How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
In this post I’m covering How to Cook Bacon in the Oven, which I find results in much crispier, evenly cooked bacon. Plus, you can do a big batch at one time instead of having to do many batches in a frying pan.
I was honestly pretty slow to warm up to the whole cooking bacon in the oven thing, as for most of my life, I always fried it in a skillet.
Old habits truly do die hard, but oven baked bacon is better for many reasons. Here are the reasons why I’m all aboard the oven bacon train now:
Oven Bacon Cooks More Evenly:
When you cook bacon in a skillet, it’s only receiving heat from the skillet below. Because bacon tends to curl up, you get well done parts, and more flabby and undercooked parts.
However, in the oven, the bacon is getting hot air cooking it evenly on all parts, so you get a more evenly cooked strip.
Regardless of whether you prefer a softer bacon or more crispy bacon, cooking your bacon in the oven will cook it more consistently to your desired doneness.
Oven Bacon is More Crispy:
I’m a crispy bacon fan, and because of the previously mentioned point about even cooking, you can bring more of the bacon to that deep crispiness evenly without risking burning it. Oven bacon always turns out so crisp, especially when you buy thin cut bacon.
Oven Baked Bacon is Less Time Consuming:
There are usually 10-12 strips of bacon in a package, so it would always take me several batches of frying bacon in order to cook the whole package.
It’s one thing if you’re just frying a few pieces to have with your eggs in the morning, but when I needed a full pack of bacon for use in a recipe like Bacon Cheddar Scones, sometimes that would be 20-30 minutes of cooking time!
With the oven method, you can cook large amounts of bacon all at once, and also do multiple pans. It’s so much easier than batch cooking.
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven:
First, to make cleanup simple, I suggest lining a sheet pan with aluminum foil (or parchment paper if you don’t like foil).
If you don’t line the pan, you’ll have to use paper towels to remove the bacon fat (you’re not supposed to pour fat down the sink), and I find it’s easier to just take the foil off and throw it all away than to rub and wash.
Next, lay the bacon slices down side by side, making sure they’re not overlapping. It’s okay if they’re touching, because the bacon will shrink as it cooks, just don’t have them on top of each other.
Place the bacon in a 350F oven in the middle rack:
I’ve tested out different temperatures and find that 350 is optimal so the bacon doesn’t burn.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on your desired doneness. Keep your eye on it toward the end, especially since some bacons are thin cut and some are thick cut. Regardless, they will shrink a ton:
Drain the bacon strips on a paper towel, and blot the excess fat away.
I find it impossible to not eat at least a strip or two of bacon as-is from the pan, but it’s also great added to Broccoli Salad, Egg Salad, Stuffed Zucchini, and more.
It’s also nice for a hands-off pairing for a classic Hash Browns and Fried Egg breakfast plate. Enjoy!
Oven Bacon
Ingredients
For the Oven Cooked Bacon:
- one 12-ounce package bacon
- aluminum foil for lining the pan, optional
Ideas for Using the Bacon (optional):
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup, if desired.
- Lay the bacon strips down side by side on the pan, making sure they are not on top of each other overlapping at all. It's okay if they're touching on the sides.
- Roast for 15-20* minutes, until they are done to your desired crispiness.
- Drain the bacon on paper towels and blot the excess fat away. Enjoy!
Takes much longer to cook than listed. It was still raw so flipped the bacon over and put it back in for 15 minutes, so 30 minutes until it was really done. Otherwise, I will still use this method. A lot less time consuming than standing and frying it. Clean up is easy.
Hi Janelle, do you have an oven thermometer? It shouldn’t take that long, even if you’re using thick cut bacon. I like my bacon really crisp, but 30 minutes for me and it’d be scorched! Let me know.
Easy way to cook bacon, however, 30 minutes is more realistic.
Takes me only 15 minutes I put it on 450 it does differ from oven to oven because not everyone’s ovens are the same ☺️
I’m currently using this method. I bought Kroger brand “thick cut bacon” which isn’t really that thick compared to more expensive brands. 15 mins they were still very raw. So far I have added 5 minutes 2 extra times. It takes way longer than the time listed in this article. I’m still waiting on it. I will still continue to use this method for the simple fact that it is less mess, and I don’t have to hover over the stove flipping it constantly. I did flip the bacon in the oven once though since it’s taking longer than expected. Anyways, my kids are at the table ready to eat and my mouth is watering.. thanks for the “recipe”!
I always buy the “less sodium” bacon and cook it in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes for my husbands preferred crispiness ( which i consider it to still be soft at this point) and after I take out half for him I pop the rest back in the oven for another 5 minutes to get the nice evenly crisp bacon that I freaking loooove!! So perfect everytime!
We have a Maytag oven- nothing special just plain jane and its probably 8+ years old. The recipe Joanne listed above was spot on for us.
THANK YOU JOANNE!!! I’ll never cook bacon on the stove top again!!
My bacon came out chewy and dry. Sticking with frying.
Cooking bacon in the microwave is incredibly fast! No standing over the stove or waiting around for a batch to come out of the oven
I always cook bacon in the oven. This is by far the best way to do it. The results were perfectly cooked bacon. Nice and straight pieces. Crisp but not over done. Very little clean up. Aside from disposing the foil. I loved it. So glad I tried it. Thanks. I’ve been cooking for over 50 years. And welcome anything that makes it easier.
I made two batches on a smaller pan. One pan lined with foil, the other with parchment paper. Using Harris Teeter bacon, it recommended 350 for ten minutes. I trimmed the fat. At 10 minutes, the bacon was not done so I flipped it. At 13 minutes, the bacon on the foil was done. The parchment paper needed the full 15 minutes. So easy to make and tasty. I made another 12 oz. pack to store in the fridge for later. I highly recommend this method, temperature, and trimming the excess fat. The second batch needed a new piece of parchment paper but I was able to reuse the foil. I love it!