How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
Cooking bacon in the oven creates perfectly crispy, delicious bacon. It’s also super easy, creates less mess than cooking it on the stovetop and allows you to multitask in the kitchen. If you’ve never baked bacon, give it a try!
So what do you serve your bacon with? Well, everything! Including my poached eggs, soft and hard boiled eggs and fried eggs. And you can’t forget my paleo pancakes (and dipping bacon in that maple syrup – yum).
Cooking Bacon in the Oven
When it comes to the most perfectly crispy, evenly cooked bacon you really can’t beat cooking bacon in the oven. But it’s amazing how many people have never tried it. It seems the stovetop reigns supreme.
Today I’ll share with you why you should change your habits and cook bacon in the oven. And trust me, once you cook bacon in the oven, you’ll never cook it on the stovetop again!
Cooking bacon on the stove creates splatters all over your stove top and produces hot spots on the pan. This means certain pieces of bacon may cook faster than others. And it’s why you might have some bacon slices that accidentally charcoal a bit too much while other slices are still undercooked.
Cooking bacon in the oven cooks all of your bacon slices evenly as the heat surrounds them. They slowly sizzle, don’t splatter and end up evenly cooked. It’s a beautiful thing.
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
It’s incredibly easy! Though it always helps to watch a quick video tutorial. Watch the video below!
Oven Baked Bacon – In 5 Steps
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lay the bacon slices on the baking sheet.
- Cook the bacon for 10 to 20 minutes or until it’s as crispy as you’d like.
- Remove the bacon from the oven and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Benefits of Cooking Bacon in the Oven
- First, you can cook for a crowd (and sometimes that crowd is just your immediate family). This is key for the holidays or when lots of people descend on your house. It’s also HUGE for helping you keep your sanity in the kitchen with the masses.
- Second, cooking bacon in the oven is way cleaner than cooking bacon on the stove. I’m notorious for getting splatters all over the stovetop because I probably cook my bacon a bit too hot. But when you cook bacon in the oven you don’t get any splatters because the bacon just sizzles until it’s perfectly crispy (or done to your liking).
- Lastly, cooking bacon in the oven allows you to multitask in the kitchen. Because once you toss that sheet pan of glorious bacon in the oven, you’re free for about 15 minutes to whip up some eggs or make a batch of pancakes or waffles.
A Few More Tips
- Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper (or don’t line it at all – but that’s messy). With parchment paper it’s as simple as tearing off a piece, placing the bacon on top and cooking.
- Should you place the bacon on a cooling rack to cook? I don’t think so. I tried it and the difference is negligible. But then I had to clean a cooling rack (and those buggers are hard to clean).
- 400 degrees fahrenheit works well for both regular and thick cut bacon. Heat your oven and cook the bacon for 10 to 20 minutes or until it’s reached your desired level of crispiness. I do rotate the pan halfway through, just to ensure even cooking, but that’s it. And remember that your bacon will continue to crisp up once it dries.
What to do with Bacon Grease? Save it!
If you purchase organic bacon, as I do, definitely consider rendering and saving the bacon grease. Not only does bacon grease impart a richness of flavor into braised meats and other dishes, it has a high smoke point which means it’s far more stable to cook with.
Here’s how to render bacon grease:
- Once you’ve cooked your bacon, remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Line a fine mesh sieve with another paper towel (you could also use a nut milk bag or cheesecloth) and pour the hot bacon grease over the sieve and into a glass jar.
- Note: it’s important to use glass and not plastic, as you’ll melt plastic with hot bacon grease.
You can see in the photo above that I had some previous bacon fat already in my glass jar that’s opaque and lighter in color. When I have a new batch of bacon, I just pour this straight on top then cover the jar and refrigerate it.
So what do I use my rendered bacon grease for? Oh, just about everything. It’s what I fry my eggs in and how I sear pretty much any meat. It’s also great for sautéed or roasted vegetables to add depth and flavor.
Tasty Recipes with Crispy Bacon
- Bacon Deviled Eggs
- Cobb Salad
- Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro, Lime and Bacon Slaw
- Broccoli Salad
- BLT Salad with Avocado and Sprouts
- Baked Eggs in Avocado
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven (Easy & Crispy)
Ingredients
- 8 bacon slices
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper, then place the bacon side-by-side on the tray.
- Cook the bacon for 10 to 20 minutes or until it's reached your desired level of crispiness. Make sure to check on it after about 10 minutes, as some ovens cook faster. Remove the tray from the oven and transfer the bacon with tongs to a paper towel-lined plate.
- If you're rendering the bacon fat, line a fine mesh sieve with a paper towel. Then place the sieve over a glass storage container and pour the bacon fat from the sheet tray into the sieve. Cover the glass storage container and place it in the refrigerator for future cooking needs.
Lisa's Tips
- If you don't have a heavy-duty baking sheet I recommend purchasing some. They never warp or bend in the oven!
- Please note that all ovens cook slightly differently. It's best to keep an eye on the bacon past the 10-minute mark so you can ensure it's cooked to your personal preference. If you scroll through the comments you'll see some people have raw bacon at 15 minutes and some have burnt bacon at 15 minutes. After years of comments on this recipe, I've widened the cooking time to 10 to 20 minutes, as all ovens do bake differently.
Nutrition
Recipe originally published December 2016, but updated with new photos and information.
To prevent any splattering in the oven you can put a piece of parchment paper on top of the bacon also.
Just crumple the paper then smooth it out with your hand and place on top. Works great!
Thanks for sharing this tip Nana!
Good recipe. 12 minutes in oven works great for me. The only suggestion I have is when you take bacon from the refrigerator all the fat is stuck together…15 to 20 seconds in microwave solves the problem.
Cooking bacon in the oven is the ONLY way in my opinion, but I don’t have an oven currently and I only have one burner for stove top cooking. I make my bacon in a huge pizza pan on my Recteq pellet grill/smoker, which works pretty much like a wood fired oven with a thermostat. The bacon comes out perfectly. I cook for about 10 minutes, flip the bacon, and then cook for about another seven to eight minutes. My family likes their bacon crispy, and I like it very crispy (nearly burnt), so I leave a couple of pieces in for a couple of extra minutes for myself.
It probably isn’t necessary to flip the bacon, but I do. Also, once it starts to get to the crispy mark it crisps up very quickly, so keep an eye on it.
Note: Sometimes I preheat the “oven” and sometimes I don’t. It works very well either way; I just adjust my cooking times and set the timer on my phone so I don’t forget while I’m doing other things.
Absolutely the easiest greatest way to cook bacon. I will never fry bacon again. Crispy and easy cleanup!!
Can’t beat that easy cleanup!
Thank you. I will never make bacon any other way. I also rendered bacon grease for the first time. There wasn’t much, and I do not know when or how I will use it, but I have it as an option for extra flavor.
Glad this method worked out perfectly Julie!
Perfect! 10 minutes rotate pan and another 10 minutes
I was very hesitant to try making bacon in the oven after an experience in Flagstaff AZ (Elevation 7500) feet) where is seemingly took forever for the bacon to cook and we ended up moving it to a frying pan.
BUT I did try it again in Phoenix AZ (Elevation 1086 feet) AND it turned out FANTASTIC! Cleanup was easy as I used parchment paper as suggested. I have found that elevation makes a difference in cooking just about everything
Beware: The recipe has 2 different cooking times: the first in the PREP TIME section; the second in the INSTRUCTIONS section.
Fortunately I watched the bacon carefully after 10 minutes, as suggested in the recipe, as it only took 14 minutes to cook. I also rotated the pan as suggested.
Definitely my new way to cook bacon!!
Hi Susan – I’m glad you found the cooking time that works best for your oven. Enjoy!
I dI’d 18 minutes and out the bacon in 3 minutes after turning it on, thinking I was safe, and it was overcooked and burnt. I suggest 12 minutes and then check it.
I don’t know what happened but I used thick cut bacon (recipe says it shouldn’t matter), cooked it for 20 mins and it was nowhere near done. It ended up going for at least 40 mins before being good enough for my husband, he likes his still floppy. Next time I tried it I used a baking cooling rack and turned the oven on convection (still at 400) to see if it would make a difference, it was worse lol, took 50 mins. Maybe because of not being in contact with the baking sheet? I had it on the top most rack for both batches but the 2nd batch I did put down a rack or two after the 30 min mark. It seemed to go faster then. I love the outcome of the bacon but it takes so long. I can’t imagine my oven being off that much when anything else seems to cook at the right times. 😅
Hi Meghan – that sounds like an oven calibration issue, but strange as you mention other things cook properly. As you can see from the comments, other readers have burnt bacon at 15 minutes, so it’s all very individual. You can try increasing the temp to 425F in your oven on the next batch and see how that cooks. :)
Same here, maybe it IS a thick bacon problem. I have mine at 425 (based on thermometer in the oven as my dial is no good) and it takes at least 40 min, 50-60 for how I like it.
The only thing I prefer is cooking on the rack. I don’t like it cooking & sitting in the grease. To me it cooks more evenly with the heat circulating, but either way you do it the oven is the only way to cook bacon.
You can cook on a rack as well!
I buy the 4lb pack of Costco bacon. Cook one package per pan and then I can freeze it all so it’s ready to eat just a few slices at a time. It’s fantastic! I roll it up in a paper towel and put in a gallon zip lock. Costco charges a fortune for pre cooked bacon. Make your own!
Love how easy it is to fix bacon. Oh and I did mention the clean-up. It is just as easy.
The best part is the minimal clean-up!
Thanks this was very helpful to me & have a great day…
Glad this was helpful George!
I’ve been doing bacon in the oven every time I’m cooking for a crowd. One additional thing that’s worth mentioning is cook your bacon the day before and you only have to heat it up in the microwave or put it in the oven for about 5 min. before you’re ready to serve. Or, if you have bacon regularly, cook a pound of it in the oven and then keep the cooked bacon in a zip lock bag in the fridge to use as needed – handy for bacon and tomato sandwiches when you only need a few strips or to crumble some on a salad, etc.
Yes, pre-cooking the bacon before a big event or holiday is always a smart idea as well!
First time trying this. Please cross your fingers that everything bacon turns out after carefully reading your “spiel” on it. Thanks so much. Never tried it before. Would imagine it SMELLS delicious.
Just tried the oven bake method! Just genus! The bacon was wonderful and I cooked all of it for meal prep! Clean up was smooth and effortless! OMG!
Just tried the oven bake method! Just genus! The bacon was wonderful and I cooked all of it for meal prep! Clean up was smooth and effortless! I used the bacon for the brussels sprouts recipe and oven baked them both at same time! Added cranberries to it too! OMG!
Wow, I followed your instructions, and I’m amazed that are no splatters! I wasn’t sure where to put the rack so I defaulted to the middle. Turned the pan at 10, checked again at 15, flipped the slices, gave it 2 more minutes. My bacon was beautifully cooked just as you’ve described. I’ve been cooking bacon on the stove top for 53 years and always disliked the mess it created. This method is perfect. Thank you!
Glad this method worked out perfectly for you Susan!
Hi what rack do i put it on the top middle bottom?
I’d say middle.
I used to microwave bacon but the splatters always created a mess and there would be burn spots and inconsistent cooking. This method in the oven is my new favorite, it’s so consistent and perfect! Thanks Lisa!
You’re more than welcome! So happy you love the oven method as much as I do. :)
Thanks for the great idea Lisa! I follow your method but I take it one step further to make my own bacon bits for the freezer. Once you take the bacon out of the oven and put it on the paper towels, let it cool for a bit. Then chop it into small pieces and return it to the oven for 2-4 more minutes to make it more crispy. When it’s cooked to your liking, return it to the paper towels to cook. Then store in ziploc bags in your freezer. Yum!
Love it!
This is literally the easiest way to cook bacon. I’ll never do it any other way now, and it took my bacon about 20 minutes to be perfectly crispy!
Wonderful! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe.
Family arriving today…
Sunday’s Bacon is now duable with my waffles…..
Thank you……
I will never mess up my stove top for bacon again!!! This was delicious and cooked exactly to your specifications!! I think it tastes just like you fried it only prettier!
… So I am among this who have never cooked bacon in the oven. Today hiwever, with a boatload of company who wanted bacon, I realized cooking it in fry pans would take far too long and my stove, fan, walls and floors would be covered with bacon grease droplets by the time I was done… so I looked up and found your directions on how to cook bacon in the oven. I feel so stupid for not having even tried this before. It was fantastic! I cooked a pound of bacon in my oven and the bacon didn’t shrink like it does in the pan and I was able to pour the bacon grease into a glass bowl for frying the pancakes in, for my company. I’m doubtful that the grease splattered my oven walls, and such neat cleanup… throw the parchment in the garbage! Thank you for enlightening me! I’ll never cook bacon in a pan again.
Only one negative… whenever the oven is used, it does heat up my kitchen, none the less, I’m cooling off with my ceiling fan, just waiting for my company to awake and arise. I’m betting their taste buds are awaking to the the fragrant aroma If freshly cooked bacon! Nothing better!❤️
The parchment can be folded up and put in the compost container if you have one. My compost company says it takes any paper with food stuck to it. This would be after you’ve drained the bacon grease into your container for use later.
Due to watching a grease fire when I was younger, I have a fear of cooking anything grease-heavy on the stovetop. I tend to microwave a lot of food but I love this! I use a broiler pan and line the bottom part with foil at 19 mins it comes out perfect.
MY BACON TURNED OUT PERFECT. THANK YOU
Question: can Iusewax paper rather than parchment, which I don’t have?
It’s best to use parchment paper or foil. Wax paper isn’t heat resistant.
Bacon in the oven is a great idea, especially if you want to cook a larger batch. I cook at 375 for about 25 minutes. Less likely to burn if you have thinly sliced bacon. I use the same technique for thick bacon and then put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes at the end. Cook 2 sheets at a time and rotate and switch places half way through. Do not skip using the parchment paper. It is a cleanup godsend.
This is the absolute best way to cook bacon. And rotate the pans halfway through like you said. And definitely save the grease!
Thanks much for this time saving cooking idea.
Kim
Roll into tubes
Do you ever find it necessary to flip the bacon when rotating the pan!
I don’t think you need to, but you can if you want!
thank you so much. great idea
I’ve made this recipe at least 10 times and it’s perfect every single time. Parchment goes into the bin and cleanup is a breeze.
I followed the instructions exactly and bacon came out PERFECT. not crunchy, not too undercooked, just right. I’ve been doing bacon all wrong my whole life!
So is it 10-15 minutes as the video states or 18-20 as the article states multiple times?
That a big difference in time especially if I’m multitasking which I always am!!
I changed the timing as the video is a bit older and I was using a different oven. So, the 18 to 20 minutes timing is based off the oven I’m using now. But the general rule I would say is to keep an eye on your bacon after 10 minutes, as every oven heats differently.
I will NEVER cook bacon on my stovetop again!!! I absolutely love cooking bacon in the oven. It’s so much cleaner & tastier too!! Thank you!!
Followed recipe exactly put in with timer for 13 minutes so I could come finish other stuff before it would be done since it said 18-20 minutes. Bacon was completely burned nearly black. Extremely disappointing. I doubt my comment will make it on the site but is what it is.
Hi Britt – sorry to hear of your overcooked bacon. As mentioned in the recipe notes, all ovens cook differently so I recommend keeping an eye on it after the 10 minute mark. Hope your next try comes out better!
So much easier and cleaner than hovering over the stove, flipping and making sure it doesn’t stick. Love this!
I’ve changed it a bit. I line a baking pan with tinfoil, and use a wire rack for the bacon. Same cooking temp and time. Once it’s done, I drain the fat into a mason jar and put it in the fridge. One thing most folks don’t know, is to let your bacon reach room-temp before cooking. About 10 minutes. Cold bacon doesn’t cook evenly. Clean up is easy, and yep, the wire rack can be hard to clean. It’s a process.