This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Today, we are mastering a life skill: Baked Bacon. Cooking bacon by baking it in the oven is hands-down the best way to make crispy bacon with less mess. You’ll proudly call yourself a bacon perfectionist!

baked bacon crispy and ready to eat

Baked Bacon is the Best Bacon

The secret to perfect fried bacon is that it isn’t fried; it’s baked.

  • Even Cooking. An oven-safe rack allows the heat to circulate evenly around the bacon, a key component of bacon excellence.
  • Hands-Free. No standing at the stove to babysit your bacon. It cooks in the oven unattended.
  • Safer. Oven bacon won’t splatter you with hot grease while you fry it.
  • Restaurant-Worthy. Ever wonder how your favorite brunch, burger or BLT spot achieves those flat, thick, and magically crisp bacon slices? I’d wager my last piece that the bacon is baked. It’s the method most restaurants use.
  • Bigger Batches. Cooking for a crowd? Bake two sheet pans at once.
  • Easy Clean Up. Let the grease harden on the foil, then discard it. Simple!
  • Healthier than Fried. The grease from the bacon drips off and is collected below the rack, which means it stays off your bacon and out of your body. I also pat the bacon to remove some extra grease and keep it crisp.

Want your bacon even faster? Make Air Fryer Bacon!

bacon on a wire baking sheet to bake in oven

How to Cook Perfect Bacon in the Oven

The ONLY Ingredient

  • High-Quality Bacon. This might sound obvious, but I can’t overstate its importance: the better quality of bacon you buy, the better your final baked bacon will taste. I promise it’s worth it!
bacon on baking sheet

How Long to Bake Bacon

How long bacon should be cooked in the oven will vary based upon the thickness of your bacon and your desired crispness.

  • For Thin-Cut Bacon. Regular, thin-cut bacon will typically bake in 12 minutes at 400 degrees F. If you want it extra crispy, you can let it bake a little longer, but keep a close eye on it.
  • For Thick-Cut Bacon. Thicker bacon will take 14 to 20 minutes, depending upon your thickness and how crisp you would like it to be.

The time the bacon takes to cook will also vary by how many slices you are making at once.

If your sheet pan is very crowded, you may need to extend the baking time by a few minutes.

strips of baked bacon

Storing Oven Bacon

  • To Store. Cooked bacon will last in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. If it starts to smell funny or change appearance, throw it out.
  • To Reheat. Recrisp your bacon slices on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees F.
  • To Freeze. Store baked bacon slices in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Remove and thaw slices as desired.
oven baked bacon on ap late

How to Use Baked Bacon

Now that you’ve mastered the life skill of how to make oven baked bacon, it’s time to use it!

crispy baked bacon in the oven

Tips for Perfect Baked Bacon

  • Use Good Quality Bacon! It’s literally everything. You often get the best options by purchasing it from the butcher counter at the grocery store. It’s usually only a dollar or two more than the pre-packaged stuff, but the taste is remarkably better.
  • Go for Thick Cut Bacon. It’s easier to layer onto to sandwiches, makes more of an impact when sprinkled on salads, and is extra satisfying when munched on its own.
  • Bake at 400 Degrees F. Some recipes recommend baking bacon at other temperatures or starting the bacon in a cold oven, but I found that a preheated 400 degrees F is the best temperature for baking bacon. It cooks the bacon evenly no matter its thickness and the bacon won’t splatter.
  • Use a Rack for the Ultimate Crisp. A rack elevates the bacon so air can circulate evenly and grease can drip off. Washing the rack is a bit of a pain; we think it’s worth it, but if you prefer to bake bacon without a rack, place the strips directly on the aluminum foil or on a sheet of parchment.
  • Save the Grease. Bacon drippings are gold! Collect the grease in a jar in the refrigerator, then use it to make the best ever Sautéed Brussels Sprouts and Sautéed Cabbage.

Baked Bacon

4.84 from 93 votes
The secret to crispy bacon? Make baked bacon in the oven! Evenly cooked, perfectly crisp, with easy clean up. Great for breakfast, sandwiches and more!

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 25 minutes

Servings: 1 to 100!

Ingredients
  

  • 6 slices bacon or any number of strips and thickness you like (see notes for recommendations)
  • Nonstick cooking spray

Instructions
 

  • If making an amount of bacon that will fit on a single baking sheet without overlapping (about 6 to 8 slices, depending upon the bacon and sheet), place a rack in the center of your oven. If making a larger amount, place the racks in the upper and lower thirds. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
  • Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy clean up (if you prefer to bake the bacon without foil, leave the foil off), then place an ovenproof baking rack on top. Spritz the baking rack lightly with nonstick spray. Arrange the bacon in a single layer on the baking rack.
  • Bake until you reach your desired level of crispness. This could be as early as 12 minutes if you are using thinner bacon and like it less crisp or 20 minutes or more if you using a thicker cut and like your bacon really crispy. If baking two racks at once, rotate their positions halfway through.
  • Once cooked, immediately transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and lightly pat dry (this keeps it from getting soggy). Let cool just enough so that you don't (completely) burn your tongue. Devour immediately or use to top salads, pastas, and sandwiches, or in any of
    these recipes.
  • To clean up: Let the bacon grease cool and harden, then crumple it up inside the foil and discard. If you’d like to use the bacon grease for another purpose, let it cool for a few minutes, transfer it to a lidded container or jar, and refrigerate.

Video

Notes

  • I like and recommend thick-cut applewood smoked bacon. The applewood smoke flavor is classic, and the thick cut provides maximum bacon crunch and full flavor. I also prefer center cut bacon when possible, as it is more lean and “meaty.” If you can get the bacon from the butcher directly or from a local supplier, that’s even better. With bacon, quality really counts, and it’s worth the splurge. We are making bacon, after all.
  • TO STORE: Cooked bacon will last in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. If it starts to smell funny or change appearance, throw it out.
  • TO REHEAT: Rewarm gently in the microwave or use at room temperature.
  • TO FREEZE: Store baked bacon slices in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Remove and thaw slices as desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bacon stripCalories: 92kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 3gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 15mgPotassium: 44mg

Join today and start saving your favorite recipes

Create an account to easily save your favorite recipes and access FREE meal plans.

Sign Me Up

Did you try this recipe?

I want to see!

Follow @wellplated on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #wellplated. I love to know what you are making!

You May Also Like

Free Email Series
Sign Up for FREE Weekly Meal Plans
Each includes a grocery list, budget, and 5 healthy dinners, helping you save time, save money, and live better!

Erin Clarke

Hi, I'm Erin Clarke, and I'm fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food that's affordable, easy-to-make, and best of all DELISH. I'm the author and recipe developer here at wellplated.com and of The Well Plated Cookbook. I adore both sweets and veggies, and I am on a mission to save you time and dishes. WELCOME!

Learn more about Erin

Leave a Comment

Did you make this recipe?

Don't forget to leave a review!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating





138 Comments

Leave a comment

  1. Made this today for my daughter’s birthday breakfast. Alongside with some scrambled eggs, hash brown patties, & maple sausage. I used the bacon grease for the scrambled eggs. It was so delicious! The bacon was just perfect. Don’t think I’m going back to the pan method any time soon!5 stars

  2. This is a no fuss way to cook a pound of bacon, but it does take a little longer than frying. If you are busy, this is definitely worth making.5 stars

  3. It was in many ways so much easier than the old cook top method. Easy to clean up after…And the bacon turns out terrific. If the recipe calls for cut up bacon it still works just fine. Thank you very much!5 stars

  4. So much easier than frying. Works great every time. Nice and crispy. I like to keep it in the freezer so it’s handy for BLTs especially when we’re camping.5 stars

  5. I cook bacon this way and usually use parchment paper. After cooling on paper towels, I put the bacon into a freezer zip lock bag to freeze. Any number of pieces can be retrieved later and microwaved for 1 min. My husband sometimes likes to re crisp in the air fryer. Both ways are good and convenient.5 stars

  6. This is my new favorite way of cooking bacon, and it frees up time to multitask more efficiently. Tried it for the first time today. Even the smallest difference in thickness of the slices can mean minutes of difference in baking. Check it often as it bakes.5 stars

Load More Comments