How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
Cooking bacon in the oven creates perfectly crispy, delicious bacon. It’s also super easy, creates less mess than cooking it on the stovetop and allows you to multitask in the kitchen. If you’ve never baked bacon, give it a try!
So what do you serve your bacon with? Well, everything! Including my poached eggs, soft and hard boiled eggs and fried eggs. And you can’t forget my paleo pancakes (and dipping bacon in that maple syrup – yum).
Cooking Bacon in the Oven
When it comes to the most perfectly crispy, evenly cooked bacon you really can’t beat cooking bacon in the oven. But it’s amazing how many people have never tried it. It seems the stovetop reigns supreme.
Today I’ll share with you why you should change your habits and cook bacon in the oven. And trust me, once you cook bacon in the oven, you’ll never cook it on the stovetop again!
Cooking bacon on the stove creates splatters all over your stove top and produces hot spots on the pan. This means certain pieces of bacon may cook faster than others. And it’s why you might have some bacon slices that accidentally charcoal a bit too much while other slices are still undercooked.
Cooking bacon in the oven cooks all of your bacon slices evenly as the heat surrounds them. They slowly sizzle, don’t splatter and end up evenly cooked. It’s a beautiful thing.
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
It’s incredibly easy! Though it always helps to watch a quick video tutorial. Watch the video below!
Oven Baked Bacon – In 5 Steps
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lay the bacon slices on the baking sheet.
- Cook the bacon for 10 to 20 minutes or until it’s as crispy as you’d like.
- Remove the bacon from the oven and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Benefits of Cooking Bacon in the Oven
- First, you can cook for a crowd (and sometimes that crowd is just your immediate family). This is key for the holidays or when lots of people descend on your house. It’s also HUGE for helping you keep your sanity in the kitchen with the masses.
- Second, cooking bacon in the oven is way cleaner than cooking bacon on the stove. I’m notorious for getting splatters all over the stovetop because I probably cook my bacon a bit too hot. But when you cook bacon in the oven you don’t get any splatters because the bacon just sizzles until it’s perfectly crispy (or done to your liking).
- Lastly, cooking bacon in the oven allows you to multitask in the kitchen. Because once you toss that sheet pan of glorious bacon in the oven, you’re free for about 15 minutes to whip up some eggs or make a batch of pancakes or waffles.
A Few More Tips
- Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper (or don’t line it at all – but that’s messy). With parchment paper it’s as simple as tearing off a piece, placing the bacon on top and cooking.
- Should you place the bacon on a cooling rack to cook? I don’t think so. I tried it and the difference is negligible. But then I had to clean a cooling rack (and those buggers are hard to clean).
- 400 degrees fahrenheit works well for both regular and thick cut bacon. Heat your oven and cook the bacon for 10 to 20 minutes or until it’s reached your desired level of crispiness. I do rotate the pan halfway through, just to ensure even cooking, but that’s it. And remember that your bacon will continue to crisp up once it dries.
What to do with Bacon Grease? Save it!
If you purchase organic bacon, as I do, definitely consider rendering and saving the bacon grease. Not only does bacon grease impart a richness of flavor into braised meats and other dishes, it has a high smoke point which means it’s far more stable to cook with.
Here’s how to render bacon grease:
- Once you’ve cooked your bacon, remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Line a fine mesh sieve with another paper towel (you could also use a nut milk bag or cheesecloth) and pour the hot bacon grease over the sieve and into a glass jar.
- Note: it’s important to use glass and not plastic, as you’ll melt plastic with hot bacon grease.
You can see in the photo above that I had some previous bacon fat already in my glass jar that’s opaque and lighter in color. When I have a new batch of bacon, I just pour this straight on top then cover the jar and refrigerate it.
So what do I use my rendered bacon grease for? Oh, just about everything. It’s what I fry my eggs in and how I sear pretty much any meat. It’s also great for sautéed or roasted vegetables to add depth and flavor.
Tasty Recipes with Crispy Bacon
- Bacon Deviled Eggs
- Cobb Salad
- Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro, Lime and Bacon Slaw
- Broccoli Salad
- BLT Salad with Avocado and Sprouts
- Baked Eggs in Avocado
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven (Easy & Crispy)
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 8 bacon slices
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper, then place the bacon side-by-side on the tray.
- Cook the bacon for 10 to 20 minutes or until it's reached your desired level of crispiness. Make sure to check on it after about 10 minutes, as some ovens cook faster. Remove the tray from the oven and transfer the bacon with tongs to a paper towel-lined plate.
- If you're rendering the bacon fat, line a fine mesh sieve with a paper towel. Then place the sieve over a glass storage container and pour the bacon fat from the sheet tray into the sieve. Cover the glass storage container and place it in the refrigerator for future cooking needs.
Lisa's Tips
- If you don't have a heavy-duty baking sheet I recommend purchasing some. They never warp or bend in the oven!
- Please note that all ovens cook slightly differently. It's best to keep an eye on the bacon past the 10-minute mark so you can ensure it's cooked to your personal preference. If you scroll through the comments you'll see some people have raw bacon at 15 minutes and some have burnt bacon at 15 minutes. After years of comments on this recipe, I've widened the cooking time to 10 to 20 minutes, as all ovens do bake differently.
Nutrition
Recipe originally published December 2016, but updated with new photos and information.
Easy and delicious
I never really cooked bacon on the stove And You Know Why Splatter, Spatter, clean.. WELL, I’VE NOW DISCOVERED “OVEN BACKED BACON” It’s life-changing. Thks, who says you can teach an old dog new tricks? Nothing smells better in the house than the aroma of bacon. Munch, Munch~
Best way to cook bacon and it’s crispy. No mess on the stove. I do it all the time now.
Lisa,
Thanks for sharing this method. I work in a restaurant and this is exactly how we do it. I wanted to check how to modify for at home cooking and this was perfect! We bake at 350 for 15 minutes, but the ovens are different than at home.
Glad this worked out great at home! But yes – it’s definitely good to remember that all ovens cook differently, so temperatures and time may be differ from my recipe.
This a good recipe for bacon. Just a added note for the bacon grease. Once it cools a little I take it and pour into old ice cube trays and freeze it, That way I can take out what I need when I need it.
Sometimes it’s the simplest tips that make all the difference in the world! I don’t think I will every cook bacon in a pan again – the splatter, the mess it makes in a pan, having to pay attention, etc.
I baked the bacon in the oven according to these directions and the bacon was perfectly browned to my liking with no effort. I had thick cut bacon so it took 15 minutes rather than 10 but it was perfect! Thank-you!
I don’t have Parchment Paper. Will Freezer Paper work? Or, should I just use tin foil? And, do you spray it with cooking spray?
You can use tin foil. And no, theres no need to spray with cooking spray!
Love this method, thank you !!
I love the bacon recipe. How long would the bacon fat/grease last in the fridge? Any tips to extend its lifespan?
It should last for many months!
I love to sprinkle bacon with ground pepper, seasoned salt and the tiniest bit of brown sugar (carmelizes). Much prefer bacon in the oven!
What if I don’t have parchment paper.
You can also use foil paper, or nothing at all (if you don’t mind a messy clean up!).
Thanks, glad I found the answer here. I was concerned using parchment paper would soak up the valuable, reusable, and yummy bacon grease I use to make popcorn and other stuff with.
Look like bacon grease would pop out all over the inside of the oven
The bacon should just sizzle and not splatter in the oven with this recipe.
I’ve followed your instructions several times now and LOVE it. Especially not using a cooling rack. We just had a several day power outage due to a storm. I was so happy to have some cooked bacon in the fridge to heat on the bbq as I emptied the fridge .
Thank you .
My husband and I have used this method for years (sans the parchment). Cook the whole pound and save the leftover pieces to a zip-type bag in the refrigerator. It will keep for at least a week. Reheat in the microwave or a frypan. Then add eggs and breakfast with bacon is ready in 5 minutes.
Hi there, Mine turned out a little too dry. really easy, quick &no mess. I really loved it
Best way to cook bacon without splashing the entire stove. Delicious 👏
What if I Don’t want the bacon super crispy? Do I change the oven temp? Or just cook for less time? Thanks.
Just cook for less time.
Turned out perfect!
My bacon turned out great. No curling up. It was so straight that it looked fake. No mess either. From now on this is how I’m going to make bacon.
I always thought there had to be a more efficient (and less messy) way to cook bacon. Thanks for the excellent video with step-by-step directions. Can’t wait to try this method for a creamy bacon ranch pasta salad I’m ready to make!
I’ve been baking our bacon for years using another’s recipe. I don’t preheat the oven, I just set it to 400F when I’m putting the baking sheet in, and it still only takes 18-20 minutes. I think there’s less bacon shrinkage because it gradually heats up. I like that we have a bag of cooked bacon in the freezer so I can reheat 2 slices when I need them.
This worked perfectly. I will never fry 🥓 again on top of the stove. I really love the video and how you explained everything in text as well. Thank you so much.
Thank U for recipe for bacon in my oven, never tried it sounds easy, my man wanted BLT’S for dinner & my back won’t let me stand there & fry it, so your idea sure worked gave me time to sit & not worrying about burning it , Thank U very , & he loved them!!!!
Thank you for this tip. Im 62 and had never hear of this. I let mine go about 5 minutes longer and it came out perfect. No muss no fuss!
wow i was looking for these posts before and i saw your post. it’s really helpful for me, i love this post!
Glad this post was helpful!
Used this twice and the second time I used thick cut bacon. It needed about 10 mins more but it turned out great and less work.
Thanks
18 minutes was waaay too long for thin bacon. I burnt the tar out of it. 12 minutes is the sweet spot I have found after experimenting.
Hi Ryan – that’s why the recipe notes say to keep an eye on your bacon after the 10 minute mark. ;) At least you know for next time now!
Love the idea of using the grease after filtering instead of just having a gross container around until it gets tossed.
Thanks for some great ideas.
I will never cook bacon any other way again. It comes out perfect every time!!
Works wonderfully for big family breakfast!! Thank you
Yes, this is the best way to cook bacon for a large family or gathering. Glad you enjoyed it!
Easy and taste great. Will use thus method over the microwave.
If you use tin foil it takes longer to cook. Better with the p paper but if you dont have any. Great recipe lovvvvvve dshift!
This recipe did not work at all as written. I baked the bacon for twice the time stated and the bottoms didn’t crisp at all. Definitely going back to the cooling racks so it can bake on both sides. Parchment paper is a mess!
Hi Lynne – if your bacon didn’t cook after more than 40 minutes in the oven, I’d recommend purchasing an oven thermometer to double check that your oven temp is calibrated correctly.
Easy instructions. I can do this. For sure. I’m prepping it for a recipe called Bacon Crack. Ever heard of it? Easy and sounds like a winner. What’s not to like? Except that bacon is now $6 a pound!
loveeeeee this recipe and all this information thank you much and it is my favorite way to cook it … my mouth is salavating just thinking about it lol
Before reading this I used parchment paper to line the pans, much better than foil as the grease does not smoke! Also I cook at 420 & it works quite well. All in all this is a fantastic recipe!
I’ve been wanting to try cooking bacon in the oven and am so glad I found your recipe. Followed it exactly and my bacon was excellent! Using the parchment paper makes no mess- just throw away when done. Thank you for this. I will forever cook bacon in the oven!!!
Cheers
Amazing! Glad to hear this method turned out perfectly Kristen :)
It really comes out perfect – chewy with almost no clean up. Let the grease dry then threw it away with parchment paper. It’s my second time making it your way. I’m hooked. I even baked my eggs since oven was hot.
Does the level of your oven rack matter? Top, middle, or bottom? How about what works best bake or convection?
I would recommend the middle. And this recipe is written for regular baking/conventional oven (not convection).
This is a great way to “bake bacon”. The recipe works. The use of a rack does slightly improve the results. However, as author notes, it also add a great deal to clean up for such a minor improvement. The grease – especially if you use organic bacon – is a resource and should not be wasted. Too many people are afraid of it, but it imparts a large amount of flavor and can be used sparingly. I put it in my cooking oil (refined olive). It seems to increase the smoke point of that oil – and it only takes a little. It also has numerous uses outside the kitchen for those of us in remote areas.
Can you use aluminum foil in you don’t have parchment paper?
Yep, that’s fine!
Thanks. Just a point: The countries and territories that use the Fahrenheit scale are:
United States
Bahamas
Cayman Islands
Liberia
Palau
The Federated States of Micronesia
Marshall Islands
… that is, less than 5% of your potential audience.
But probably 99% of puerile that want to use the recipe.
*people
I love the bacon recipe. And I’m sure you have lots more that I should look at.
How long would the bacon fat/grease last in the fridge? Any tips to extend its lifespan?
I normally store my bacon fat in the fridge for several months!
I might add – you can tell when it is bad. It has a poor smell (rancid) and if you heat it, it will have a sour smell. You won’t need to “guess”
What do you do about the smoke. Usually by the time mine is close to done small sections of grease start smoking. It then fills house with smoke when I take it out.
There shouldn’t be too much smoke when making this recipe, the bacon should just sizzle. If you find that it’s smoking, I would turn the temperature down a notch or take it out a bit earlier as your oven may cook hotter.
I tried this recipe in the toaster oven using foil instead of parchment paper and only cooked for 12 minutes and it came out perfect! I was worried it would splatter everywhere but it didn’t! I will definitely be using this method from now on. So much better than having grease splatter all over the stove and floor.
Good to know this worked in your toaster oven Diana!
Very easy and cooked perfect mrs
Can I freeze the cooked bacon and when I thaw, should i cook in oven for a minute or two. Perhaps I should for 16 min and then freeze?
Yes, you can freeze cooked bacon (think of bacon bits that you buy at the market). To thaw, you can cook in the oven or microwave until warmed through, or just crumble it directly into recipes.
Followed your instructions to the T. Perfectly crisp bacon strips. The parchment paper is genius. Keto people use this!
Glad this worked out perfectly!
Love this recipe! I never cook it any other way. A question though: when making more ahead of time, what is the best way to reheat the bacon? Do they splatter/get soggy if you use a microwave?
I normally would just microwave it. But once this bacon cools, it will stay a bit crispy.