Why You Should Cook Bacon in the Oven

I love bacon, but standing there frying it, hoping the grease doesn’t pop out on me? That part, I don’t love. Fortunately, there’s another way!

Bacon is one of those foods that just about everyone loves. It’s perfect for breakfast, sandwiches, salads, and so many other dishes.

But frying it is a pain, especially if you’re trying to cook a large batch. Standing over the stovetop, flipping and monitoring the bacon strips as they sizzle can be time-consuming and messy.

Luckily, there’s an easier way to cook bacon that produces delicious, perfectly crispy results every time – baking it in the oven. Oven-baked bacon is hands-off, requires minimal cleanup, and lets you cook a big batch all at once.

What’s Great About Oven-Baked Bacon

There are several advantages to cooking bacon in the oven rather than on the stovetop:

Hands-off cooking. Once the bacon is in the oven, you can just let it do its thing without having to constantly monitor and flip the strips. This frees you up to work on other parts of your meal.
Easy cleanup. The bacon grease is contained on the baking sheet, making cleanup a breeze – especially if you line the pan with parchment or foil. No more splattering grease all over your stovetop.
Cook a large batch at once. Oven-baking allows you to cook multiple servings of bacon simultaneously, which is perfect if you’re feeding a crowd or want to meal prep.
Consistently crispy results. The high, even heat of the oven cooks the bacon evenly, resulting in perfectly crispy strips every time. No more uneven, chewy or burnt bacon.
No standing over the stove. Baking the bacon frees you up to multitask and work on other parts of your meal while the bacon cooks hands-free.
No splatter or mess. Cooking bacon on the stovetop can be messy, with grease splattering everywhere. Oven-baking contains all that mess in the pan.
Healthier cooking method. Oven-baking allows the excess fat to drip off the bacon as it cooks, resulting in a less greasy final product.

For all these reasons, oven-baked bacon is simply the easiest and most convenient way to cook this breakfast staple. Give it a try and you may never go back to the stovetop method!

How to Bake Bacon in the Oven

Cooking bacon in the oven is incredibly easy and virtually foolproof. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Ingredients and Supplies Needed

Bacon (thick-cut or regular)
Baking sheet or rimmed baking pan
Parchment paper or aluminum foil (optional)

Instructions

Preheat your oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). This high heat is what helps the bacon get nice and crispy.

Line your baking sheet. For easy cleanup, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. This prevents the bacon grease from sticking to the pan.

Arrange the bacon. Lay the bacon strips in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, making sure they aren’t overlapping. You can fit quite a few strips on a standard baking sheet.

Bake the bacon. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping the bacon halfway through, until it reaches your desired level of crispness. Keep a close eye on it towards the end to prevent burning.

Drain the bacon. Once the bacon is cooked to your liking, use tongs or a fork to transfer the strips to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack to drain off any excess grease.

And that’s it! Oven-baked bacon is really that simple. The high oven temperature cooks the bacon evenly and crisps it up beautifully without the need to stand over the stovetop.

Tips for Getting Perfect Oven-Baked Bacon

Here are a few extra tips to help you get the best results when baking bacon in the oven:

Use a rimmed baking sheet. The raised edges on a rimmed baking sheet will help contain the bacon grease and prevent it from spilling over onto your oven floor.
Line the pan with parchment or foil. As mentioned earlier, lining the baking sheet makes for super easy cleanup. The bacon grease will simply slide right off the parchment or foil.
Arrange the bacon in a single layer. Laying the bacon strips in a single layer ensures they cook evenly. If the strips are overlapping, they may not get as crispy.
Flip the bacon halfway through. Flipping the bacon halfway through the cooking time helps it cook and crisp up evenly on both sides.
Keep a close eye towards the end. Bacon can go from perfectly crispy to burned very quickly, so be sure to keep a close eye on it in the last few minutes of cooking. Everyone has a different preference for bacon doneness, so you may need to experiment a bit to find your perfect level of crispness.
Bake at 400°F. This high oven temperature is key for getting the bacon nice and crispy. Cooking at a lower temp may result in soggy, greasy bacon.
Let the bacon drain. Transferring the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack allows any excess grease to drip off, resulting in extra crispy bacon.
Cook in batches if needed. If you’re cooking a large quantity of bacon, you may need to work in batches to ensure even cooking. Overcrowding the pan can lead to steaming rather than crisping.

How to Use Up All That Bacon

Just in case you find yourself with more crispy bacon strips than you know what to do with, here are some tasty ways to use up your bacon bounty:

Classic Breakfast. Serve the bacon alongside eggs, pancakes, waffles, or hash browns for a classic, satisfying breakfast.
Bacon, Egg & Cheese Sandwiches. Layer the bacon, along with a fried egg and cheese, between toasted bread or an English muffin for a delicious breakfast sandwich.
BLT Sandwiches. Bacon, lettuce and tomato is a classic sandwich combo that’s always a crowd-pleaser.
Salads. Sprinkle crispy bacon bits over green salads, pasta salads, or even potato salad for an extra savory crunch.
Baked Potatoes. Top baked potatoes with bacon, cheese, sour cream, and chives for a loaded, indulgent meal.
Soups and Stews. Crumble bacon over the top of creamy soups, chilis, or hearty stews for added flavor and texture.
Bacon-Wrapped Appetizers. Wrap bacon around shrimp, dates, or even little smokies for an easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer.
Pasta Dishes. Toss cooked bacon into pasta dishes like carbonara, mac and cheese, or fettuccine alfredo.
Twice-Baked Potatoes. Mash the cooked bacon right into the potato filling for extra-flavorful twice-baked potatoes.
Breakfast Casseroles. Layer bacon into breakfast casseroles, quiches, or frittatas for a protein-packed meal.