I used to think I loved bacon. But honestly, I just don’t love it enough to cook it at home because of the mess. Spilling bacon grease is the worst, and my husband hates the smell of bacon in the house all day. Oh and then you have to deal with all the bacon grease. Ugh. So much work.
But my daughter Natalie loves bacon, and not just a little either. She really loves bacon. When she was little, if we put out a plate of bacon for breakfast, she’d eat it all in no time, even if there was enough for eight people. If it were up to her, we’d always have fresh bacon on hand so she could put it on everything.
Until one day, while scrolling through my Facebook feed, I saw something interesting. Someone was talking about cooking bacon in the oven. What?! How do you cook bacon in the oven? I was enamored with the idea. No more standing in front of a hot stove getting tiny burns from bacon grease splatter. No more bacon grease mess to clean up. Cooking bacon in the oven seemed like the perfect solution to making fresh bacon at home.
So we gave it a try and now it is the ONLY way we cook bacon.
Bacon is a breakfast staple in many households. There’s nothing quite like the smell of sizzling bacon in the morning. However, cooking bacon on the stovetop can be a messy affair. The hot grease pops and splatters, making a greasy mess. But what if you could cook bacon perfectly without the mess? You can – by cooking it in the oven!
Why Oven-Cooked Bacon is Mess-Free
When bacon is cooked on the stovetop, the fat renders out and sizzles in the pan This causes grease to splatter out of the pan onto your stovetop, counters and floors. It’s a hassle to clean up. Baking bacon in the oven is a splatter-free cooking method The bacon fat slowly renders out and drips onto the baking sheet instead of causing grease to fly out of a hot pan. No splatter means no mess to clean up!
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
Cooking crispy bacon in the oven is simple
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Preheat oven to 400°F Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper For extra crispy bacon, place a cooling rack on the baking sheet.
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Lay bacon slices in a single layer on the baking sheet or rack. Make sure the slices aren’t overlapping.
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Bake for 15-20 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on how thick your bacon is. Rotate the pan halfway through for even cooking.
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To drain the bacon, move the slices to a paper towel-lined plate with tongs once they are done cooking.
No flipping required – the bacon cooks evenly on both sides! The rendered bacon fat drips onto the foil or parchment paper, keeping your oven clean.
Tips for Perfect Oven-Cooked Bacon
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Use thick-cut bacon for the best texture – it stays nicely crispy. Regular sliced bacon works too.
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For extra crispy bacon, use a cooling rack. This allows air to circulate under the bacon as it cooks.
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Bake thicker bacon for 18-20 minutes. Thinner slices only need 15-17 minutes.
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Rotate the pan halfway through baking to ensure even cooking.
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Drain bacon on paper towels after baking. This soaks up any extra grease.
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Save the cooled bacon fat in the pan to use for cooking later. Bacon fat adds great flavor!.
The Benefits of Cooking Bacon in the Oven
No splattering grease: Oven-baked bacon contains the fat and grease on the baking sheet instead of spraying it out of a pan.
Less babysitting: Once it’s in the oven, you can walk away until it’s done. Stovetop cooking requires constantly watching and flipping.
Cooks evenly: The bacon cooks evenly on both sides since it’s not sitting in a pan. No undercooked spots.
Serves a crowd: You can bake a large batch of bacon at once in the oven. Much faster than cookingindividual batches on the stovetop.
Easy cleanup: The baking sheet catches all the grease. Simply dispose of the foil or parchment after.
More Tips for Clean, Splatter-Free Bacon
If you want to cook bacon on the stovetop without the mess, here are some tips:
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Use a splatter screen over the frying pan. This catches popping grease.
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Fry the bacon in a few inches of water. This helps prevent splattering.
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Add a few drops of oil to the pan. Oil helps reduce splattering.
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Cook over medium-low heat. High heat causes more splattering.
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Drain bacon on paper towels when it’s done cooking.
While these tips can help, oven baking is still the best no-fuss way to cook great bacon. Once you try it, you may never go back to stovetop methods!
Frequently Asked Questions About Cooking Bacon in the Oven
Is oven-cooked bacon as crispy as fried bacon?
Yes, it can be even crispier! Using a rack elevates the bacon allowing air circulation for excellent crisping on both sides.
Does bacon cooked in the oven taste the same?
It tastes just as delicious with the added benefit of evenly cooked meat and crispy edges.
Do you need to flip the bacon while baking?
Nope, no flipping required! The heat circulates around the bacon, cooking it evenly on both sides.
Can you bake bacon from frozen?
Absolutely! Just add a few extra minutes to the baking time. Place frozen bacon slices on a rack over a baking sheet.
What temperature should you bake bacon at?
400°F is ideal. At this temp, the fat slowly renders out for crispy bacon without burning or undercooking.
How long does it take to bake bacon?
Thick sliced bacon takes 18-20 minutes at 400°F. Thinner sliced bacon bakes in 15-17 minutes. Check for your desired crispness.
Inspiration for Enjoying Your Oven-Baked Bacon
Now that you can cook splatter-free bacon in the oven, you’ll want to enjoy it in all sorts of dishes! Some delicious ways to use your baked bacon:
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Crumble it over salads – it adds a smoky, salty crunch.
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Make bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches.
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Chop it up for bacon bits to top baked potatoes, mac and cheese or burgers.
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Wrap baked bacon slices around roasted asparagus.
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Fold crispy chopped bacon into biscuit dough before baking.
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Sprinkle bacon over pizza, tacos, nachos – almost anything!
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Use bacon fat to cook eggs, roast potatoes or sauté greens.
Oven-baked bacon is endlessly versatile. Now that you can cook it without the messy splatters, you’ll want bacon in every meal! Use the splatter-free oven method for picture-perfect crispy bacon every time.
Bacon Grease Clean Up
Clean up for oven baked bacon is a breeze.
As you go around the edges of the baking sheet, take off the foil and fold it toward the middle. This will keep the bacon grease and parchment paper inside.
Fold the foil toward the middle of the baking sheet again and again until you have a foil ball that holds all of the mess. After that, we take the bacon grease balls wrapped in foil to our outside trash can and put the baking sheets away. Done!.
And that’s it. No grease splatter to clean up. No big mess. No pan or tray of bacon grease to clean up. Just delicious bacon.
How To Cook Bacon In The Oven, Step-By-Step
First, you need baking sheets with edges to make sure the grease is contained. Also, this type of baking sheet makes it much easier to take off the foil when the bacon is done. Second, heat a convection oven to 400 degrees and cover each baking sheet with foil, making sure that any separate pieces fit over each other so that the whole sheet is covered. Then add one layer of parchment paper on top of the foil.
Third, put the bacon strips on the baking sheets so that they are close to each other but not touching. If you do this, the bacon strips will stick together. If I’m going to bake bacon, I want to make sure I bake at least two full packages at once. That way, we can eat a lot of it right away and save a lot to put in the fridge and use on pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, and burgers later.
Fourth, place all of the sheets of bacon in the oven and set a timer for 15 minutes. The bacon usually takes about 20 minutes to cook, but this can change from brand to brand. Set the timer earlier so you can carefully watch it for the last 5 minutes. In the blink of an eye, your bacon will go from almost perfect to charred, burned, and gross. Trust me. I’ve done it and it’s so sad.
Take the bacon out of the oven when it’s done and put it all on a cutting board or baking sheet lined with paper towels to soak up any extra grease. You can serve the bacon right away or put it in a container and put it in the fridge to eat later.
