Everyone loves oven cooked bacon! It is just as crispy and delicious as in a frying pan, without the mess! Once you try it, you’ll be converted for life!
Everyone run to the kitchen, this is not a drill! We’re cooking bacon in the oven and you don’t want to miss it! We love bacon, but it is a pain. How many grease-stained shirts and 1st degree burns from oil popping can we tolerate before saying “ENOUGH!”? Well, a lot. Because it’s bacon. However, once we discovered cooking it in the oven, we couldn’t go back to the old-fashioned way.
Cooking bacon in the oven is so stinkin’ easy! It’s going to take longer than you’re used to, but we promise you, it’s worth it. Plus, it’s all hands-off cooking time. No more watching the stove and dangerous flipping of the bacon! So, get out your favorite pancake recipe, squeeze some fresh orange juice and pull out that bacon, because it’s breakfast time!
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Is bacon good leftover?
Bacon is always good. Really though, leftover bacon doesn’t retain it’s crispiness well, so it is great to use crumbled up as a topping or in a baked good. Why throw it out, when you could instead use it to make Cheesy Corn, Bacon and Scallions Pizza?
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How do you know when the bacon is done?
If you are using thin bacon or want soft, chewy bacon, then you should aim to bake for 15-20 minutes. If you are using a thick cut of bacon or want crispy bacon, then aim for 25-30 minutes.
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What should I use? A baking sheet or parchment paper?
The best way to cook bacon in the oven is on parchment paper because it allows for an easy cleanup. Once you’re done and it’s cooled down, simply roll all that grease up into the center of the parchment paper and throw it away! A baking sheet works, and we love reducing waste, but it does require more time cleaning up to scrub all of that grease out of both sides of the mat.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious bacon recipes:
- One Pan Breakfast Bake with Bacon, Hash Browns, and Eggs
- Spicy Maple Candied Bacon
- Sweet Potato Bacon Mac and Cheese
- BBQ Bacon Jalapeño Popper Puff Pastry Twists
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
How To Bake Bacon in the Oven
- 1 lb bacon
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place bacon in a single layer on parchment paper on a baking sheet.*
- Cook for 15-20 minutes for chewy bacon or 25-30 minutes for crispy bacon.
- Remove from oven and place on a paper towel lined plate.
I love to prepare bacon this way. During BLT season I’ll often cook up several packages this way, but only partially bake them. Let them cool on a plate, but don’t drain fat. Then I roll up the slabs in wax paper and freeze in a gallon size ziplock bag. When I want a few for sandwiches or with eggs, just unroll what’s needed and finish frying on the stove top or even just microwave for a bit. Comes out like from scratch, with less time and cleanup.
Thanks for the tip to make it ahead!
Does cooking the bacon in the oven leave a mess in the oven?
No mess at all
No. I thought the same thing when I first did it. I do put foil for easy clean up though.
I love bacon cooked on parchment paper in the oven and I do it very often. However, maybe because I do it that way most of the time, it does leave the oven glass door a royal mess.
Save those bacon drippings. They are great for frying ends, potatoes. Popcorn. Etc.
I wish you could buy bacon grease-it makes everything taste better! You dont get much, cooking in oven-
I have been cooking my bacon like this for years. I especially like to precook the bacon I take on our family beach trips. I will cook up 1 pound increments and freeze it. I cooked 13 pounds for our trip last year. It really helped with the time spent in the kitchen in the mornings. One thing I do differently, I line my pan with Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil. Extra-wide. This way I let the pan cool and roll up the aluminum foil, and clean-up is done. Just put your pan back in the cabinet.
I bake my bacon like you! I use aluminum foil, heavy duty, no mess, clean up so easy ♥️
I have been cooking my bacon in the oven like this for awhile now since I have a large family. It is great and the bacon cooks while I’m concentrating on cooking the rest of the meal. I almost always save the bacon grease. I have a jar in the fridge. I then use the bacon grease for many different recipes. It is great with veggies (green beans), as a little extra flavor in casseroles, to saute peppers, onions & mushrooms for various dishes like my tuna casserole. Just a table spoon of bacon grease substituted for another oil/fat can… Read more »
I love to cook my bacon like this. Consistently comes out well. One tip from my experience (well, two): use a baking sheet with a deep edge. There will be a lot of fat. I used a shallow pan once and it did not go well when I took it out of the oven! Other note: skip the rack and let the bacon cook in the fat. It will cook evenly and thoroughly.
Does cooking the bacon in the oven make a mess in the oven? I want to try this but worried about mess in oven to clean up.
We haven’t had any splatter or mess from cooking bacon in the oven. It is SO much less messy than cooking it on the stove!
I use the aluminum foil on the baking sheet method and I do find that I get splatter in my oven. So then I started using an outdoor grill aluminum pan with holes in it on top of my baking sheet. It works to keep the splatter down,but it seems to make the bacon take longer to cook. I was going to try to use The parchment paper method, do you know if I can put the parchment paper on top of the bacon also to try to help with splatter ??
No. Just use Foil to line the pan, let the grease cool and fold up and trash it. Unless you save to cook with. It doesn’t curl up stays pretty flat. Taste so much better than pan fried.
There is no spatter, if that’s what you’re asking. Definitely use a deep sided baking pan, because there will be lots of bacon grease
It absolutely does mess up the oven glass door. But it’s the best way to cook bacon, especially on parchment paper.
This great! Sometimes before it is done I will sprinkle a mixture of brown sugar and cayenne pepper on it to make sweet hot bacon. It is so good – these strips can be added to bloody Mary’s too! Love your recipes thank you!
I’ll have to try this next time.
Thank you so much for this! I tried making bacon this way yesterday, the bacon turned out perfectly, my family loved it, and the clean up was so easy. Definitely the only way I’ll make bacon from now on. Thanks again!
Comes out perfect every time!
I love baking bacon in the oven. I make a “fan” of aluminum foil to use as a rack to let the fat drip off. Perfect everytimg!
I put mine in a cold oven. No real need to preheat. Works like a charm. Less mess than stovetop cooking.
Easy peasy! Will never fry bacon again! Thanks!
Just made my turkey bacon this way this morning along with French toast, and all I can say is, goodbye frying pan! YUMMMM!
I tried cooking bacon in the oven for breakfast this morning. Loved it so much! I will only cook bacon in the oven from now on. I planned to have leftover bacon. I chopped it up and stored it in a clean parmesan cheese container to use as a salad garnish for a few days!
Was amazing thank you definitely doing this every weekend
It was delicious BUT made a bacon grease splatter mess in oven.