How to cook bacon in the oven

A simple way to cook bacon in the oven to save space on your stove top or to neatly cook a large amount of bacon at once. Use this method to cook thick cut bacon or thin-cut. The time will be shorter for thinner bacon. Some people like to cook the bacon on a rack, but I don’t because the rack is a huge pain in the A to clean and it only offers a minimal decrease in cooking time.

how to cook bacon in the oven

If you want to save the bacon fat, you can either wrap your baking sheet in aluminum foil or go bare. After you’ve cooked and removed the bacon, carefully strain the fat into a clean jar and refrigerate.

You should be able to fit 8-10 slices of bacon on a 10 inch x 15 inch baking sheet. To cook more than that, use two baking sheets and rotate them (top to bottom and bottom to top) half-way through cooking time so they cook at the same rate.

Use your bacon in a breakfast taco, on a cheeseburger, in a Beet BLT, and on a homemade McGriddle.

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how to cook bacon in the oven

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How to cook bacon in the oven

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4.3 from 7 reviews

  • Author: Hilah Johnson

Ingredients

  • Bacon, as much as you want to cook
  • baking sheet
  • parchment paper
  • Optional: brown sugar and/or cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Set oven to 400ºF (204ºC).
  2. Lay your bacon strips out on the baking sheet in a single layer, not overlapping.
  3. Bake for 12 minutes. Check. Depending on the thickness of the bacon and how crispy you like it, it may need up to 30 minutes. Thin bacon should be done around 12-18 minutes for average crispiness. Thick bacon takes 20-25 minutes. By all means, cook your bacon as long as you want.
  4. When it’s done, remove bacon strips with tongs, dap lightly on paper to remove excess grease and serve.
  5. Cooked bacon can be refrigerated and reheated in the microwave or just crumbled to make bacon bits for salad.

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48 Comments

  1. FoodJunkie on June 13, 2016 at 1:58 pm

    This really does produce very nice bacon.

    • Jeff on September 2, 2018 at 8:48 am

      Bacon didn’t come out crispy. Added 5 minutes . Still not crispy. Turned to 425 and added 5 minutes. Not crispy but had to be done so I cut it up with a knife.
      Using Hormel. Black Table. Any idea why it didn’t turn crisy?

      • Hilah on September 2, 2018 at 9:21 am

        Hey Jeff, How long total did you cook it? It may take up to 30 minutes, but there’s no reason it shouldn’t have gotten crisp at 400+ degrees for 30 minutes. Has your oven been cooking other things right? I wonder if your thermostat is off.

      • Anna on September 9, 2018 at 6:32 am

        Does sound like your oven may not be at the temp you think it is. I get a oven thermometer to play it safe

    • Diane Adamson on February 25, 2022 at 5:24 pm

      Do I need to be careful where my racks are. I’ve had so many problems with cooking in the oven like smoke filling up in the house and setting off the smoke alarms, and a big greasy mess in the oven. So I am a little scared of cooking bacon in the oven. Any advice?

      • ChelsMommaOfBigEaters on May 13, 2023 at 7:03 am

        You may be dripping bacon grease on burners, make sure your pan is deep enough to hold the grease, also middle of oven is good that way the splatter should not get on much/if any of the oven walls. You may also try making a done lid of aluminum foil, but will also help cook quicker, so I would check every 2-5min after the first 19 min. Good luck!!!

      • Meaux B on September 29, 2023 at 9:24 am

        I use parchment paper. I have a large sheet pan and I line the pan with parchment with enough to overlap the entire pan. I lay my bacon down, cover it and fold all sides so nothing will drip if level. I also cut the paper with a knife in between slices so condensation doesn’t build and I still get caramelization.

  2. Mitchell on June 18, 2016 at 4:29 am

    I just made this for the first time and it went great with my cheesy eggs. Much easier to keep the bacon meaty and moist as opposed to frying. Cleanup is easy peasy. Thanks Hilah – love your videos!!

    • Hilah on June 20, 2016 at 8:24 pm

      So glad you had success with the oven bacon method, Mitchell! I love it.

  3. Mike on July 3, 2016 at 6:47 am

    I rub the bacon with brown sugar and chili powder, and sometimes a pinch of cayenne to give it a little kick. Its delicious.






    • Hilah on July 3, 2016 at 12:02 pm

      Great idea, Mike!

    • Kathryn McMorrow on February 16, 2017 at 6:24 pm

      Hey Mike, I used to do it much as you suggest and loved the “candied jerky” results for an occasional splurge. But recently I followed this easier method for incredibly tasty bacon with less sugar and fuss. Combine just 1-1/2 T. brown or demerara sugar with 1/4 t. EACH of cayenne pepper and ground black pepper. Bake your bacon (thick slice) @ 350 degrees on baking pan for 20 minutes. Turn over the slices, sprinkle evenly with the sugar/pepper mixture, and bake for @ 20 more minutes or till as done as you like. This amount of spice mix will totally transform the flavor of a whole pound of your breakfast staple, making it just sweet and hot enough to be undeniably mouth-watering!

  4. Jordan Imiola on August 1, 2016 at 12:27 am

    Thanks for teaching me this new method! Did it this morning! And it was awesome! And less to clean! Woo Hoo!






    • Hilah on August 1, 2016 at 7:20 am

      Hooray! Thanks for writing, Jordan!

      • Yolanda on June 9, 2018 at 6:33 am

        Does the bacon grease pop all over the oven? Like it does on the stove.

        • Hilah on June 10, 2018 at 8:32 am

          Not really. It might pop a little but mostly stays on the baking sheet.

        • Angela shiflet on August 16, 2018 at 9:18 am

          Parchment paper laid over the bacon does wonders.

          • Hilah on August 16, 2018 at 9:19 am

            Great idea! Thanks, Angela!



      • Rebecca Blankinship on July 14, 2018 at 7:14 am

        Any idea on how to make it not pop grease all on the inside of the oven? Can I tent some foil over the top?

        • Hilah on July 14, 2018 at 10:42 am

          Sure you could tent foil over it. It would probably take a few more minutes to cook is all

  5. Stephen R Douglas on February 4, 2017 at 11:44 pm

    I have experimented with bacon using a counter top convection oven. Bacon goes on a rack three inches above grease tray. I have learned that some bacon depending how it was cured will behave in odd ways. One bake of applewood smoked bacon sounded like a rain storm while cooking in the oven resulting a in coating of bacon grease all over the inside of the oven. One load of double smoked bacon took a long time to cook at 350 degrees….about 40 minutes and there were no sounds or splatter. I tend to prefer very thick sliced bacon. At 400 degrees I notice there is only a couple of minutes difference between crispy bacon and burnt bacon if I am not watching carefully. So I like to cook bacon at 400 degrees initially while dropping the temperature later on for an even slower bake. I typically cut the baked slices in half and store in Zip Lock sandwich bags to put in the refrigerator. This bacon does not have a lot of flavor if eaten cold, but if heated in the microwave it is delicious. I like what a microwave does to cooked bacon. You may think cooked bacon will not have much grease in it, but finish with a microwave and the towel paper will pick up a lot grease. To me cooking bacon is highly variable. I would suppose if all the bacon one ever cooks is from a single supplier maybe each bake would be the same. But I keep an eye open for special offers and I have found that bacon will surprise me with how it responds to temperature. It is rarely the same.






    • Hilah on February 6, 2017 at 2:17 pm

      Thanks, Stephen!
      I have noticed a difference between nitrate-free bacon and standard bacon, I think. The nitrate-free seems to cook slower whereas the standard bacon gets crisp really quickly.
      Also agree that the microwave is a great way to cook bacon! I wrote about that in my cookbook, too.

  6. Kathryn McMorrow on February 16, 2017 at 6:31 pm

    400 degree oven great for bacon that was not ever stored in the freezer. But if it was, I find 350 degree oven to be better with less shrinkage or unintended overcooking. You could turn them halfway through, also, if desired. Takes a little longer, but better for bacon that was frozen at one time.






  7. Nate Nelson on February 20, 2017 at 7:03 am

    Holy sh*t, you do it this way too!

    I started doing it this way so my partner, Mr.Autism, surname-OCD, feels comfortable with cooking as well.
    I go away 4 days a year for a break so he needed more options.
    We also cook beef sausages this way, I don’t know if you guys call them the same word. The British call them bangers, if that helps you know what I’m talking about. In Australia here, a sausage on bread (sausage sizzle) is a cultural favourite. Oh I just remembered you’ve been to Australia before, so you probably know.
    I’m too lazy for turning halfway though.
    To me, it makes no noticeable difference at all.
    I have to say, since watching the first video I’d seen of yours (meatballs) with Michael, my partner, life has been so much better for us. Variety is priceless imho.
    I got teary on the first mouthful, as we’d been eating only 3 dishes for about 5 months in a row.
    With autistic people, they tend to not handle many changes to diet, but he really took to your personality and cooking direction style.
    He trusted you. That’s rare for him.
    I’ll have to find and send in the picture I took of his empty plate, that he wrote your name on, in the remaining sauce.
    Thank you so much for the effort you go to.






    • Hilah on February 20, 2017 at 2:45 pm

      Hi Nate!
      Thanks for your comment; it made my day! How wonderful that you are both able to enjoy cooking and eating a wider variety of foods now. I’d love to see that picture if you find it 🙂

  8. DOUG CARLSON on February 25, 2017 at 10:19 pm

    I TRIED THIS , IT IS BETTER THEN IN A FRYING PAN. i PUT MY HASH BROWNS IN WITH THE BACON BOTH ARE DONE AT THE SAME TIME!! THE ONLY PAN ON THE STOVE IS FOR THE EGGS …..

  9. Alex Poon on November 23, 2017 at 4:00 am

    It doesn’t splatter and make a greasy mess inside the oven? I hate frying bacon because of the grease spletter

    • Hilah on November 23, 2017 at 2:07 pm

      It definitely makes a mess on the pan, but doesn’t splatter all over the oven

      • Kathy Pearson on June 6, 2018 at 1:26 pm

        Does it stink up your home? I always cook bacon on the grill side burner so it doesn’t smell in the house

        • Hilah on June 6, 2018 at 4:54 pm

          No, it doesn’t. It may smell up your oven, but it stays contained in there in my experience

  10. Rachel on May 12, 2018 at 9:11 am

    My bacon stuck to the parchment paper. Wasted a whole pack of bacon. 🙁

    Please elaborate on the use of parchment in your recipe.






    • Hilah on May 12, 2018 at 10:54 am

      Sorry to hear that. Parchment paper should not stick to anything so the only thing I can think of is that your paper was defective or did you accidentally use waxed paper instead of parchment?

  11. Wendy A McKeown on May 21, 2018 at 10:21 am

    Best oven bacon recipe I’v tried so far! I was used to starting with a cold oven, but preheating to 400 works much better. Thanks!






    • Hilah on May 21, 2018 at 10:37 am

      I’m so happy to hear that, Wendy!

  12. Rose on May 29, 2018 at 10:04 am

    I have a question for

    DOUG CARLSON:

    Your hashbrowns, were they the frozen shredded or the frozen hashbrowns that are in a patty shape??

  13. Shirley Donnelly Thomas on July 14, 2018 at 1:27 pm

    If u don’t have parchment paper what else can I use?

    • Hilah on July 14, 2018 at 7:12 pm

      You can use foil or just the metal pan. Pan is a pain in the ass to clean, though

  14. Nancy Higgins on July 16, 2018 at 10:53 am

    Looks delicious

  15. Curious on July 27, 2018 at 1:08 pm

    What level is your rack set on when cooking bacon in the oven?

    • Hilah on July 28, 2018 at 7:18 am

      The center

  16. Kaylee on July 31, 2018 at 10:24 am

    Loved it I cooks it for my family!!! So much easier!! And less mess!!!

  17. Baconator on August 15, 2018 at 8:42 am

    Turkey bacon in th oven is the way to go

  18. Edeli on August 20, 2018 at 11:52 am

    So much great information. I love it. Thank you

  19. dpddj on November 26, 2019 at 9:01 pm

    I spend a lot of time on my boat – months at a time. To keep the mess down, at home I ovenbake a bunch of bacon (not quite to the doneness I like level) and freeze it in a pan, then stick the frozen pieces in a zip lock bag. When I want bacon, I pull out a couple pieces and within a short time in the frying pan it is ready to eat without dealing with the mess.

    • Hilah on November 27, 2019 at 3:22 pm

      That’s a great bacon tip!! Thanks for sharing

  20. Shaddai on December 16, 2019 at 1:43 am

    I have 18 people to feed and I am about to try this now. I hope it all goes well, I’m glad I found this site. I will update my experience soon?

  21. Shaddai on December 17, 2019 at 10:08 pm

    I have 18 people to feed and I tried this recipe and it made the bacon so nice and crispy!! Everyone loved it and I will definitely be doing it again!!

  22. Vickie on July 27, 2023 at 1:18 pm

    Loved love love this method

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