Once I started cooking bacon in the oven, I pretty much stopped cooking it on the stovetop. There’s no standing over a skillet, no constant flipping, and a whole lot less grease to clean up afterward.
It’s simple, dependable, and especially handy when I’m cooking breakfast for more than a couple of people.
What Makes This Method A Keeper
- Less mess. Parchment paper catches the grease and makes cleanup easy.
- No flipping. Once the bacon goes in the oven, you can leave it alone while you finish the rest of breakfast.
- Cook more at one time. A large sheet pan holds much more bacon than a skillet.
- Even cooking. The bacon cooks evenly from end to end instead of having some pieces done before the others.
- Easy to make ahead. Cooked bacon stores and reheats well for breakfasts, dips, salads, and sandwiches.
What You’ll Need
- Bacon – Regular-cut or thick-cut bacon both work. Thick bacon may need a few extra minutes in the oven.
- Parchment Paper – This is my favorite for easy cleanup. Aluminum foil works, too, especially if you want to save the bacon grease.
- Rimmed Baking Sheet – The rim is important because it keeps the rendered bacon grease contained.
How To Cook Bacon In The Oven With Parchment Paper
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange the bacon. Place the strips in a single layer without overlapping. They can be close together since they’ll shrink as they cook.
- Bake and check. Cook for 10 minutes, then check the bacon. Continue baking for another 6 to 7 minutes, or until it reaches the crispness you like.
- Drain. Using tongs, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to soak up any extra grease.
That’s it. No flipping and no standing over a hot skillet.
How Long To Cook Bacon In The Oven At 400°F
The exact cooking time depends on bacon thickness and how crisp you like it.
- Regular-cut bacon: Start checking at 10 minutes. Mine usually takes about 16 to 17 minutes.
- Thick-cut bacon: Plan on a few additional minutes and keep an eye on it toward the end.
Bacon can go from crisp to too dark pretty quickly, so once you get close to your preferred doneness, check it every couple of minutes.
Why I Use Parchment Paper For Oven Bacon
Parchment paper makes this method especially easy because cleanup is almost nothing. Once the grease cools, you can carefully fold up the paper and discard it.
You don’t need a wire rack, either. The bacon cooks right on the parchment and comes out beautifully crisp.
Save That Bacon Grease, Y’all
I almost never waste good bacon grease. A spoonful adds so much flavor to simple recipes. To save the bacon drippings, use aluminum foil instead. Turn the edges up slightly to help contain the grease, then carefully pour it into a heat-safe glass container once it’s cool enough to handle.
I use it for frying eggs, making Southern Fried Corn, or in Warm Bacon Dressing for spinach salad. Store it covered in the refrigerator and you’ll have it ready when you need a little extra flavor.
Donya’s Tips & Things To Know
- If your oven cooks unevenly, rotate the pan about halfway through the cooking time.
- For a big batch, you can cook two sheet pans at once. You may need to add another 5 to 10 minutes depending on your oven.
- Don’t overlap the bacon. A single layer helps it cook evenly.
- If you’re cooking a second batch, replace the parchment paper before adding more bacon.
- Pull the bacon out when it’s just about as crisp as you like it. It will crisp a little more as it cools.
- Keep the baking sheet on the middle rack so it’s not too close to the heating element.
How To Store And Reheat Cooked Bacon
Let the bacon cool completely before storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To reheat, warm it for a few minutes in a 350°F oven or in a skillet over medium heat until heated through and crisp again.
More Easy Oven Recipes
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Lay ½ pound of bacon strips on parchment. Place in oven to cook. Check at 10 minute mark. Continue to cook for 6 to 7 additional minutes or until desired crispness.
- Remove bacon strips to paper towel to drain.
- Discard parchment paper with bacon grease and repeat process with other ½ pound strips.
- Store bacon in an airtight container or ziplock bag until ready to use in your favorite recipes.
Notes
Store cooled bacon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. How to Reheat Bacon:
Reheat in a skillet over medium heat or in the oven at 350°F for a few minutes until warm and crispy.
Nutrition
What To Serve With Crispy Bacon
Around here, bacon works with just about everything.
For breakfast or brunch, serve it with French Toast Casserole or Three Cheese Quiche. I also love crumbling it over Stuffed Baked Potatoes, adding it to BLT Tortellini Pasta Salad, or stirring it into Crock Pot Baked Beans.
Oven Bacon FAQs
Nope. That’s one of the best parts of this method. Arrange the bacon on the baking sheet, put it in the oven, and let the heat do the work.
No. I cook the bacon directly on parchment paper and get great results without a rack.
Yes. Some cooks like putting the bacon into a cold oven and then setting the temperature to 400°F so the fat renders slowly as the oven heats. My tested method uses a preheated 400°F oven, and that’s the method I use most often.
There can be a little splatter, but I find it’s much less messy than cooking bacon in a skillet. Use a rimmed baking sheet and keep it on the middle rack so the grease stays contained.
Absolutely. Foil works well and is especially helpful if you want to collect and save the bacon grease.
Yes. Let it cool completely, then place it in a freezer-safe bag and remove as much air as possible before sealing. It’s great to have on hand for dips, salads, breakfast casseroles, and other recipes.
If you tried this How To Cook Bacon In The Oven Recipe or any other recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks!
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Hi Donya, I made bacon late afternoon, following your instructions for the oven. WHAT A BLESSING! I had 55 slices to make for a breakfast for some young men Friday morning. I am so delighted with how beautiful it turned out. Thank you so much for your instructions. I would appreciate your advice on this question – I placed the bacon in Zip Lock bags as you mentioned. I need to keep them here until Friday morning. They are so nice and crisp now; would you keep them in a cool place until then or simply on the kitchen counter-top. Thanks.
Going to try the parchment paper on top.After cooking in oven several times i do have to clean it. No fun but neither is eating
Bacon any other way.Will have answersoon.
Thanks for sharing this amazing blog post
No problem! Glad you found A Southern Soul.
~Donya
60 years ago, I had an old aunt who had 10 kids. She made at least a pound of bacon all at one time in her cast iron skillet, the bacon being crisscrossed (latticed) in the pan. She turned it all at once. It turned out perfectly. Any help to do that?
Can I put a pound in the over at one time? Do you really need to separate the slices?
I’ve never cooked bacon in a crisscrossed pattern. I do cook at pound at a time, separating the slices and put it on 2 pans. Hope this helps!
~Donya
No one is addressing the “splattered oven” problem. Does it get all splattered or not? Does placing another sheet of parchment paper on top of the bacon prevent splatters? Has anyone tried this? I would appreciate hearing from any of you regarding this…I don’t have a self-cleaning oven and if I have to clean my oven, I’d just as soon fry the bacon on top of the stove! Thanks to anyone who can answer these questions.
Natalie, I don’t have a problem with the splattering, yes, there is some grease that pops, but very little. If you are worried, just cook the bacon at a lower temperature but for longer. Since you are laying the bacon FLAT on parchment, most of the splattering is taken care of in the pan. I’ve never tried putting parchment on top, but give it a try and see how it works.
Good luck,
~Donya
Thank you, Donya. I appreciate your response!
I love the parchment paper idea! We particularly love thick sliced bacon and cooking it in the oven yields the most wonderful texture that the black skillet just cannot give. Thank you for sharing this. I also love to save the pan drippings and use them to grease my skillet for cornbread…it adds an extra dimension of flavor! Happy cooking from Beeswax Creek!
Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments. High five to saving some bacon grease too…green beans, cornbread and sometimes in salad dressing. 😉
XO,
~Donya
What, then, is the solution to splattering the oven walls? I use a flat griddle with a screen (on stove top) but still have to clean the stove top. A friend of mine does hers in the oven and sprinkles brown sugar on top. I’d love to try that once I figure out how to avoid a splattered oven.. I tried brown sugar once (on stovetop) and it was a terrible mess. I’ll try oven fry soon.
I have read several posts about cooking bacon in the oven….does this make a mess in your oven? Grease splattered everywhere? I am concerned about that. Oh, and by the way, Step 5 in your recipe is completely unnecessary, there is no such thing as leftover bacon!! Love your recipes!
Doesn’t the bacon grease splatter all over the oven? How do we keep it from doing so? Thank you!
As life rolls on, we learn a new way of cooking bacon. Personally, I have used several different methods of cooking bacon, finally I decided the oven with parchment liner in the 11 x 17 flat sheet cake baking pan is the absolute the best!! Enjoy11