How To Cook Bacon in the Oven (Crispy & Easy Way!)

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Simple tutorials are one of my favorite things here at Wholesome Yum, and today I want to show you the 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 works surprisingly well.

The trick I use for the oven method came to me when making bacon wrapped asparagus, and I’ve 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 – that’s what I’m showing you today.

Read on to learn my method for cooking super crispy bacon in the oven, and why it’s the best way to cook bacon…

The Trick To Baking Bacon Perfectly

If you want to cook crispy bacon in oven, the main trick is to use an oven-safe rack — instead of placing the bacon directly on the baking sheet.

The rack is my #1 tip for baking bacon perfectly, because it lets the fat drip down. You want the fat away from the bacon because that gets it CRISPY!

Recommended Rack For Bacon: I recommend this rack or this rack, depending on the size you need. They are both sturdy, oven safe, and don’t stick easily.

How To Cook Bacon In The Oven

This section shows how to cook crispy bacon in the oven, with details about the technique. For full instructions, see the recipe card below.

• Preheat your oven first. I like to cook oven baked bacon at 400 degrees F.
• Arrange bacon. Place the rack over the pan, and arrange the bacon on the rack in a single layer.

TIP: For the crispiest oven baked bacon, make sure the bacon pieces are not overlapping! But, the slices will shrink a little while cooking, so a tiny bit of overlap is okay.

• Place the bacon in the oven and bake. It’s done when it’s crispy to your liking.

TIP: Pat with paper towels to crisp up even more. Blotting the extra grease away will help your bacon get extra crisp as it cools from hot to warm.

How Long Do You Cook Bacon in the Oven?

How long to cook bacon in the oven depends on the oven temperature and the thickness of the bacon. A lower temperature will take longer than a higher one. And, thick bacon in the oven will take longer than thinner slices.

What temp to 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.

When choosing the temperature for baking bacon, also consider how uniform the thickness of your bacon is:

• If the slices are all fairly similar, a high temperature (400 or even 425) works best — it’s faster and you get the advantage of maximum crispness.
• If there’s a lot of variance in thickness, stick with a lower temperature (350 or 375).

I’ll give you the time estimates for each temperature to make it easy! 🙂

How long to cook bacon in the oven at 400 F?

For bacon that is average thickness, bake bacon for 18 to 23 minutes at 400 F. (This is the temperature I recommend!)

If you want to try a different temp, use the chart below:

Oven Temperature	Baking Time For Thin Bacon	Baking Time For Average Bacon	Baking Time For Thick Cut Bacon
350 F	19-23 minutes	22-27 minutes	26-30 minutes
375 F	17-21 minutes	20-25 minutes	24-28 minutes
400 F – recommended!	15-19 minutes	18-23 minutes	22-26 minutes
425 F	12-17 minutes	15-20 minutes	19-23 minutes

Can You Cook Thick Cut Bacon In The Oven?

Yes, you can! Thick cut bacon in the oven will take an extra 4-5 minutes compared to the regular kind. In my oven, thick cut bacon takes about 22-26 minutes at 400 degrees F.

Does Bacon Splatter In The Oven?

No, bacon does not usually splatter in the oven. The oven cooks much more evenly than a pan, which means sizzling bacon instead of a splattering mess.

If you find that you do get a few splatters, most ovens have a self-cleaning cycle that will make them very easy to wipe away.

Storage Instructions

Oven baked bacon is delicious made fresh for breakfast or brunch, but it also stores very well!

How long does cooked bacon last in the fridge?

Store leftover bacon in the fridge for up to 5 days.

How to reheat bacon:

Reheat (previously cooked) bacon in the oven at 350 degrees F, covered in foil, for 10-20 minutes.

Can you freeze cooked bacon?

Yes, oven baked bacon can be frozen for 1-3 months.

For best results, wait for it 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.

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.

• To save the bacon grease: Simply tilt the pan over a container, so that the bacon grease collects at the corner and drips down into the container. Make sure to do this while the pan is still hot, so that the bacon grease doesn’t solidify. Just use an oven mit to hold the pan.
• How to store the bacon grease: You can store the bacon grease on the counter, but I prefer the fridge to be safe. It will solidify as it cools.
• What to do with the grease: You can use bacon grease in most savory applications in place of butter or oil. My favorite ways include frying eggs or stir fry vegetables! (Both also happen to be delicious with your crispy oven baked bacon added to them, too.)

Ways To Use Baked Bacon In Recipes

One of the advantages of making 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 pancakes, a fried egg, or the perfect omelette. Recipes for quiche or fritattas also often call for cooked bacon.
• Casseroles – Popular ones include chicken bacon ranch casserole or cheesy brussels sprout casserole.
• Soups – While you can saute the bacon before adding the liquid, adding it pre-cooked is even more convenient if you have some. My fave is bacon cheeseburger soup, but I’ve seen 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 or wedge salad.
• Appetizers – This perfect baked bacon recipe is excellent to use as part of an appetizer, like bacon caprese skewers or bacon deviled eggs.
• Stir Fry – Add bacon to crispy fried brussels sprouts, Southern fried cabbage, or even rice or cauliflower rice.