and less hands-on than making it stovetop. Once you try it, you’ll be hooked.
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Perfectly cooked bacon is a necessity on top of loaded cauliflower casserole, on zucchini skins, on top of bacon ranch pasta salad, or on top of baked beans. Not to mention just with eggs or waffles for breakfast.
Growing up, my mom had one of those trays to make bacon in the microwave. It worked well enough but when I moved out, I didn’t have one and I wasn’t about to have grease splattering all over my kitchen by making it on the stove, so I just didn’t make any.
And then, I realized you can make crispy bacon in the oven, without making a mess, while you’re doing other things, and bacon re-entered my life!
Why should I bake it in the oven?
I think many people are stuck on cooking bacon on the stovetop, like I was. It’s not the only way! Making it in the oven is the way to go. Let me tell you why…
When you cook bacon on the stove, not only does it splatter, but any pan has hot spots that leads to unevenly cooked bacon.
When you bake it in the oven, the bacon lays flat so the heat evenly distributes around it and cooks evenly. The grease sizzles instead of splatters. You end up with beautiful, crisp bacon.
Another bonus to making it in the oven is the fact that you can lay multiple slices on your cookie sheet so if you’re cooking for a crowd…or just a bacon loving family, you can make a large batch at once. I usually get 8 slices on my sheet at once.
Putting it in the oven also allows you to work on the eggs or whatever else you’re making, instead of tending to it on the stove.
How to make it
STEP ONE: Line a lipped baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Place a cooling rack on top. Lay the bacon slices on the rack without letting the pieces overlap.
STEP TWO: Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan, and cook for another 8-10 minutes, depending on how crisp you like it.
STEP THREE: Remove the bacon from the oven, carefully remove from the pan and lay on a paper towel lined plate to absorb any extra grease and let it dry. Enjoy!
Will it be crispy?
Yes. Promise. You can cook it until your favorite level of crispness.
How long do I cook it?
I cook my bacon for 10-15 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees. I usually rotate it halfway through to make sure it cooks evenly. Remember that it will continue to crisp as it dries, so keep that in mind as you’re baking it.
What about turkey bacon?
Some people have strong feelings about pork vs turkey bacon. I am not one of them, I don’t mind it. If you’re opting for turkey bacon, follow the same instructions and check it after 10 minutes. If it needs to be crisper, rotate it & give it another 5-10 minutes.
What if I don’t have a rack?
I cook my bacon on a cooling rack, but if you don’t have one (or just don’t feel like getting it dirty), you can line your baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and lay the bacon directly onto it. It honestly doesn’t make much difference.
Tools found on Amazon to help you
- Baking Sheet – Make sure you get a lipped baking sheet so any grease does not leak off the side of the pan.
- Wire Cooling Rack – Optional, but I find it helps the bacon to cook evenly. Also, it doubles as a cooking cooling rack so you’ll have other uses for it.
- Tongs – I like to use tongs for everything in the kitchen, especially when they help me to avoid touching meat.
What to do with the bacon grease
Save it…or toss it. If you want to save it, remove the bacon from the pan and pour the grease into a glass container. Store it sealed in the fridge and use it the next time you want to scramble some eggs or roast some veggies and want to add extra flavor that olive oil doesn’t give you.
More recipes that use crispy bacon
Bacon & Spinach Breakfast Pizza
BLT Pizza
Cheesy Chicken Bacon & Kale Pasta Bake
Loaded Potato & Cauliflower Soup
Creamy Bacon Bowtie Pasta
Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup
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How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
Ingredients
- 8 bacon slices
Instructions
- Set oven to 400F
- Line a lipped baking sheet tinfoil or parchment paper.
- Place an oven-safe cooling rack on the tinfoil and spray with non-stick spray.
- Lay your bacon on the cooling rack without letting the slices overlap.
- Place the bacon in the preheating oven.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, until bacon has reached desired level of crispness.
- Place the cooked bacon on a paper towel-lined plate to drain off excess bacon grease & crisp.
- Enjoy
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
How do you recommend cleaning the cooling rack? Especially if you don’t have a dishwasher. It’s a serious pain to clean them.
Totally agree, it is definitely a pain. I use Dawn Powerwash & it does a really good job, but I feel you!