How To Cook Bacon in the Oven
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Have a lot of bacon to cook? Read on to learn how to cook bacon in the oven. The method is almost entirely hands-off and results in perfectly crispy, evenly-cooked bacon.
If there’s anything that gets my family circling the kitchen, asking “Whatcha makin’?” it’s the smell of sizzling bacon. Whether eaten on its own (bacon snatchers, you know who you are), next to a stack of pancakes, scrambled eggs, or a cheesy omelette, or added to soups, salads, or sandwiches, bacon makes almost any meal better. You can cook a few slices in a skillet or the microwave, but when cooking a big batch, the oven is the surefire way to go. This method is almost entirely hands-off and results in perfectly crispy, chewy, evenly-cooked bacon. The best part? Clean-up is a breeze.
With this method, you can cook about 12 slices of bacon on a single baking sheet. To make more than that, just use two baking sheets and increase the cooking time by a few minutes.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Cook Bacon in the Oven
Most supermarkets carry regular and thick-cut bacon. Uncooked, the only difference between the two is how thick the bacon is sliced – thick-cut bacon is 50% thicker. Once cooked, regular bacon is crispier while thick-cut bacon has a bit more chew. I think the oven method works best with regular bacon, as it doesn’t render nearly as much grease onto the baking sheet. All that grease makes the pan difficult to move in and out of the oven safely.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
For easy clean-up, line a 13 x 18-inch rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty wide aluminum foil and so that there is some overhang on all sides (this prevents the grease from leaking onto the baking sheet), then cover with a sheet of parchment paper. Lay as many slices of bacon as you’d like to cook in a single layer on the baking sheet. You should be able to fit about 12 slices (try to keep them from overlapping).
Bake 14 to 18 minutes for regular bacon and 18 to 20 minutes for thick-cut bacon, carefully rotating the baking sheet from front to back about halfway through cooking. Keep an eye on the bacon towards the end of the cooking time, as you may need to add or subtract a minute or so depending on how crispy you like your bacon.
Carefully remove the bacon from the oven – there will be a lot of hot grease – and, using tongs, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate or cutting board. If you’d like to save the bacon grease for another use, strain it into a heatproof jar. Enjoy!
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How to Make Bacon in the Oven
Have a lot of bacon to cook? Read on to learn how to cook bacon in the oven. The method is almost entirely hands-off and results in perfectly crispy, evenly-cooked bacon.
Ingredients
- 12 slices bacon, preferably not thick-cut (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- For easy clean-up, line a 13 x 18-inch rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty wide aluminum foil and so that there is some overhang on all sides (this prevents the grease from getting onto the baking sheet), then cover with a sheet of parchment paper. Lay as many slices of bacon as you'd like to cook in a single layer on the baking sheet. You should be able to fit about 12 slices (try to keep them from overlapping).
- Bake 14 to 18 minutes for regular bacon and 18 to 20 minutes for thick-cut bacon, carefully rotating the baking sheet from front to back about halfway through cooking. Keep an eye on the bacon towards the end of the cooking time, as you may need to add or subtract a minute or so depending on how crispy you like your bacon.
- Carefully remove the bacon from the oven – there will be a lot of hot grease – and, using tongs, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate or cutting board.
- If you'd like to save the bacon grease for another use, strain it into a heatproof jar.
- Note: With this method, you can cook up to one pound of bacon on a single baking sheet. To make more than a pound, just use two baking sheets and increase the cooking time by a few minutes.
- Note: Most supermarkets carry regular and thick-cut bacon. Both types will work, but I prefer regular bacon for this method – it gets crispier and thick-cut bacon renders a ton of grease onto the baking sheet, making the pan difficult to move in and out of the oven safely.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Serving size: 2 slices
- Calories: 90
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 0 g
- Sugar: 0 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Sodium: 360 mg
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Thank you for having the time in the header
Hi Jen! I absolutely love your recipes and am thrilled that I can cook bacon in the oven (saves my stove-top!). I am having trouble with the timing though. I usually am baking an entire pack of the Hormel bacon you recommend – using two baking sheets and rotating, etc. as per your directions. It always seems to take twice or three times longer to cook and the bacon never seems to turn out as well browned as in your picture. I turned up the heat to 410 on a subsequent batch – and that didn’t seem to help either. Appreciate any ideas/recommendations. Appreciate you and your expertise!
Hi Karen, So glad you like the recipes! I’m sorry you’re having the problem with he bacon though – do you happen to be using thick cut?
I used the bacon you recommended. I think I’ll double-check my oven with a thermometer…that may be the issue…. All the best – Karen
👍
I’ve been wanting to try oven-frying my bacon for a long time; however, when I see the amount of fat/grease that pan frying or even microwave cooking creates, I shudder to think about having to clean my oven every time I use it to cook bacon. Any thoughts?
Love your recipes!
Hi Dakota, As long as you follow the instructions, the fat should drain onto the pan. It shouldn’t make a mess of the oven. Hope that helps!
Hi Jen, tried your oven method for the first time this morning. We LOVED it! Thank you for sharing! Have tried a few oven methods in the past that didn’t turn out so well. This will be my new go to!
Jen, I love your recipes. You are my go to for new ideas, so thank you! Bone of contention here for me LOL. I am a firm advocate for thick sliced bacon in the oven at 375 deg for about 20 mins. I flip once and rotate in the toaster oven and get perfectly cooked bacon, with still a bit of crunch to it.
After cooking (thawed frozen) bacon per recipe, can you refreeze for future use?
Based on what I see online, it looks like you can. See this post for more information.
This is the way I have been making bacon for years. It’s perfect!
Thank you for this tip! I appreciate all the great things you teach us! I also use the Hormel Black Label brand. Super yummy! Thank you again for all the tips and tricks.
My pleasure! 🙂
Hi, Jen – I’ve been using parchment for years because I want to avoid having food come into direct contact with aluminum foil. For the sake of producing less waste, I don’t even use foil under the pan and the method still works great. The small amount of grease that may gravitate to the pan is easy to wipe up or wash off; all the crusty bits stay on the parchment. Result = less aluminum in the landfill. Speaking of landfills, I’m switching over to a kitchen bar soap to clean dishes – you just swipe your wet sponge over it and voila – in order to eliminate the plastic soap bottles. Any posts you can publish regarding eliminating plastic or waste while cooking or in the kitchen would be much appreciated!
Parchment paper for the most part is covered with silicone to create a non-stick surface. Thus, we use a reusable silicon mat not just to make cookies but to bake other foods. The caveat here is parchment paper soaks up grease better so the bacon still needs to be drained on some paper towels afterwards. Parchment paper is also mostly non-recyclable although there are 1-2 brands out there that claim to be so.
Hi Jenn! I’m used to baking my bacon, but instead of laying the bacon on the parchment, I lay the parchment over the bacon to cut down splatter. If I continue to do that, and follow your instructions, would I need to adjust my baking time/temp? Thanks and Happy Mother’s Day!
Hi MaryKathryn, I don’t think you’d need to adjust the time or temperature if you put the parchment on top. I’d love to hear how it comes out! 🙂
Hi Jen, I’m a frequent “bacon-in-the-oven” preparer and consumer, but I’ve never used parchment paper on top of the foil…. Just curious about the recommendation for that? and wondering if perhaps baking directly on aluminum foil is unhealthy?
Hi Alison, Some brands of aluminum foil can stick to bacon, so I recommend the parchment to be safe – if yours works well, no need to use the parchment. 🙂
You can buy non stick heavy duty Aluminum foil.
I’ve been using the oven for years, and would never go back to frying. I lay mine on a sheet pan with a rack, so the fat merely drips through. Also, I crack black pepper to cover, then into the oven. Living in Mexico, our bacon is smoked, but not cured, and the fat is crystal clear.
Great tip, great site! Best regards!!
I find that different brands of bacon cook better than others. I look at how it’s sliced in the package. I prefer slices that are narrow verses wide. The brands I used to love seem different now. They are just a bit too thick and don’t uniformly cook.
Any suggestions on what you like for regular bacon?
Thanks.
Sunny Drohan
Hi Sunny, I usually buy Hormel Black Label Original. Hope that helps!
Thanks Jenn! I love cooking bacon this way. Mine turned out perfect.
It does. Next batch will be that one. Much thanks.