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Oven Baked Bacon is the easiest way to make perfectly crispy, evenly cooked bacon without the hassle. No more grease splatters! No more standing over the stove flipping bacon! No more greasy pans! So EASY!
Why Baking Bacon is Better
Everyone loves bacon! Whether served alongside French toast, used to make an easy breakfast casserole, or to make a simple BLT sandwich, you can't go wrong with bacon!
But instead of pan-frying bacon the next time the craving strike, baking bacon is the way to go!
- Easy Clean-Up. By baking bacon all the grease is collected on a baking sheet that has been lined with foil, making clean-up a breeze.
- Hands-Off. There is no need to babysit bacon while it bakes in the oven. Simply pop it in the oven and cook! No flipping required or constant tending, as there is when you pan-fry bacon.
- Cooks Evenly. When you prepare bacon by pan-frying it on the stove, it can cook up evenly and curl up as it cooks, while baking bacon results in evenly cooked bacon that stays uniform in shape.
- No Grease Burns! By baking bacon, you do not have to worry about grease splattering all over your kitchen or the potential of getting burned while tending to the bacon as it cooks.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
Recipe Highlights
How to Bake Bacon
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step One: Prepare Pan. I recommend using a rimmed baking pan with a heat-safe cooling or baking rack placed on the baking sheet. The metal cooking rack allows the heat to circulate evenly around the bacon, so you NEVER have to flip it over. I also strongly recommend lining your pan with foil, as it will make clean-up that much easier!
No metal baking rack?
If you do not have an oven-safe cooking rack to place on a baking sheet, use a broiler pan and flip the bacon halfway through the baking time.
Step Two: Place Bacon on the Baking Sheet. Lay the bacon evenly across the baking rack, being sure to not let the bacon overlap, so that it cooks evenly.
Step Three: Bake the Bacon. Bake the bacon for 12 minutes, then check to see if the bacon has reached your desired crispiness. If not, return to the oven for an additional 3-8 minutes.
How Long Does Bacon need to bake?
The baking time will be based on how crispy you like your bacon, your oven, and how thick your bacon is cooked.
Step Four: Cool. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and transfer the baked bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb extra grease.
How to Discard Bacon Grease
Remember to NEVER POUR BACON GREASE DOWN SINK DRAIN!! This is a surefire way to end up with a clog at some point, as grease hardens as it cools. Instead, safely discard of bacon grease in one of the following ways.
- Allow the grease to cool fully and harden on the baking sheet lined with foil. Once cooled, simply discard it with the foil in the trash.
- Allow the grease to cool slightly and then pour the grease into a metal can or glass jar. DO NOT use plastic, or the grease will melt the plastic. Once the grease has hardened you can scoop it out of the jar and discard it in the trash.
Storing Cooked Bacon
If you have leftover bacon, congratulations, you have amazing willpower 😉 But it is easy to store leftover cooked bacon to keep on hand to add to salads, Instant Pot egg bites, loaded potato skins, or a twice-baked potato.
- Refrigerate: Store the cooled, cooked bacon in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
- Freeze: Layer the cooled baked bacon in between parchment paper or wax paper and freeze in a freezer storage bag. The wax paper will keep the bacon strips from all freezing together, so you can pull out just what you need. Cooked bacon can be stored for up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Reheat: Place the chilled or frozen bacon on a plate lined with paper towels. Cover with an additional paper towel and microwave at 30-second intervals, until heated through.
FAQs on Baking Bacon
If your oven bakes unevenly, rotate your pan halfway through cooking.
Yes. You will need to let the bacon grease cool and then store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days if you want to use it in recipes. It is not safe to consume if stored at room temperature for longer than 2 hours. You can use the bacon grease to sauté potatoes, make Warm Bacon Dressing, or in BLT pasta salad.
If you do not care for crispy bacon, check the bacon after 10 minutes of baking to determine if the bacon has reached the desired doneness. Add time if needed.
How to Use Baked Bacon
Bacon makes a delicious accompaniment to any breakfast or brunch spread. However, baked bacon also can also be used to make one of the following recipes.
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Baked Bacon
Video
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃). Line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil and fit a metal baking rack onto cooking sheet.
- Lay bacon strips evenly across the rack so that it is not overlapping. Overlapped bacon will not cook evenly.
- Place the bacon into the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Check on the bacon, if the bacon has not reached your desired crispiness, return to the oven for 3-8 minutes. I find for my oven and for crispy, yet not burnt bacon, I need to plan for 18 minutes.
- Once the bacon has baked, transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the extra grease.
- Allow to cool and serve as desired.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
YES! This is a fabulous method! No grease all over the cook top! It truly is easier!!!
Totally easier! Glad you agree Liz 🙂
Literally the only way I will cook bacon anymore!
Me too!! It is a game changer
Adequate cooling of drippings will prevent the melting of plastic containers.
Very true! I wanted to make it clear NOT to put HOT or even very warm grease in plastic 🙂
DONOTput hot bacon greaase into glasss jar. It will crack. Use an empty can.
Great reminder! A metal can works for hot grease, you do want to be sure to let your grease cool slightly before pouring into a glass jar.
I've also been baking bacon for years. I don't use foil OR a wire rack...I just plop the bacon on the cookie sheet, sit back & relax. Done.
I am so glad to hear it works for you as well! I love to place on rack and use foil for easier clean-up. Plus bacon gets crispier when baked on rack as air circulates evenly 🙂
Doesn't it make your oven a mess with splash?
I have not found that it does at all! My oven is pretty clean--just be sure to use a deep rimmed pan.
I have been cooking bacon in the oven(on top of aluminum foil) for years. I wouldn't do it any other way. It's hassle free and the clean up is far easier than cooking it in a frying pan. However, when I suggest it to other, people act shocked and dismiss me like it's much more complicated than frying it. I don't understand peoples hesitation to simply try it. But, to each their own. GREAT ARTICLE!!
I can't tell you how many people have looked at me crazy too Angela--but it is a GAME CHANGER!!! I hope more people will try and see how great the results are.