Baking bacon in the oven is so easy! It's quickly become my favorite method. For perfectly crispy results, set the oven temperature to 400°F and bake the bacon for 20 minutes on the middle rack.
I haven't pan-fried bacon in years! Perhaps it makes sense to pan-fry it if you only need a few slices. But for anything more than that, the oven is the best and easiest method. When prepared this way, the bacon cooks evenly and comes out perfect - not too chewy or crispy.
Ingredients
You'll simply need 8 ounces of bacon. That's typically one package. I like to use medium-thickness slices. Not too thick and not too thin. If you use any other thickness, slightly adjust the cooking time. Note that some bacon packages contain 12 ounces. If you use one of these packages, you'll need to use two sheet pans.
Variations
You can sprinkle the bacon slices with spices before baking them, but that's completely optional. Tasty options include freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. You can also use a pinch of cayenne pepper if you like spicy food.
Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
Arrange the bacon slices in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. You can use a wire rack, but that's optional.
Place the pan in an oven preheated to 400°F for 20 minutes.
Pull the pan out of the oven. Use tongs to transfer the bacon slices to a plate. If you use a wire rack, there's no need to place the bacon on paper towels to drain it. If you don't use racks, place the bacon on paper towels for a couple of minutes, then serve.
Vered's Tips
A Wire Rack is Optional
I like extra-crispy bacon, so I arrange it on a stainless steel wire rack. The rack can be washed in the dishwasher, so cleanup is easy, but it's not mandatory. You can simply line your sheet pan with foil or parchment paper and arrange the bacon slices directly on them, as shown in the photo below.
Use a Rimmed Baking Sheet
When cooking bacon in the oven, you should always use a rimmed baking sheet to prevent grease from dripping onto the oven floor and potentially causing a grease fire.
Prevent Grease Splatters
The bacon shouldn't splatter too badly. But if preventing splatters is important to you, a simple method is to loosely cover it while it cooks with a sheet of parchment paper.
Crispy vs. Chewy Bacon
I experimented with different cooking times for oven bacon. If you like chewy bacon, I suggest you start checking it after 15 minutes in the oven. The photo below shows what it looks like after 15 minutes - fully cooked but definitely chewy.
For somewhat crispy bacon, start checking after 20 minutes. The photo below shows bacon that I baked for 20 minutes.
And for very crispy bacon, start checking after 22 minutes. The image below shows extra-crispy bacon, which is exactly how I like it!
Remember that oven temperatures vary, so the time it takes to achieve your desired results in your oven might differ from these guidelines.
Fatty vs. Leaner Bacon
Very fatty bacon will come out crisper than leaner bacon. See the photos below - you can see that I started with one pan of very fatty bacon and one pan of leaner bacon.
After baking for 25 minutes, the very fatty bacon came out crispier than the leaner one:
Foil vs. Parchment
I experimented and was surprised to find out that there isn't a significant difference between using foil and parchment to line the baking sheet. Both produced almost equally crispy bacon, as shown in the photos below:
How to Use Bacon Grease?
When you're done cooking, there will be lots of grease in the bottom of your pan. Please don't pour it down the drain. It will clog your sink!
What you do with the grease left in the pan is up to you. You can simply mop it with paper towels and throw them in the trash.
If you'd like to use the grease (it's delicious), strain it through a fine-mesh strainer into a glass jar. Then seal it and keep it in the fridge for later use. It can stay in the fridge for up to three months.
You can use it in any savory recipe that requires fat for cooking. It's especially good when cooking eggs, so I often use it when making soft-scrambled eggs or an egg white omelet. Other recipes where you can successfully use bacon fat instead of oil or butter include fried hard-boiled eggs and spinach and eggs scramble.
Recipe FAQs
It's best to set the oven temperature to 400°F. At this temperature, the bacon should be crispy after about 20 minutes. A lower oven temperature (such as 350°F) will take longer, while with a higher one (such as 450°F), you risk burning the bacon.
For crispy bacon, 20 minutes at 400°F is ideal. However, if your bacon slices are thick, they'll need 25 or even 30 minutes. If you prefer chewy bacon, start with 15 minutes, then check to see if it needs more time.
Oven temperatures and personal preferences vary, so you'll need to experiment until you know what works best for you using your own oven.
There's no need to do that. Leave it undisturbed, and it will cook beautifully and evenly.
One rimmed baking sheet fits an 8-ounce package or about eight slices. If you need to cook more than one package, simply use two or three baking sheets. The bottom or upper pan will cook faster than the middle one, so you should monitor all pans and remove the ones that are ready from the oven.
Bacon Alternatives
- If you can find pork belly slices at the store, those are also wonderful when baked and make a great alternative to bacon. They take longer since they are quite thick, and you should season them well. But they are absolutely delicious!
- Pork jowl is another tasty alternative. I bake it in a slow oven and then broil it briefly to crisp up the fat.
- Another good option, if you can find it (or order online), is duck bacon. While it's not as fatty or crispy as pork bacon, it's meaty and flavorful.
- And finally, beef bacon is so good. It comes from the belly of the cow, also used to make pastrami. This cut is well-marbled and has a great beefy flavor that the smoking process highlights.
Serving Suggestions
Most of us serve bacon for breakfast with eggs. It goes especially well with fluffy scrambled eggs, and you can cook the bacon first and then use the rendered fat to cook the eggs. One of my favorite breakfasts, shown in the image below, is a plate of crispy bacon, fried eggs, and fresh berries:
Oven bacon can also be used in lunch and dinner recipes, such as:
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days. Reheat them, covered in a paper towel, in the microwave at 50% power. You can also eat the leftovers cold. Seriously, cold leftover bacon is delicious. Kind of like eating cold deli meat, but even better because it's bacon.
More Bacon Recipes
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Recipe Card
Easy Foolproof Oven Bacon Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bacon - about 8 strips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and fit it with a wire rack.
- Arrange the bacon slices in a single layer on the wire rack. You can also arrange them directly on foil or parchment paper instead of using a rack.
- Bake until the bacon is as crispy as you want it. As a general guideline, bake for 15 minutes for chewy bacon, 20 minutes for crispy, and 25 minutes for extra crispy.
- If you didn't use a rack, place the cooked bacon briefly on paper towels to drain before serving.
Notes
- Whether you use a wire rack or not, you should use a rimmed baking sheet to prevent grease from dripping onto the oven floor and potentially causing a grease fire.
- The bacon shouldn't splatter too badly. But if preventing splatters is important to you, a simple method is to loosely cover the bacon while it cooks with a sheet of parchment paper.
- Make sure to wear long oven mitts when removing the pan from the oven.
- I experimented and was surprised to find out that there isn't a significant difference between using foil and parchment to line the baking sheet. Both produced almost equally crispy bacon.
- There's no need to flip the bacon midway. Leave it undisturbed, and it will cook beautifully and evenly.
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days. Reheat them, covered in a paper towel, in the microwave at 50% power.
Nutrition per Serving
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Allison says
Thank you for this foolproof recipe! I agree with you that the oven is perfect when you need to cook bacon for a crowd. We're a family of six, so pan frying would be too time consuming.
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm so glad you find this recipe useful, Allison!