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    Bless This Mess > Recipes > Breakfast

    How to Bake Bacon in the Oven

    Published: Mar 25, 2021 · Modified: Oct 28, 2022 by Melissa · 28 Comments

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    three slices of bacon an egg and some toast with jelly
    top view bacon
    Baking Bacon in the Oven | Easy Recipe for Crispy Bacon
    top view bacon

    Baking bacon in the oven is the simplest way to make a large or small amount of crispy bacon -- with minimal cleanup! This easy bacon recipe comes out perfect every time.

    Anyone can make perfect bacon every time with this easy-to-follow oven recipe!

    Baking bacon in the oven is the simplest way to make a large or small amount of crispy bacon -- with minimal cleanup! This easy bacon recipe comes out perfect every time. Anyone can make perfect bacon every time with this easy-to-follow oven recipe! #bacon #ovenbacon #bakedbacon #easybacon #baconrecipe #howtomakebacon

    How to Make Bacon in the Oven

    My mom is a traditional stove-top bacon fryer, and that's all that I really knew. But a few years ago my grandpa mentioned that he would bake large quantities of bacon in the oven to serve to his men's group at church. That was honestly the first time I had ever heard about oven-baked bacon.

    When I was in high school, I worked at an amazing little deli called The Big Cheese. Every Saturday for years, I fried up 30 to 40 pounds of bacon to prep it for the rest of the week. I would come home and just smell so strongly of bacon I had to shower immediately. After years of this, I started to hate bacon, especially the smell.

    I stopped eating bacon at around 16 and didn't look back. After I got married and started cooking more for a family instead of just myself, bacon slowly made a reappearance. Enough time had passed that I didn't totally hate it anymore. And when I learned about oven-baking it, I was totally in! It requires little to no effort, you don't get splattered with hot grease, it's easy to clean up, and the smell is not quite so in-your-face when you are done.

    The house definitely smells delightful, and all of the babies come to see what I'm cooking, but it doesn't linger forever or make your clothes stink because you were standing over the pan. And you will LOVE how easy it is to get evenly crispy pieces, and it literally takes out all of the work of cooking bacon. I could've used this hack in high school!

    Is it better to bake or fry bacon?

    If you ask me, baking! It's so much easier than the conventional frying method, and makes for such a swifter cleanup.

    What is the least messy way to cook bacon?

    Baking is definitely the least messy bacon cooking method. There's no grease splatter, greasy pans, or smelly clothes since everything's contained inside the oven.

    Baking bacon in the oven is the simplest way to make a large or small amount of crispy bacon -- with minimal cleanup! This easy bacon recipe comes out perfect every time. Anyone can make perfect bacon every time with this easy-to-follow oven recipe! #bacon #ovenbacon #bakedbacon #easybacon #baconrecipe #howtomakebacon

    Is it better to cook bacon fast or slow?

    Slower is actually better because it will keep it from seizing up totally. Instead of frying it over high heat, I prefer to bake it at 400 degrees F. for about 20 minutes.

    What is the healthiest bacon?

    If you want a healthier cut of bacon, look for bacon that's thinly sliced with minimal fat. However, bacon is just a fatty meat, so there will always be some fat on it. For a lower fat option, try turkey bacon (which you can make in the oven using this same method). That being said, turkey bacon is more processed than normal bacon so take it for what it is... if you are going to eat bacon. Eat it, enjoy it, and live your live 🙂

    How to make bacon in the oven:

    • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
    • Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
    • Lay the bacon onto the foil in a single layer.
    • Cook the bacon in the oven for about 18 to 22 minutes.
    • Remove the bacon from the pan, and place it on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb grease.
    • Throw away the foil once the pan is cool.
    • Enjoy in your favorite recipes, or eat as is.
    Print
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    eggs and bacon with a piece of toast with jelly

    Oven Baked Bacon


    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

    • Author: Melissa Griffiths - Bless this Mess
    • Total Time: 23 minutes
    • Yield: 12
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Baking bacon in the oven is the simplest way to make a large or small amount of crispy bacon -- with minimal cleanup! This easy bacon recipe comes out perfect every time.


    Ingredients

    • Bacon, traditional cut and about 12 ounces per pan

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
    2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil (have the foil overhang the edges so that the grease doesn't get onto your pan). Lay the bacon onto the foil in a single layer. If the edges of the raw bacon overlap a little, that's okay.
    3. Put the bacon in the oven, and cook for about 18 to 22 minutes. You want the bacon to be cooked through but not too dark, so keep an eye on it toward the end of baking. The actual baking time will depend on the thickness of your bacon and how crispy you like it.
    4. When the bacon is cooked, take it out of the oven. Remove the bacon from the pan, and place it on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb extra grease.
    5. You can pour the extra grease in the pan into a heat-resistant container and save it for another use.
    6. Once the pan is cool, simply throw away the foil.
    7. Enjoy in your favorite recipes, or eat as is.

    Notes

    • You don't have to wait for your oven to preheat all of the way to start cooking your bacon, just FYI.
    • Nutritional information is for 12 pieces of baked bacon
    • Prep Time: 5 min
    • Cook Time: 18 min
    • Category: Breakfast
    • Method: Oven
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: baking bacon, how to make bacon in the oven, baked bacon recipe, crispy bacon, how to make crispy bacon, baking bacon in the oven, oven baked bacon

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @blessthismessblog on Instagram and hashtag it #blessthismess

    Another great break recipe you might want with your bacon is easy sausage gravy and biscuits. Such a treat!

    My favorite bacon recipes include these:

    • The BEST Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad of Summer
    • Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
    • Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries, Bacon, and Maple
    • Fall Salad with Maple Candied Pecans, Bacon, Apples, and Shaved Brussels Sprouts
    • South of the Border Cheesy Bacon Quiche
    • Grilled Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Chicken Skewers
    • Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta
    • Homemade Bacon Pizza with Herbs
    • Green Beans with Butter and Bacon
    • How to Cook Bacon in a Cast Iron Skillet
    • How to Cook Bacon in the Air Fryer
    • Baked Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
    Baking bacon in the oven is the simplest way to make a large or small amount of crispy bacon -- with minimal cleanup! This easy bacon recipe comes out perfect every time. Anyone can make perfect bacon every time with this easy-to-follow oven recipe! #bacon #ovenbacon #bakedbacon #easybacon #baconrecipe #howtomakebacon

    Oven baked bacon is the perfect method to cook bacon quickly and with minimal mess just to eat or to prep it for a recipe.

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    About Melissa

    Melissa is dedicated to helping parents figure out the nightly questions, "What's for Dinner?!" with her no-fuss approach to cooking. Read more...

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      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    1. Michelle

      April 28, 2020 at 9:18 am

      Whenever I oven bake my bacon the smell ends up lingering in the house for a few days. Any tips on how to avoid this?

      Reply
      • Melissa

        April 29, 2020 at 7:37 am

        Do you have an outside vent at all in your kitchen, like above your stove? You could turn that on to push the air out.

    2. Marsha

      May 30, 2019 at 12:18 pm

      For those using this method to precook for later use, how did you reheat it? Microwave? Oven? About how long do you think it'll keep before using?

      Reply
      • Melissa

        May 30, 2019 at 6:29 pm

        You can use the oven or microwave! I worked at a deli and we precooked all of the bacon for the week every Saturday and just microwaved it. It'd say it'll last 5-7 days in the fridge.

    3. Robin Daffern

      May 04, 2019 at 12:11 pm

      I made bacon in the oven but I DID get splattered...not sure why. My hands didn't have water on them.

      Reply
      • Melissa

        May 04, 2019 at 3:59 pm

        Ouch, sorry to hear that. Hope your hands have recovered.

    4. Ouida

      February 21, 2019 at 11:05 am

      I haven't tried cooking bacon in the oven. Doesn't it splatter all over the oven?

      Reply
      • Melissa

        February 21, 2019 at 12:01 pm

        No, I think the heat not just coming from the bottom makes it much less of a mess for some reason! It's lovely!

    5. Jerry

      November 23, 2018 at 8:12 am

      Loved it . To keep grease from accumulating I used four or five paper towels and pat bacon periodically. No need for wire rack and no grease down the drain.

      Reply
    6. Dee

      July 31, 2018 at 4:45 pm

      This method is awesome! I will never fry bacon again!

      Reply
    7. Wendy

      August 09, 2017 at 2:54 pm

      I've been baking bacon for maaaany years now, I learned to do that when I was a cook at a juvenile delinquent boys home. I've passed the idea on to friends and family over the years and they love it. 🙂 IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO GO !! :))

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    8. Becky

      February 04, 2015 at 5:09 pm

      You just saved my bacon. Literally. In two ways. I thawed out some bacon for dinner and then realized we couldn't do the whole 'breakfast for dinner thing tonight'. What was I supposed to do with the bacon!
      I'm gonna cook it like you told me to and not have a mess.
      Also, you linked to sandwiches on the bottom of your post and yes! That's it! Sandwiches for dinner!

      You saved my bacon!

      Reply
      • Linda

        June 01, 2016 at 7:32 pm

        Put the bacon on foil on a cold baking sheet in a cold oven then turn to 400 degrees.

    9. Jen

      July 27, 2014 at 6:11 pm

      I cook bacon in the oven on a cooling rack on a cookie sheet. More grease comes off that way.

      Reply
      • Melissa

        July 28, 2014 at 1:28 pm

        Smart! I'm going to try that!

    10. Stephanie Cooper

      May 28, 2014 at 11:49 am

      Yes! I just started baking bacon a few months ago. I'm not a huge fan of bacon... I know.. gasp! I must not be American or something. But I don't mind Turkey bacon. And my husband of course loves bacon. I love that the bacon smell isn't too intense and leaves the house quickly.

      Reply
    11. Sarah

      March 07, 2014 at 11:09 am

      Love cooking it this way. My hubby thinks I'm crazy, but I hate trying to fry up an entire pan of it... you can only ever fit 4 or 5 pieces in at a time, so unless you want it to bunch up and stick together forever, you have to take turns. I, inevitably, forget some pieces and burn them. So, because I'm dysfunctional, baking it is the only route. Just don't burn it. 😛

      Reply
    12. Cindy Hunter

      March 07, 2014 at 7:01 am

      Yes, we have been making bacon in the oven for a long time. Try sprinkling it with brown sugar or with chili powder and red hots! It is a wonderful way to cook up a batch for the week ahead too. Makes those busy weekday breakfasts yummy. Love the Big Cheese too! Your Aunt is a wonderful person.

      Reply
    13. Nicole Pharr (@pharr_away)

      March 07, 2014 at 6:14 am

      Yes, I LOVE cooking bacon in the oven. I actually use a cooling rack inside of the foil lined pan so that the grease drips away as it cooks!

      Reply
      • Melissa

        March 07, 2014 at 7:51 am

        Best idea ever! You smart lady... trying that this weekend!

    14. quilterz

      March 07, 2014 at 5:40 am

      I buy the thick bacon and sprinkle it with New Mexico red chile powder and a little brown sugar before baking. It's awesome!

      Reply
      • Melissa

        March 07, 2014 at 7:54 am

        I'm a sweet and salty fanatic! I'm so trying that!

    15. Sara T

      March 07, 2014 at 5:23 am

      I discovered this a few months ago and it was a game changer for me also. I didn't have a reason for not liking the smell of cooking bacon, but I didn't (it started in my teens also) and thus I wouldn't eat it. Then I met my bacon loving husband and things had to change so I stove cooked it and just dealt with it, showered after cooking every time. Recently, learned this little trick and life has been grand since! I get up, preheat the oven, put bacon in and have a cup of coffee while I spend time with my main squeeze! So glad you have discovered this also!

      I do one thing differently, I put my wire cooling rack on top of the foil in the pan so the bacon doesn't sit in the grease, I've found this helps to make it more crispy, without having to bake longer (and potentially burn). Then I just put the wire rack in the dish washer and it is good as new! Yay for oven baked bacon!!

      Reply
      • Melissa

        March 07, 2014 at 7:55 am

        I'm glad I'm not alone in my bacon smell disliking 🙂 And I'm totally trying the wire rack thing. SMART!

    16. Susan Carroll

      March 06, 2014 at 8:42 pm

      Best way to do it for a big family or a crowd.

      Reply
    17. Diane

      March 06, 2014 at 7:47 pm

      This is the only way I cook bacon now! It's much cleaner and I just keep it wrapped in a paper towel in a ziploc and use pieces throughout the week (or freeze); in salads, in sandwiches, for breakfast, baked beans, etc...

      Reply
      • Melissa

        March 06, 2014 at 8:50 pm

        Whhaaa?! I have never thought to precook it for myself even though that's what I was doing at the deli. I feel like you just gave me a big "light bulb" moment. LOL! Thanks!

    18. Jodi

      March 06, 2014 at 4:54 pm

      Without a doubt my favorite way to cook bacon!

      Reply

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