Bacon Recipe: How to Bake Bacon

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Follow my easy Bacon Recipe to learn how to cook bacon in the oven with aluminum foil! Whether you have a rack or not, cooking thick bacon in the oven is easier and less messy than pan frying!

Titled Image: How to Bake Bacon


 

Easy Bacon Recipe

Sure, cooking thick bacon in the oven is a great way to prepare large batches. But have you tried this kitchen hack?

There are 2 new methods that I’m excited to share with you, and one of them causes little to no cleanup. That’s my kind of kitchen tip!

slices of bacon on crack in baking sheet

We love bacon around here. I am sure you may have noticed all of the bacon recipe options on our site.

However, I don’t like the mess. Whether it’s a skillet on the stove or in the microwave, there are too many splatters and too much grease to clean up.

Sometimes, the texture isn’t even right.

Trust me — slow cooked bacon is the way to go!

strips of baked bacon on rack

Benefits of Cooking Thick Bacon in the Oven

  • Easy clean-up! No more cleaning splatters off the counter or scraping grease out of your skillets and microwave.
  • Cook for a crowd. You can make an entire package of slow cooked bacon on a single oven rack. More racks = even more bacon!
  • Lets you multitask. Not only will you free up the stove, but you can literally set the oven and forget it. Focus your attention on the rest of the meal instead.
crumpled aluminum foil to bake bacon

How to Bake Bacon in the Oven with Aluminum Foil

You will actually need one more item: a wire rack.

Find one specifically for rimmed baking sheets or use the ones you would cool cookies on. As long as it’s oven safe, it works!

Wondering how to cook bacon in the oven without a rack? You’ll have to scroll down a bit more — but you’re going to need foil either way!

Line the entire pan with foil including up and over the rimmed sides. This way, all you have to do is fold it up and toss it once the grease cools and solidifies.

Press the foil gently into the corners to make sure it doesn’t tear. Otherwise, you’ll still need to wash the pan — which defeats the whole point of these bacon recipe tips!

  1. Preheat your oven to 400ºF. It needs to be nice and hot before the strips go in.
  2. After covering a rimmed baking sheet with foil, set an oven-safe cross-wire grid cooling rack inside the pan.
  3. Lay out the slices of bacon on rack in a single layer. Bake for 15-25 minutes.

    The length of time will vary based on the thickness of your bacon (thick cut takes longer) and how crispy you like it.
slices of bacon on aluminum foil baking sheet

How to Cook Bacon in the Oven without a Rack

I used the rack method above for many years, but one day I had cookies cooling on the baking racks and wanted to make bacon.

So, I tried other options. I tried cooking thick bacon in the oven on parchment and foil — this was just too greasy, no matter how much I drained it or patted it with paper towels.

Then, I found my favorite method! I figured out how to cook bacon in the oven with aluminum foil that was crumpled for texture.

The best part? No need to scrub that cooling rack!

First, gently crumple a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil so it’s nice and wrinkled. DO NOT crumple into a little ball — just squish it together and pull it apart.

Lay it across your baking sheet and gently straighten it out. Do NOT smooth it down or you will lose your crumbles. Then, tuck the edges under the lip of the baking sheet.

  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F while you get the foil ready.
  2. Lay bacon strips on top of the crumpled foil. As you can see above, the bacon sits across the little ridges.

    The bacon drippings will collect in the foil below the bacon (pretty smart, huh?).
  3. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-25 minutes. Thin strips of chewy bacon will take less time than crispy, thick-cut strips.
strips of bacon on aluminum foil

Slow Cooked Bacon FAQ

Can you cook two pans of bacon in the oven at the same time?

You can cook 2 sheets at the same time, but it will increase your overall bake time significantly.

Switch the position of the baking sheets halfway through cooking time so all of the strips are evenly cooked.

What is the secret to crispy bacon?

First, never overlap bacon strips! Cook in a single layers and leave space between each for best results.

Slow cooked bacon is really easy to get crispy, especially with the tricks mentioned above. Because the strips don’t sit in the grease, the fat is able to render at the right pace.

Draining is the final step! Once cooked, transfer the strips of bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate so they can finish crisping to perfection.

Can you save and reuse bacon grease?

You bet! In fact, it’s easier than ever when you use the methods in this easy bacon recipe.

Remove the strips and allow the grease to cool for about 15 minutes. Then, carefully pour the grease from the corner of the pan into a jar.

Leftover bacon grease will keep for 3 to 6 months in the refrigerator or in the freezer indefinitely. Just be sure to store it tightly sealed!

removing grease from baked bacon on a paper towel

Enjoy!
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strips of bacon on a cooling rack

baked bacon on cooling rack

Bacon Recipe: How to Bake Bacon

Donna Elick
My easy Bacon Recipe shows you how to cook bacon in the oven with aluminum foil — with or without a rack! Enjoy little to no clean up!
4.50 stars from 2 reviews
Tried this recipe?Please comment and review!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Method Oven
Servings 12 slices

Ingredients
 

  • 12 strips bacon

Instructions
 

Cooking Bacon in the Oven without a Rack

  • Preheat oven to 400ºF.
  • Gently crumple a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil causing wrinkles. DO NOT crumple into a little ball. Just squish it together and pull it apart. Lay it across your baking sheet and gently straighten it out. Do NOT smooth it down or you will lose your crumbles.
  • Tuck the edges under the lip of the baking sheet. Lay bacon strips on top of foil. As you can see above the bacon lays across the little ridges. The bacon drippings will collect in the foil below the bacon (pretty smart, huh?). Do not lay strips on top of one another or they will not cook.
  • Place pan in oven and bake for 15-25 minutes. The length of time will vary based on the thickness of your bacon (thick cut takes longer) and the doneness you prefer. (I like mine crispy).
  • You can cook 2 sheets at the same time, but it will increase your bake time significantly. Switch baking sheets half way though cook time.

Method 2 – Oven Bacon on a Rack

  • Preheat oven to 400ºF.
  • Cover a baking pan with aluminum foil and place an oven safe cross-wire grid cooling rack in the pan.
  • Lay slices of bacon on the rack. Do not overlap the slices or they will not cook properly.
  • Place pan in oven and bake for 15-25 minutes. The length of time will vary based on the thickness of your bacon (thick cut takes longer) and the doneness you prefer. (I like mine crispy).
  • You can cook 2 sheets at the same time, but it will increase your bake time significantly. Switch baking sheets half way though cook time.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 92cal | Carbohydrates: 0.3g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 146mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 0.1mg

All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
How to Bake Bacon - PIN

Originally published September 2015, updated and republished September 2023

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42 Comments

  1. I’ve started baking mine on a broiling pan. I don’t have to waste all that foil, and I hate hate, hate washing cooling racks. Idk why, they are just such a pain to me to wash! With the broiling pan, the grease drains to the bottom, I pour it out in a can, and the pan washes easily. Very easy method!

    1. I live alone so I only need to cook a few pieces of bacon at a time. I use a microwave bacon plate with a paper towel on top. It takes only a few minutes, I can easily pour the grease in a jar and put the bacon plate in the dishwasher. And if I need more bacon I still use this.

  2. I have been grilling bacon for many years. It is mainly something to sustain the chef while the steaks grill. (All that grilling requires calories!) The only caveat is that you need to watch it closely or it will burn…like a bon fire burn!

  3. I have cooked bacon in the oven for many years however I do not preheat oven. Just put it in a cold oven and set temp for 400°. It will still cook within the 15-25 minute time. (We never preheated the skillet, right??).

  4. Can you cook Bacon in a Gas stove oven. ? Just wondering because of the fire below if the grease would start a fire with the flames.

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