Are you ready to make bacon like a pro without the mess? Get ready for crispy, delicious bacon straight from your oven! Whether you’re a bacon lover or just looking for a hassle-free way to cook, I’m showing you the secrets to perfect bacon every time!”
What do you serve bacon with? Almost everything! My favorites are French Toast Casserole, Three Cheese Quiche, or sprinkled on Stuffed Baked Potatoes.
I’ve been cooking bacon in the oven for several years now. Once I figured out how to do it, it was almost a life-changing experience! I’d always hated “babysitting” the pan of bacon on the stovetop so that I could get just the right amount of crispness without burning it.
Benefits Of Cooking Bacon In The Oven
- It’s a hands-off recipe. You don’t need to flip the bacon—that’s how easy it is!
- Using a sheet tray, you can cook a large batch of bacon at once, versus a skillet or round pan.
- There’s no mess, no projectile grease splatter, and easy clean-up using sheets of parchment.
- Each piece is perfectly and evenly cooked, unlike in a pan where some pieces burn, and others are undercooked.
What You’ll Need
- Bacon – thick cut bacon, regular strips of bacon, or turkey bacon.
- Parchment Paper helps with clean-up. You can also use aluminum foil and curl the edges to hold the grease.
- Sheet Tray – I use a large baking pan to fit as much bacon as possible on the tray.
How To Cook Bacon In The Oven
- Heat the oven and line a rimmed baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.
- Lay bacon slices on the parchment in a single layer without overlapping pieces.
- Cook for 10 minutes and then check them. Keep cooking for another 6-7 minutes until they reach perfect crispiness.
- Remove the bacon strips, using tongs, and place them on paper towels to absorb excess grease.
Save That Bacon Grease, Y’all!
Bacon grease adds SO MUCH FLAVOR to whatever you are serving. To save, you can use foil instead of parchment paper. Roll the edges up around the pan to hold the bacon grease in, then pour it into a glass container after the bacon is cooked. Use it to fry eggs, in Southern Fried Corn, or Warm Bacon Dressing for spinach salad.
Donya’s Tips
- If you need to cook a big batch of bacon, you can use two sheet trays to cook two batches at a time. To cook these, increase the cooking time by 5-10 minutes to cook two trays of bacon.
- Discard the parchment paper between cooking batches so the bacon isn’t cooking in its own fat.
Questions And Answers
No, as long as you replace the parchment paper, you don’t need a wire rack to cook bacon in the oven.
Nope, that’s what is so awesome about this method. You just let it cook while you prepare other things.
You sure can! Make Brown Sugar Pepper Candied Bacon or add a drizzle of maple syrup.
What To Serve With Crispy Bacon
Bacon can be used in so many ways, including just munching on it! My favorites are sprinkling it on Baked Potatoes and BLT Tortellini Pasta Salad. And it makes Crock Pot Baked Beans crazy good!
More Easy Oven 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!
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
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Was always afraid of the mess in the over. I sure will do it next time. I did cook bacon this morning, my frying pan is stainless steel so very easy to clean, but the stove was a mess. To clean the stove I spray vinegar all over and 2 minutes all is clean, shiny not greasy. Thank you Donya
Sound like you know your way around the kitchen. I love it! So happy you are following and cooking with me.
~Donya
I bought a silicone mat with raised cones on one side (Amazon), cut it to fit my baking sheet, cook at 400° for 10 minutes, then rotate pan (my oven cooks unevenly) for 8-9 minutes more, the silicone sheet is easy to drain after every batch and the clean-up is so much easier than when I did it on a wire rack. I’ve found that it keeps for a couple weeks if the fat is drained and blotted on paper towels, then stacked and refrigerated.
Thanks so much for sharing your method! That silicone mat with raised cones sounds like a game-changer for easy cleanup and even cooking. Rotating the pan is such a smart move if your oven runs unevenly. Love the storage tip too—draining and blotting really helps keep the bacon fresh for longer. Appreciate you adding this for others who might want a no-mess option!
~Donya
I use a rack and line pan with foil, either save or discard bacon grease.
Thanks for sharing your method! Love hearing different tips that make cleanup easier!
~Donya
I bake bacon on a rack. I put in oven then start the preheat to 400. Once it reaches temp set timer for 5 min. Check and add additional minute or two depending on how crispy you want the bacon.
Thanks for sharing your method! Love hearing different tips that make cleanup easier!
~Donya
Best bacon in the oven
Hey there Laura!
I couldn’t agree with you more, oven cooked bacon is delicious, crispy and so simple to make! Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe and for your kind words, I appreciate your support!
~Donya
This method produced the most beautiful bacon I’ve ever cooked, and there was no oven splatter that I could see. It took me four batches to cook a pound of bacon b/c I used a smaller pan. I used foil instead of parchment paper. Next time I’ll use a larger rimmed cookie sheet. It freezes well, and can be reheated in the microwave. It was a bit chewier after reheating, but still delicious. I zapped four slices for 20 seconds on high with a paper towel underneath and on top.
Hey there Sarah!
Wow! I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and method, it sounds like you did a wonderful job! Thank you so much for sharing your experience and for your fantastic rating, if you ever have any questions about a recipe please don’t hesitate to reach out!
~Donya
I love this recipe!