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    🏠Home » Recipes » Pork | Ham and Bacon Recipes

    How to Cook Bacon in the Oven—Quick and Easy

    Oct 3, 2022 · Modified: Mar 9, 2023 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · 74 Comments

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.58 from 230 votes

    Oven baked bacon is the easiest way to cook bacon with no mess and no splatter while you do something else—perfect crispy bacon every time from your convection oven on an aluminum foil covered tray.

    pile of cooked bacon on a white plate
    Jump To:
    • 👍Why you should bake your bacon
    • 👨‍🍳How to cook bacon in the oven
    • ⏰How long to bake bacon
    • 🌡️What oven temperature to use
    • ❓FAQs
    • ❄️Storage of Leftovers
    • 📋Breakfast Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • Recipe
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    👍Why you should bake your bacon

    • No standing at the stovetop flipping bacon, trying to get it flat, and getting splatter burns on your hands,
    • You get perfect crispy flat bacon every time.
    • The cleanup is easy by baking on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet. And no splatter like the stovetop cooking.
    • No need to bake on a rack and no rack to clean.
    • By using a convection oven at 400°, you will get extra crispy oven-baked bacon from the circulation of the air.
    • This method works for thick and thin bacon; the timing is different.
    • A great way to batch-cook bacon.
    • You can even bake bacon without preheating.

    👨‍🍳How to cook bacon in the oven

    1. Preheat the oven to 400° convection or 425° conventional oven.
    2. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. No rack is needed; if you have sticking problems, add a piece of parchment paper to the foil.
    3. Arrange the bacon slices in a single layer, not touching or overlapping on the tray.
    4. Bake until the bacon reaches the desired color—about 20 minutes for medium-thick bacon.
    5. Drain on paper towels.

    ⏰How long to bake bacon

    18-20 minutes for medium-thick bacon in a 400° convection oven. It will vary by the thickness and type of the bacon, exact oven temperature, and your desired level of browning—cook to the crispiness you want and never by time, so always check it a few times early.

    Thinner bacon will cook faster, while thick-cut bacon will take a few extra minutes to achieve perfect results. Some brands of bacon are cured differently, and time may vary.

    🌡️What oven temperature to use

    400° convection cooks both thicker and thinner bacon well. But I have used as low as 350° up to 450° in conjunction with baking other dishes simultaneously.

    Convection is recommended for crispier bacon that will cook more evenly. So use it if you have it but cooking without convection or at different temperatures will only have minor effects on your results.

    The bacon can go into a cold oven, but it adds time.

    ❓FAQs

    Do I need to flip the bacon in the oven?

    No, it is not needed.

    Can I cook turkey bacon in the oven?

    While you can cook turkey bacon in the oven like pork bacon, it is thinner and much leaner. So, it will tend to stick without parchment paper. Cooking time will be 8 to 12 minutes—pay close attention.

    What to do with bacon grease.

    The bacon fat can be strained and refrigerated in a glass container with a lid for 3-6 months. Great for frying an egg or using it to add more flavor to sauteed or roasted vegetables and other places where you want to add a hint of bacon.

    The fat can turn bad quickly if unstrained as the food particles decay.

    ❄️Storage of Leftovers

    Refrigerate for up to 4-5 days. Reheat in a microwave wrapped in a paper towel. Cooked bacon can also be frozen for up to a month.

    📋Breakfast Recipes

    How To Cook Sausage in the Oven

    Baked Blueberry Pancakes

    Carrot Cake Baked Pancakes

    Cinnamon Roll Cake

    Smaller French Toast Casserole

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    101's Best Recipes, Breakfast Recipes, Cooking Techniques, Pork | Ham and Bacon Recipes
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    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    heavy duty foil and raw bacon

    Preheat the oven to 400° convection or 425° conventional.

    raw bacon on foil covered tray

    Line an 18-inch × 13-inch rimmed sheet pan with aluminum foil. Place bacon close together but not touching. 8-10 pieces, about ½ pound, will usually fit.

    cooked bacon on foil covered tray

    Bake to a crispy brown—about 20 minutes. Time will vary with the thickness of the bacon and your taste. Thinner bacon will cook faster, and thick-cut bacon may take a few minutes more, so check a few times early.

    cooked bacon on white plate

    Drain on paper towels and pat off any fat.

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    Recipe

    pile of cooked bacon on a white plate

    How to Cook Bacon in the Oven—Quick and Easy

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    Oven baked bacon is the easiest way to cook bacon with no mess and no splatter while you do something else—perfect crispy bacon every time from your convection oven on an aluminum foil covered tray.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.58 from 230 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 3 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 23 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 5 2 slice servings

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 8-10 slices bacon
    • aluminum foil - to cover tray
    • parchment paper - if needed
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    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 400° convection or 425° conventional.
      heavy duty foil and raw bacon
    • Line an 18-inch × 13-inch rimmed sheet pan with aluminum foil. Place bacon close together but not touching. 8-10 pieces, about ½ pound, will usually fit.
      raw bacon on foil covered tray
    • Bake to a crispy brown—about 20 minutes. Time will vary with the thickness of the bacon and your taste. Thinner bacon will cook faster, and thick-cut bacon may take a few minutes more, so check a few times early.
      cooked bacon on foil covered tray
    • Drain on paper towels and pat off any fat.
      cooked bacon on white plate
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips:

    1. A half-pound of bacon or a bit more will usually fit an 18-inch × 13-inch  sheet pan.
    2. You do not have to preheat the oven. It just takes a bit longer.
    3. I have done this with oven temperatures from 350° to 425°. With or without convention. Just adjust the time some.
    4. Thinner bacon cooks faster. Very thick bacon will take a few minutes longer.
    5. Thinner bacon and bacon with more sugar will tend to stick. Use a layer of parchment paper if you are unsure or have a problem.
    6. No flipping or rack is needed, although some people will use them.
    7. It is done when it looks cooked to your taste.
    8. I generally do two sheet pans at a time in a convection oven. I rotate them front to back and switch the top to bottom at 10 minutes.
    9. Cooked bacon is good refrigerated for 4-5 days and frozen for one month.
    10. Reheat bacon in a microwave covered with a paper towel for about 8-10 seconds per piece. If frozen, thaw first.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Nutrition Facts
    How to Cook Bacon in the Oven—Quick and Easy
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 60 Calories from Fat 45
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 5g8%
    Saturated Fat 2g10%
    Cholesterol 13mg4%
    Sodium 220mg9%
    Potassium 65mg2%
    Carbohydrates 1g0%
    Protein 4g8%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Breakfast
    Cuisine : American

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Editor's Note: Originally published October 8, 2011, and updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

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    1. JamesP

      October 11, 2014 at 9:49 pm

      5 stars
      This works Perfectly! Just cook it 'til it's done! I like a bit less time for mine, since I like chewy bacon.

      Black Label is yummy bacon, but whenever you feel like splurging on a treat, I suggest trying Nueske's applewood smoked bacon. I get it without the pepper. It's awfully expensive, but it is truly heavenly.

      Reply
      • DrDan

        October 11, 2014 at 10:57 pm

        Hi James.
        I haven't seen Nueske's around here but check it out online. There is no price too high for bacon after all.

        Except for cooking some cut up bacon for bacon bits, I haven't done stovetop for several years now.

        Thanks so much for the note and rating.

        DrDan

    2. Bill Blass

      August 22, 2014 at 12:36 am

      Hey there Mr. Dan, so you run a pig farm in Iowa?

      Reply
    3. Laura

      May 11, 2014 at 8:18 am

      The only way to cook bacon! Crumple the foil to prevent the bacon from getting too greasy.

      Reply
      • DrDan

        May 11, 2014 at 9:04 pm

        I have seen that. Thanks for the note.
        DrDan

    4. Lia

      March 31, 2014 at 7:21 pm

      I was looking for a good oven bacon recipe, since I've never tried it before. I started reading yours, and I was thinking "she knows her bacon." And then you mentioned one of my favorites - Hormel Black Label. I'm an Iowa girl myself, so when you mentioned this, I laughed and wasn't surprised! If you ever get to Kansas City, the only thing I've ever found better than Black Label is Boar's Head. It's at Hen House grocery stores, and I highly recommend it. I haven't tried you're directions yet, but I'm about to for a recipe for my family back in Iowa!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        March 31, 2014 at 8:40 pm

        I do believe I've had Boar's Head 35 plus years ago. We spent two years in Kansas City and loved it. We still have Gate's BBQ sauce sent in by the case. I do highly recommend Black Label. An excellent bacon.

        Pay attention since there is some variability due to your oven, thickness of bacon and sugar content of the bacon.

        And really "she knows her bacon"... hummmm... DrDan

        Thanks for the note.
        Dan

    5. Jenny

      March 01, 2014 at 8:02 am

      Why the aluminum foil? I avoid aluminum because of the links to Alzheimers. It the foil necessary?

      Reply
      • DrDan

        March 01, 2014 at 8:40 am

        The foil is for easy clean up only. Not required.
        DrDan

    6. DrDan

      February 22, 2014 at 11:57 am

      This is variable with bacon thickness and your oven. It may stick more if you bacon is high in sugar. I only use thick black label and it take 20-22 minutes every time and almost never has any sticking. I like the "deep fry" effect also and this does it. Some people use a rack or wrinkle the foil. Not for me.
      Thanks for the comment and have fun experimenting.
      DrDan

      Reply
    7. fritz buzzard

      February 22, 2014 at 8:21 am

      This definitely has possibilities. My first attempt went a little too long (~14 minutes) but I used bacon of normal thickness. Next time I will try 10 minutes.

      Up until now I had done bacon in the skillet with olive oil. That, plus the fat released by the bacon created an almost 'deep fry' effect and the result was light, crispy bacon - really not too bad. I will have to run the oven method by my wife. She is the bacon lover in the family. Interesting experiment, though. Thanks.

      Reply
    8. Leslee Florea

      February 07, 2014 at 10:24 pm

      Try tossing in flour then shaking off the excess... Even crunchier :) thanks!

      Reply
    9. Sarah

      January 25, 2014 at 10:00 pm

      Thank you so much for your amazing recipes. We tried your drumsticks last night and they were the best. I'll try this one soon!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        January 26, 2014 at 7:42 am

        Thanks Sarah
        DrDan

    10. Tiwana

      January 23, 2014 at 2:52 pm

      Awesome! I will try this tonight. We are having BLT'S.

      Reply
      • DrDan

        January 23, 2014 at 7:58 pm

        I love BLT's

        Thanks for the comment
        DrDan

      • Bill

        August 01, 2015 at 10:16 am

        Most people like BLT's. For a variation, leave off the lettuce an put on a fied egg.

        WARNING, you will be hooked forever!!!!!

      • DrDan

        August 01, 2015 at 9:53 pm

        In my much younger days I would eat bacon sandwiches. Then med school ruined it for me...:(

    11. Aubrey

      December 25, 2013 at 12:30 pm

      Really I never knew i was supposed to eat it

      Reply
    12. brownsbacker9255

      September 22, 2013 at 9:14 am

      Try parchment paper, it won't stick to that. A little messier clean up though.

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell

        September 22, 2013 at 9:22 am

        Mine rarely stick any. The occasional minimal sticking isn't worth the mess to me. However some of the thinner and higher sugar bacons may stick more and then the parchment might be worth it.

    13. SwampCatNana

      August 05, 2013 at 2:26 pm

      Like e144840, I prefer to put the bacon on a rack in the pan. That way you don't have to use all those paper towels!

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell

        August 05, 2013 at 6:52 pm

        I really do not like cleaning greasy rack. But I could just soak them...

    14. Dan Mikesell

      April 01, 2013 at 5:41 pm

      Rarely. Maybe a sticky one every third or forth pan. I do believe a higher sugar bacon would stick more.

      Reply
    15. Laura

      April 01, 2013 at 1:32 pm

      Will it stick to the foil? Haven't yet found an oven method where my bacon doesn't stick, but could be the type of bacon I'm using.

      Reply
      • Sandie Staub

        June 29, 2013 at 1:57 pm

        I used a cooking stone instead of regular pan and it worked way better (no sticking) and it seasoned the pan in the process.

      • TexasOllie

        November 11, 2013 at 11:52 am

        Non-stick foil. I can't live without it.

      • Dan Mikesell

        November 11, 2013 at 8:15 pm

        great idea if you're worried about sticking. I have done over and over and never had significant sticking.

      • Lynne

        January 05, 2014 at 7:54 am

        I put mine on parchment paper on a jelly roll pan....it never sticks and for clean up I just wait to grease is hard.... Well till we have had breakfast and it grease just peels right off pan with just some residual grease left to clean off pan when you toss paper out....I have been doing my bacon like this for years now and my family loves it:)

      • THester

        January 08, 2015 at 11:58 am

        You can also get non stick aluminum foil

      • dan

        January 10, 2016 at 11:55 am

        Try a silicon pad they are a bit pricey $25 30 but well worth it and last for ever

      • MollysMama

        March 19, 2016 at 10:25 am

        Use parchment paper...no sticking ever.

      • Jtn

        November 18, 2016 at 6:19 pm

        I guess you missed the part about using parchment paper? Every restaurant in the country uses the same method of cooking in the oven, and parchment is the common and best way.

      • J. R. Horner

        September 08, 2017 at 11:29 am

        Spray the aluminum foil with Pam before putting
        Bacon on it.

      • Heather O'Gorman

        August 11, 2018 at 7:17 pm

        Use the foil with sides raised and put a layer of parchment paper. The parchment won't burn unless it's over 400°f. The foil keeps the grease in the sheet pan...the parchment keeps it from sticking to pan &/or foil...keep an eye on it...I prefer 375°f so I have the control....Hubby doesn't like his brown & crispy...I do...so I have to watch and pull his bacon out sooner, then I pop it back in to get my desired crispinaess.. . Hone a t...it won't stick to the parchment. ~Heather O

    16. Dr Dan

      December 02, 2012 at 12:51 pm

      This is definitely a "your time may vary" recipe. The bacon, the oven and the crispiness you want dictates the time. Just remember it is done when it looks done.

      Reply
    17. Joy

      December 02, 2012 at 12:43 pm

      Had too cook it a few minutes longer, but EASY clean up & I didn't get popped with grease or have to stand there flipping bacon! Turned out perfect & was able to cook all the rest of breakfast, while bacon took care of itself :)

      Reply
    18. d.dale

      July 22, 2012 at 3:09 pm

      The best. Will never 'fry' again.

      Reply
      • vinny

        March 31, 2015 at 4:18 pm

        had a deli in nyc the only way i made lbs of bacon was in the oven you can also cook the bacon 3/4 of the way then reheat later!

    Newer Comments »

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