No more stovetop splatters. No more bacon grease to the face and arms. Once you know how to make Crispy Oven Baked Bacon, you'll never go back to cooking bacon in a skillet again!
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Learning to make Crispy Oven Baked Bacon was a transformative moment for me. My whole life is now divided into before and after I learned I didn't have to struggle with the process, and the aftermath, of cooking bacon on the stove.
You know the drill. You try to cook bacon in a pan on the stove. You find yourself dodging hot bacon grease missiles. You buy a splatter shield, but when you lift it to flip your bacon - BAM - it gets you in the face.
Let's not even talk about how parts of your bacon are charred and parts of it are almost raw. And let's NOT talk about the cleanup. You could avoid all of this trauma if you just baked your bacon. Let's move forward into a great new future. One without bacon grease scars.
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❤️ What you'll love about this recipe
- Easy - You just put your bacon on the sheet pan, flip it once halfway through, and boom, you have Crispy Oven Baked Bacon!
- Quick - Most cuts of bacon are done in 15 to 20 minutes.
- Smokeless - No more hot bacon grease smoking up the kitchen.
- Easy cleanup - Using parchment paper makes cleanup a breeze!
- Great for a crowd - Each sheet tray will hold 6 to 10 slices. How many sheet pans can you fit in your oven? Bacon math is delicious!
Ingredients
I'll wait if you need to get a shopping list started.
Substitutions
Crispy Oven Baked Bacon is kind of self explanatory and you probably knew I meant pork bacon right?
- Bacon - Well folks, we went right there didn't we? Listen, there are entire fantastic vegan and vegetarian website that can tell you how to make your own bacon without meat, but this isn't it. You can also oven bake beef bacon, and we'll get to turkey bacon in just a minute, don't you worry.
- Parchment paper - If you prefer not to use parchment paper, you can use aluminum foil, preferably the nonstick kind, or use a very light spritz of nonstick spray.
- Aluminum foil - I'm prepared for everything! You can place your bacon directly on your sheet pan if you give it a light spritz with nonstick spray first. Don't spray too much because the spray itself can burn and smoke. Also, cleanup? Not so easy anymore. Sorry.
Variations
I love crispy bacon made in the oven, so of course I play around with the flavors:
- Sweet - Make my Maple Pecan Bacon. Just brush your bacon lightly with maple syrup and sprinkle with pecans and brown sugar before baking for a delightful twist. Watch it carefully because the sugars can burn quickly and definitely use parchment paper on your sheet pan.
- Salty and sweet - After the maple syrup goes on and you flip your bacon, try sprinkling some everything seasoning on your bacon for the ultimate salty and sweet combo
- Spicy - My Maple Millionaire's Bacon ups the ante on the sweet bacon with the addition of a kick of heat in the place of the everything seasoning. Careful though. It is addictive!
- Pancakes - Eat a few crispy slices, but save some for my Bacon Pancakes! Crispy bacon is cooked right in the pancake batter for a craveable, maple syrup dippable treat!
Equipment: Sheet pans
Sheet pans are the undisputed hero of the kitchen. They are not only good for making crispy bacon in the oven, they are also unbeatable for roasting vegetables, making entire sheet pan dinners, and even sheet pan french toast. To keep cleanup to a minimum, I almost always line my sheet pans with parchment paper. But be aware that not all sheet pans are created equal.
The cheap sheet pans you get at discount stores, or in "starter baking sets" are usually thin and of poor quality and workmanship. I also don't care for nonstick sheet pans, as they scratch easily and the coating becomes sticky over time. Heavy gauge aluminum sheet pans are thicker, very affordable, and are used most often in professional kitchens.
In most of my recipe process shots you'll see me use a large sheet pan, which measures 13 by 18 inches with a 1 inch rim. I also use my small sheet pan, which is 13 by 9 inches, for when I want to keep cook several things at once, without blending the flavors. I also use it for keeping prep ingredients together before cooking, and for flash freezing something I want to store in the freezer.
Good quality pans will not. You can get a 2 pack of my favorite large sheet pan for less than $30 and it's well worth the investment. I have 8 of them. And 4 of the smaller ones. 🤭
Instructions
I was shocked, SHOCKED, to find out recently that my own daughters weren't making crispy bacon in the oven. It just never ocurred to them. So I'm going to blow your mind with how simple it is and you are going to face palm when you realize how much easier your life could have been this whole time. See if you can follow along 😜
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place bacon on a parchment paper lined sheet pan and place into the oven. Set timer for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Flip over your bacon. Make sure that you are flipping the bacon with the pan turned so that any grease splatter will not go on you. Set timer for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Check bacon for doneness at 5 minutes. If it still looks like it needs more time, set timer for another 5 minutes. When done it will still be soft and flexible, but will crisp up more as it cools.
Step 4: Place bacon strips on a paper towel lined plate, or on another sheet pan lined with parchment paper, to cool. Enjoy!
Hint: Because of the hot bacon grease still in and on the bacon, it will continue to cook after you remove it from the oven. If, after it cools, you would like it to be a bit more done, place bacon on a paper towel lined plate, cover with another paper towel, and microwave for 15 second bursts, until it is cooked to your liking.
Some last tips: Thin sliced bacon may need less time. Check it earlier. Thicker cuts of bacon may take more time. Increase in 5 minute intervals, less if you are unsure.
⚠️ Important note: This recipe for oven bacon is based on my own oven, which I regularly check for temperature accuracy. Your oven temperature may be correct, or it may be off by as much as 75°F or more (my old oven was really off and we broke up). Use an oven thermometer to verify your oven's temperature and adjust either the oven temperature or the baking time. You can also check your oven's use manual to see if you can adjust the temperature manually.
Serve with a big bowl of creamy cheddar grits. Just crumble the bacon over top along with some chopped scallions or chives and a dash of hot sauce. Or chop and add to my Mini Quiche Lorraine, baked up in a muffin tin.
Turkey bacon
For the sake of thoroughness, I also made crispy turkey bacon in the oven to see if it worked just as well as the pork bacon. And I mean, well... yes, after 20 minutes, I had perfectly cooked, crispy turkey bacon. Before starting I did my research to find out which was the most flavorful and best selling brand of turkey bacon, I bought the turkey bacon, and I baked the turkey bacon.
Anyway, I found out that you can make turkey bacon in just the same way as you can make pork bacon in the oven. It was edible. I'm sure someone, somewhere would enjoy it. The things I do for you guys.
Expert tip
I already told you that using parchment paper was going to reduce your clean up when making bacon in the oven, but now I'm going to tell you how to reduce it to near zero. Before placing your parchment paper onto your sheet pan, crumple it up into a ball. Smooth it out on your sheet pan. Do you see how it kind of cups up a bit on the edges? When you place it on your sheet pan and cook your bacon, those cupped edges will keep most, if not all, of the bacon grease contained 🤯
After you've finished making your bacon in the oven, remove the strips of bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and let the sheet pan sit. The bacon grease will solidify as it cools and all you have to do is lift it up and throw it away, or you can scoop up the fat and store it in a covered container in your fridge, and then throw out the parchment (parchment paper is not recyclable). Your sheet pan will just need a quick wash with a soapy sponge and it's clean. No scrubbing.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! I often bake a whole package of bacon in the oven so that my husband can add it to a salad when he gets home from work at midnight (or later).
I like to store my bacon in a zip top bag in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for a month.
If you like, you can crumble it up for salads or soups, make bacon waffles, cheesy bacon biscuits, or add it to a baked omelette. The possibilities are endless!
Place on a paper towel lined plate, cover with another paper towel, and microwave for 15 second bursts, until it is heated to your liking.
Did you try this recipe?
Leave a comment with a ⭐️ rating below to tell me all about it, and don't forget to tag me on Instagram!
I appreciate you!
-Cynthia
📖 Recipe
Crispy Oven Baked Bacon
Equipment
- Oven thermometer optional
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Place bacon on a parchment paper lined sheet pan and place into the oven. Set timer for 10 minutes.
- Flip over your bacon. Make sure that you are flipping the bacon with the pan turned so that any grease splatter will not go on you. Set timer for 5 minutes.
- Check bacon for doneness at 5 minutes. If it still looks like it needs more time, set timer for another 5 minutes. When done it will still be soft and flexible, but will crisp up more as it cools.
- Place bacon strips on a paper towel lined plate, or another sheet pan lined with parchment paper, to cool. Enjoy!
Save This Recipe! 💌
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later, plus you'll get great new recipes from me every week!
Raquel says
Perfectly cooked and easy clean up!
Cynthia Christensen says
That’s what I like to hear! 🙌