Air Fryer Bacon - Crispy, Easy, Perfect!

Name: Air Fryer Bacon - Crispy, Easy, Perfect!
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 11 min
Ingredients: 5 slices bacon

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Ready in just 10 minutes or less, Air Fryer Bacon is crispy, delicious, and perfect every time! There’s virtually zero clean-up, no greasy splatters and as a bonus, you can cook the bacon to your liking.

I am not going to add any fluffy words or tell a long story here. I have only one thing to say, and that is…bacon cooked in the air fryer is over the top good, like I’ve got to have another piece good!

I’ve been in love with my air fryer for a while, and have no idea why I’ve never cooked bacon in it until now. I’ve had great success with Air Fryer Baked Potatoes, Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes, and Air Fryer Hot Dogs, so you’d think I would have thought to cook bacon this way sooner.

For years, my go-to method for cooking bacon has been making it in the oven. Now, that’s still a great way to cook it BUT, if you have an air fryer, you’ve got to use it for the best, crispiest, perfectly cooked bacon.

Uncooked bacon in the basket of an air fryer.

What You Need To Make Air Fryer Bacon

This one ingredient “recipe” is really all about timing and the process. There are two import items that do you need to pay attention to:

Quality Ingredients

Buy good bacon. I look for lean bacon that has just the right about of fat to meat ratio.

An Air Fryer

There are several brands of air fryers on the market. I use this one, which is a basket-style air fryer. I’ve been using it for more than a year and absolutely love it. It’s easy to set the temperature and time, plus clean-up is almost non-existent since the basket goes into the dishwasher.

What Type Of Bacon Can Be Used?

You can use any type of bacon that you like. Cooking times will vary, though.

Regular sliced bacon – 8 to 10 minutes.
Thick cut bacon – 10 to 13 minutes.
Turkey bacon – I have not tested turkey bacon in the air fryer. If you prefer it to regular bacon, I would use the regular sliced bacon time and temperature to start with.

Cooked bacon in the basket of an air fryer.

At What Temperature Do You Air Fry Bacon?

The best temperature I’ve found for air frying bacon is 360 degrees. This temp will crisp the bacon and cook it beautifully without cause excess smoke.

PRO TIP: add about a 1/4 cup of water to the bottom of the air fryer to minimize smoking.

After frying the bacon, carefully remove it from the air fryer and let it drain on paper towels.

Air fried cooked bacon strips on a woooden cutting board.

Tips For Cooking Bacon In An Air Fryer

Make sure your air fryer is well vented. Never put it up against a backsplash or wall.
Check the bacon at about the midway point. That way, if it curled up, you can reposition it for the remainder of the cook time.
Adjust the cooking time to how you like your bacon, whether it’s soft or super crispy.
Place the bacon in a single layer. If you have a problem fitting it in, just cut the pieces in half.
Clean your air fryer after using. Once the air fryer has cooled, I like to run a soft, damp towel over the inside and coils to remove any grease.

Pieces of cooked bacon with blueberries and english muffins for breakfast.

More Air Fryer Recipes To Make!

If you make this recipe, let me know! You can leave a comment and rate it below. Don’t forget to post a pic and follow me on Instagram.