Baking bacon results in perfectly cooked bacon, every time! Everybody loves bacon, right? Let me show you how to make PERFECT bacon every time – you’ll never make it another way again! How to Bake Bacon for the most perfect bacon you’ve ever seen! Step by step instructions make this so easy – restaurant quality bacon is just an oven away 🙂
Baking Bacon: A How To Guide to Making Perfect Bacon Every Time!
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Baking Bacon
Making perfect bacon is easier than you might think. I used to forgo making bacon because the gigantic mess it made just wasn’t worth the amazing taste. A few years ago I learned about baking bacon and it has changed my life forever.
Why should you bake your bacon?
- Baked bacon does not curl – you get nice straight bacon pieces every time.
- Cooks evenly – no white fatty pieces on one end and burnt bacon on the other.
- No splattering of bacon grease all over the place.
- No need to babysit the bacon. You don’t even have to turn it over!
- Tastes delicious.
What you will need to bake bacon:
- Shallow baking sheet
- Foil (heavy-duty preferable)
- Metal Cooling Rack (optional)
- Non-stick cooking spray (optional)
- Paper towels
How To Cook Bacon In The Oven:
- Line the baking sheet with foil. (You will want to use a baking sheet that has enough of a rim that it contains the bacon drippings.)
- If using a metal cooling rack, spray the rack with non-stick cooking spray, and place the rack inside the baking sheet.
- Place the bacon slices in a single layer either directly on the foil or on a rack Make sure not to overlap slices.
- Turn the oven on and set to 400 degrees. Do not wait for the oven to preheat. Go ahead and place the pan in the oven.
- Cook the bacon for 12-17 minutes. Cooking time depends on the thickness of your bacon, and how long it takes for you oven to come to temperature. Start checking your bacon around 10 minutes to ensure your bacon doesn’t burn. (Nothing worse than burnt bacon!)
- When the bacon is golden brown, the bacon is done.
- Once the bacon has reached your desired level of crispiness, remove immediately and place on paper towels to soak up the bacon grease.
- Eat and enjoy!
Tips for Perfect Baked Bacon
- The oven should be cold when you put the bacon in – do not preheat.
- Make sure you are watching the bacon closely during the last few minutes of baking to ensure that the bacon doesn’t burn.
- Remove the bacon from the rack or baking sheet right after removing from oven. The bacon will continue cooking as long as it is left in the pan or bacon fat.
- It is easy to flavor up the bacon. Try black pepper or brown sugar sprinkled on the top before baking – it will give your bacon a whole new flavor.
- Want to freeze your bacon? Under-cook your bacon by a couple of minutes , let it cool and then place it in Ziploc bag. To reheat, pull out a couple of slices and cook in the microwave on medium power for 30 seconds.
How To Bake Bacon
Baking Bacon: A How-To Guide to Making Perfect Bacon Every Time
Ingredients
- 8 oz bacon
- Shallow baking sheet
- Foil heavy-duty preferable
- Metal Cooling Rack optional
- Non-stick cooking spray optional
- Paper towels
Instructions
- Line the baking sheet with foil. (You will want to use a baking sheet that has enough of a rim that it contains the bacon drippings.)
- If using a metal cooling rack, spray the rack with non-stick cooking spray, and place the rack inside the baking sheet.
- Place the bacon slices in a single layer either directly on the foil or on a rack Make sure not to overlap slices.
- Turn the oven on and set to 400 degrees. Do not wait for the oven to preheat. Go ahead and place the pan in the oven.
- Cook the bacon for 12-17 minutes. Cooking time depends on the thickness of your bacon, and how long it takes for you oven to come to temperature. Start checking your bacon around 10 minutes to ensure your bacon doesn’t burn. (Nothing worse than burnt bacon!)
- When the bacon is golden brown, the bacon is done.
- Once the bacon has reached your desired level of crispiness, remove immediately and place on paper towels to soak up the bacon grease.
- Eat and enjoy!
Nutrition
Some yummy bacon recipes:
Cheesy Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Breakfast Burrito Bonanza – A Freezer Meal Idea
Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup
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Ann says
Perfect! I didn’t even use the greatest bacon but it came out great! Didn’t shrink like other baked bacon recipes I’ve tried
Thank you!!
TK says
A few times each year (big holidays, birthdays) we make my partner’s mom’s recipe for biscuits and bacon gravy. Thankfully, we were making it today but, as our microwave recently gave out (undoubtedly due to a combination of age and extreme use during this pandemic) we found your method for bakin’ the bacon. Trish, we have to tell you, this method is FOUR ACES! Never again will we use a microwave! And, as an added bonus, the oven is already preheated for the biscuits when the bacon is cooked and I begin making the gravy. So, my honey can be prepping her biscuits while I make the gravy (myself: cook=pretty good; baker=dreadful….our talents balance perfectly here!). The end result: your method allows for a delightful level of harmony in our little kitchen while we prepare one of our favorite brunches! You’re THE BEST!!!
clinton says
definitely works, but you should plan on adding at least 10 minutes to the cooking time. I used thick cut bacon on tin foil and it took 37 minutes to come out perfectly crisp on the outside, yet still chewy in the middle.
Stew says
Great way to cook bacon fast, with less mess and consistently delicious! I use this cold oven to 400 degrees method all the time at home and at the fire house. No racks necessary. I line my HD foil higher on the sides to deflect splatter inside the oven. Sometimes I flip the bacon with tongs 12 minutes in. Typically takes another 10 for me, but just depends how crispy you like your bacon. Thanks Trish.
Rose says
I have been frying bacon on top of the stove for 40 years and ALWAYS hated the mess. I just tried this and am sooo glad i did. No mess, no heavy cleanup, no oven splatter …just perfect crisp bacon 🥓 . I will never fry bacon again! Thank you
Ric says
Thank you so much. This is the best way to make bacon. It came out amazing. No mess in the oven. Saved the extra bacon grease to use in the future Also thanks for tip about freezing the bacon, now I have it ready to use when I need it. I’ve been telling everyone how great this is. Thanks again
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
It really is! I’m so glad you found me Ric 😊 Have a great weekend!
Kathy Ewing says
Trish, I will love you forever and ever and EVER for this!!!
I just tried it for the first time (I’m in my 60s) and it was PERFECT!!! I can’t believe it!
If I had any decent money, I’d will half my estate to you!!
A thousand blessings on your head!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Woohoo! So glad you gave it a try Kathy!
Lorrie says
I’ve done my bacon this way but using parchment paper. Soaks up some of the grease. Perfect every time
Judy says
Years ago my mom started baking the bacon and we all prefer it to fried. She’d lay the strips across a rack then put the rack in a sheet pan with sides~the grease has to go somewhere. I save the bacon grease to use in other things.
Elizabeth A. says
The bacon turned out perfect and crispy. There was no splattering, but there was a small amount of smoke. I placed the uncooked bacon on a baking rack and placed the rack in a foil-lined baking sheet to catch the grease. It took about 30 min. Yum!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Isn’t this the BEST way to cook bacon? I love it!
Becky Jordan says
I’ve been a fan of your site a good while and love everything you post. I’ve been cooking over 40 yrs and I love family style no fussy cooking like this. And my grands love your popcorn! Thanks for a great site and please keep posting great family recipes.
chef smell says
you’re gonna tell me that the grease doesn’t splatter all over the inside of the oven????? i seriously doubt that!!!!!!! i tried to bake chicken wings and the end result was the worst grease pit in the oven i have ever seen!!!!
i’ll stick to the fry pan method with a splatter screen and spend less time cleaning up than you do!!!!
Deanna Cox says
It does not leave a mess! Total game changer on bacon messes… try it you might just be surprised!
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Rad says
I soooo wanted this to work. I followed your directions to a T. The bacon ended up soggy and not crispy at all. I ended up baking it for almost 30 minutes. It ended up spattering all over the place. Perhaps it needs some super duper high quality bacon. Was that the mistake I made? I don’t know. I guess some people (me) aren’t very good cooks. 🙂
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Lol! I’m not sure but I wouldn’t say you aren’t a good cook just because it didn’t turn out. If the bacon was “soggy” (wasn’t even aware that bacon COULD be soggy lol) I would say it definitely needed to cook longer. It shouldn’t spatter at all if you put it in shallow pan. The grease should drop down into the pan and not spatter. Hope that helps!
chef smell says
grease splatters no matter if it comes from bacon or chicken or whatever!!!! period dot com!!!!!!!!!!!
Kitchen Gadgets says
This is such a great way to cook bacon minus all the stress! Thanks for this great post. I now have another new thing to do with my toaster oven!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I use my toaster oven too and it works perfectly!