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Simple tutorials are one of my favorite things here at Wholesome Yum, and today I want to show you one I use multiple times a week: how to cook bacon in the oven! I’ve been baking bacon this way for years, and while it’s super simple, I have a few tips and tricks to share, so that you get perfect oven baked bacon that comes out crispy every time.
You’ll never want to do it any other way again for making large batches, but if you want a smaller batch, microwave bacon and air fryer bacon both work surprisingly well.
Why You’ll Love Bacon In The Oven
- Crispy bacon every time. It’s wavy, it’s gorgeous, it’s perfect!
- Quick and easy. If you can arrange bacon on a rack and turn on your oven, well… you’ve just learned how to bake bacon! 😉
- Can make lots of bacon at once. Baking bacon is a great way to make large batches, and much faster than a skillet.
- Not much hands on time. Pop the pan into the oven and go do something else. Much better than standing at the stove waiting for it to cook — and no flipping needed!
- Minimal splattering. The oven cooks more evenly than a pan, which means sizzling bacon instead of a splattering mess. If you do get a few splatters, most ovens have a self-cleaning cycle that makes them easy to wipe away.
The Trick To Baking Bacon Perfectly
If you want to cook crispy bacon in oven, the main trick to the recipe is to use an oven-safe cooling rack — instead of placing the bacon directly on the sheet pan. This means it doesn’t sit in the grease as it cooks and the fat drips down, which gets you that perfect crispness.
I discovered this method when making bacon wrapped asparagus, and I’ve since used it when wrapping other things too, like bacon wrapped brussels sprouts and green bean bundles. The same concept works for baking bacon all by itself, too.
How To Cook Bacon In The Oven
This section shows how to bake bacon in the oven, with details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Preheat your oven. This ensures even cooking. (See temp info below!)
- Arrange the bacon. Place a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet, and arrange the strips of bacon on the rack in a single layer. You can line the pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper underneath the rack, for easier clean-up.
TIP: For the crispiest bacon, make sure the bacon pieces are not overlapping.
However, the slices will shrink a little while cooking, so a tiny bit of overlap is okay.
- Bake bacon in the oven. It’s done when the level of crispiness is to your liking.
TIP: Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and pat dry.
Blotting the extra grease away will help your bacon strips get extra crisp as they cool from hot to warm.
What Temperature Do You Cook Bacon In The Oven?
I highly recommend cooking bacon in the oven at 400 degrees F. It’s faster than lower temperatures, plus the bacon gets more crispy. Any higher and you tend to risk burning the edges.
How Long To Cook Bacon in the Oven?
For average bacon, bake for 18 to 23 minutes at 400 degrees F. Cook for 15-19 minutes for thin bacon or 22-26 minutes for thick cut bacon.
If your bacon varies in thickness, the ideal cook time is 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees F. The lower temperature will reduce the chance of thinner pieces burning if they don’t all cook at the same rate.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Oven baked bacon is delicious made fresh for breakfast or brunch, but it also stores very well! Keep leftover bacon in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: Reheat (previously cooked) bacon in the oven at 350 degrees F, covered in foil, for 10-20 minutes. You can also reheat it in the air fryer for just a couple of minutes.
- Freeze: Wait for the bacon to cool, then freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Once frozen solid, transfer to a freezer bag and keep frozen for up to 3 months. You can thaw and reheat using the method above.
What To Do With Bacon Grease?
A bonus advantage of cooking bacon in the oven on a rack is that the bacon grease drips down and is super easy to reserve for other uses.
- To save the bacon grease: Tilt the pan over a container or jar, so that the bacon fat collects at the corner and drips down into the vessel. Do this while the pan is still hot, so that the bacon grease doesn’t solidify. Just use an oven mitt to hold the pan.
- To store the bacon grease: You can keep it on the counter, but I prefer the fridge to be safe. It will solidify as it cools.
- What to do with it: Bacon grease works great to add flavor in savory dishes instead of butter or oil, as long as the heat isn’t too high. My favorite ways include frying eggs or adding to stir fry vegetables toward the end. (Both also happen to be delicious with your crispy oven bacon added to them, too.)
Ways To Use Baked Bacon In Recipes
One of the advantages of baking bacon in the oven is you can make a big batch, which means you can use it in lots of different ways! Here are some serving ideas, as well as classic recipes for bacon lovers that can take advantage of your big batch:
- Breakfast – Serve it on the side with almond flour pancakes (or healthy banana oat pancakes), easy oven baked eggs, or the perfect omelette. Recipes for quiche or fritattas also often call for cooked bacon.
- Casseroles – My most popular ones are chicken bacon ranch casserole and cheesy loaded cauliflower casserole.
- Soups – While you can saute the bacon before adding the liquid, adding it pre-cooked is even more convenient if you have some on hand. My fave is bacon cheeseburger soup, but I’ve heard many readers add it to broccoli cheese soup as well.
- Salads – Cooking bacon in the oven is particularly convenient for salads, since you’re not usually cooking other parts of the dish, and can do it ahead. It’s a classic on a cobb salad, broccoli bacon salad, or wedge salad.
- Appetizers – This perfect baked bacon recipe is excellent to use as part of an appetizer, like bacon deviled eggs, jalapeno poppers, or a creamy cheese ball.
- Side Dishes – Use bacon to amp up crispy pan fried brussels sprouts, Southern fried cabbage, or even rice or cauliflower rice.
- Sandwiches – Grab your favorite bread and make a BLT!
Recommended Tools
- Bacon pan & rack for oven – My favorite pans, made in the USA. This version comes with an oven safe rack to put on top, pictured above. They have large and small versions!
How To Cook Bacon in the Oven
How To Cook Bacon In The Oven (Best Way!)
Learn the BEST method for how to cook bacon in the oven — baking it is easy, fast & perfect every time. Use this trick to make it SO CRISPY!
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
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Line an extra-large baking sheet (at least 14 x 20) with foil for easy cleanup. Place an oven-safe cookie rack of the same size on top of the baking sheet. (Get the perfect pan + rack here!)
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Arrange the bacon slices in a single layer on the rack.
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Place bacon in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 18 to 23 minutes for average bacon, 15-19 minutes for thin bacon, or 22-26 minutes for thick cut bacon, until done to your liking.
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After baking bacon in the oven, pat any excess grease to help it get crisp. Allow it to cool for a few minutes to get more crispy.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
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Readers Who Liked This Easy Recipe Also Made:
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 slice, cooked
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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114 Comments
Gary Lee Dyer
0Truly amazing recipe.
Dina S Morton
0Excellent.
Sharina
0This is the best method I have ever tried in cooking bacon. They turned out so crispy and delicious! Highly recommended!
Glenda
0Definitely the best way to cook bacon! So much less mess.
Arlene Lack
0Love your idea about the bacon and will definitely try it. Do you have a super Summer Pasta salad with veggies (and maybe crisp bacon) that is a favorite of yours?
Thanks Arlene
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Arlene, I have this loaded roasted cauliflower pasta salad with bacon that is a pasta salad alternative.
Jane Andrews
0Do you have a link to the glass container that you use in the video?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jane, Here is the link the glass container I used.
Lisa Lundblad
0Great bacon. Fast clean up. A good deal less messy.
Steve
0I do this and always make extra that I keep in the fridge for tomato bacon sandwiches or any other item that I can use bacon on.
Also, I keep the rendered bacon fat in a storage container to use in recipes like cauliflower shrimp and grits. It adds an extra layer of flavor to fried items.
Renae
0I can’t wait to try this easy way to make bacon.
Kristyn
0This is one of my go-to ways, along with cooking in the microwave. No splatter, easy clean up, & so good! I love that I can cook a lot at a time.
Natalie
0Is there a better way to cook bacon? No! The oven makes crispy bacon & it’s super easy! Anyone can do it!
Linda
0Love this crispy bacon! It’s so easy to make and goes well with salad
Amy L Huntley
0Great tips on cooking bacon in the oven. It turned out perfectly.
Christina
0Loved this for brunch!!
Ann
0Cooking bacon in the oven is the only way to make it!
Scarlet
0I love crispy bacon and cooking it in the oven helps it come out nice and evenly cooked across all the pieces. Yum!
Tom Westheimer
0Why bother with the foil or rack? I just cook mine at 425 in a stainless pan and it cleans up easily with hot water and dish soap. I just take the bacon out and put on paper towels to reduce the grease and then save the fat for cooling later!
Thanks
Kristyn
0I love cooking bacon this way!! I rarely fry it on the stove top!
Natalie
0Love all the benefits from cooking bacon in the oven! I would cook bacon more often, since it’s quicker & easier clean up! Turns out so crisp!
Jacqueline Debono
0I agree with you oven baked bacon is the best, especially if you want it crispy! I love adding it to salads and soups!
Jeannette
0What a fantastic way to evenly cook bacon! I love how you can have so many in the oven at once instead of just a few in the airfryer.
Dannii
0I have never seen bacon get this crispy in the oven. I can’t wait to try it.
Beth
0Yum! My daughter is going to love this recipe! So excited to show her!
Gail Montero
0Looks crispy-licious! I should try this in my oven soon!
Mary Ann
0I always use Thick cut bacon. What temperature and length of time would I bake this thickness of bacon?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Mary Ann, Thick cut bacon will require a longer cook time. Depending on the thickness, it may take up to 40 minutes in the oven. Be sure to keep an eye on your bacon the first time you do this so you’ll get a good idea of how long it will take for your preferred brand of bacon.
BB
0Those is easy and easy clean up-a huge time saver! I cook a batch and save it to use all week. Just heat it up when cooking eggs or whatever. It’s one of my fav go to recipes!
Diane
0tytyty
Sherrie
0You are a genius! My husband loves bacon and I can’t stand making it, cuz it splatters grease all over the top stove. Hence making a laborous cleaning of the stove grates and the stove itself, let alone where it pops grease out onto the floor and I can\t tell you how many little grease burns I’ve gotten on my hands from slotting bacon grease. So, I came across this recipe for baked bacon. I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant…. IE: bacon grease all over the oven…I tried it with your “almost-promise” LOL, that it won’t sput grease. ALAS! I tried it and no grease in the oven and the most MARVELOUS crispy bacon. And it certainly tied down my cooking dilemna, and freed more time for me to cook other things, while the bacon was baking. THANK YOU SO MUCH! You have made an impact in my chef endeavors!
I adore your recipes, by the way… So much great inspiring cooking. Thank you always, Sherrie
Thee3
0The bacon and grease did splatter everywhere it touched metal; be it the pan or the wire rack! I tried this method years ago and got the same result! Stick with the skillet method!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Thee3, I’m sorry you didn’t care for this method. It is very helpful when preparing a large amount of bacon at once.
Lorenza
0thank you for this interesting post!
Clare
0OMG! This is the best way to cook bacon! Crispy, heavenly-tasting, much easier to keep from burning it than in the pan. The only problem is I want to eat it all!
Thank you for the recipe. It’s really helping me stick with Keto.
Here’s how my keto journey has gone so far:
Day 1: I miss fruit! And bread! And rice! I don’t know if I can do this.
Day 2: So tired and hungry. This sucks.
Day 3: Meh. I might live after all. Dinner was yummy.
Day 4: While eating your delicious bacon for breakfast: “Keto forever! I am never going back!”
Thank you. 🙂
Niecey
0Thanks for the great directions!
I like to pour bacon grease into a rectangle dish that I line with aluminum foil and then baking paper. I put the whole contraption in the freezer. Once the bacon grease is solidified, I wrap it with the baking paper and aluminum foil. I keep the little bricks in the freezer for longest-lasting grease. I shave off a little to add to SOUPS, STEWS, and any baking done in a pan! It adds a NICE richness to all of my dishes!
Lynne
0Can you use turkey bacon?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Lynne, Yes, but the cook time may vary. Be sure to keep an eye on it.
Lisa
0This is one of our favorite ways to make bacon! Enjoyed reading the tips!
cjsbabygirl
0I have never tried oven-baked bacon before, but I’m going to tonight (we’re having “breakfast for dinner”). Also, another great way to use bacon grease is to add it to your green beans when cooking (along with some garlic), and also to cook your pancakes in!
cjsbabygirl
0Update: Just made these and PERFECTION! in MY oven I was able to bake thick-cut bacon at 400 degrees for exactly 25 minutes. I did spray my cooling rack with cooking spray first (the PAM grilling high-heat one) and line the pan with foil because it does make clean-up easier!
Laura
0This recipe is delicious. I add some brown sugar on top and it comes out divine. I find that if I spray the racks with cooking spray before putting the bacon on, it doesn’t stick.
Annise’
0Thank you so much for this awesome way to cook bacon!! I am so happy I happened upon your site! I’ve always cooked bacon the traditional way, the way my mom and grandmother showed me! I grew up in a farm and the only correct way to cook it was in a cast iron skillet! So happy times have changed and I’m ready and willing to change with them! Thank you again and you had me at “no splatter”! Take care!
Carolina Camargo
0Hi… If we can’t find the bacon you recommend, which other brand option we can have?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Carolina, There are many brands of bacon that are very low sugar! Read the nutrition labels and try to find bacon that is either sugar-free or 1g or less.
Sherrie
0We have a low sodium bacon at our grocery store…. and for some reason the low sodium bacon has 0 sugar in it. We always welcome lower salt and not too much sugar in our home. 🙂
Terry J
0Thank you for such amazing tips! Always prefer cooking bacon in the oven using the oven racks. It is way much cleaner and bacon turns out crispy and perfectly cooked. I love bacon cooked this way and it turns out to be delicious!
Mike in France
0Cooking bacon in the oven was very good. I wish the rack as easy to clean, that was hard, laborious work! after soaking over night I had to use a brush and steel wool. That is the only reason I won’t do it again. Find me a disposable one time use rack and I’m back.