How Many Calories Are in Air Fried Bacon? A Healthier Cooking Method for a Breakfast Staple

Crispy, savory bacon is a staple breakfast food for many. But traditionally pan-fried bacon can contain high amounts of fat and calories due to cooking methods. Air frying has emerged as a healthier cooking technique for bacon that cuts down on excess grease while still delivering deliciously crispy results. But just how many calories are in air fried bacon? Let’s compare air frying to other cooking methods and see why it’s considered a lower calorie option.

Calorie and Fat Differences Between Cooking Methods

The cooking method makes a major difference in the calorie and fat content of bacon Here is how air frying stacks up against other common ways to make bacon

• Pan-frying: When bacon is fried on the stovetop, it sits and cooks in all its own rendered fat and grease. This adds a lot of extra calories and ups the fat content significantly. Pan-fried bacon can have 150+ calories per slice.

• Baking Baking bacon in the oven on a rack helps excess fat drip away, lowering fat and calories somewhat compared to pan-frying. Baked bacon still has around 100-120 calories per slice

• Microwaving Fast and convenient, but produces a less crispy texture. Microwaving also doesn’t allow fat to drain away like baking. Around 110 calories a slice.

• Air frying: Air frying crisps the bacon in a basket rather than sitting in grease, allowing excess fat to drain off. This reduces the calories versus other high-fat methods. Air fried bacon contains approximately 67-80 calories per slice.

So air frying results in the lowest calorie bacon cooking method by far. But the calorie count still varies based on a few factors.

Variables Impacting Air Fried Bacon Calories

While air frying is the lowest-calorie cooking method overall, there are still some factors that cause calorie fluctuations within air fried bacon:

• Bacon cut: Thinner sliced bacon has less initial fat and will have lower calories than thick-cut bacon. Thin cut bacon has around 67 calories a slice, while thick cut is around 80 calories.

• Cooking time: The longer bacon air fries, the more fat renders out, somewhat reducing calories. But going too long results in bacon shrinking and more getting crispy burnt, negating the benefit.

• Bacon quality: Higher quality artisanal bacon tends to have more marbling and fat content, bumping calories versus cheap thin bacon. Low-end bacon has around 60 calories a slice.

• Portion size: The given nutrition info is usually based on average 1 ounce slices. Smaller or thinner portions will mean less calories.

So the optimal air fried bacon keeps these factors in mind – go for thin slices, moderate cook time, and control portion sizes.

Air Fryer Cooking Process for Low-Calorie Bacon

To make the leanest air fried bacon, follow these tips:

• Use thin-cut bacon whenever possible. Thick-cut packs more fat.

• Arrange bacon slices in a single layer on the air fryer basket without overlapping.

• Cook at 360°F for approximately 7-8 minutes for thin cut bacon. Thicker bacon may need 9-10 minutes.

• Pour out excess bacon grease from the bottom of the air fryer halfway through cooking.

• Blot bacon after cooking with a paper towel to absorb any additional lingering grease.

It’s also important to note the given calorie counts are based on pan-cooked weights, but bacon loses some mass in the air fryer. So the calorie count per slice may be slightly less.

How Many Calories in a Typical Serving of Air Fried Bacon?

The specific calorie count will vary based on the factors listed above. However, for a typical 2-3 slice serving of thinner sliced air fried bacon, you can expect around:

• 2 slices = 130-160 calories

• 3 slices = 195-240 calories

Since most people eat 2-4 slices of bacon at a time, air frying keeps the total calorie count per serving in a reasonable range for a protein-packed breakfast side. A four slice serving would be approximately 260-320 calories.

Compared to the 300-500+ calories you would get in a full serving of pan fried bacon, air frying makes a significant calorie impact while still providing satisfying bacon flavor.

Does Air Fried Bacon Have Less Fat Than Pan Fried?

Definitely! Pan frying causes bacon to baste in all its rendered fat, while air frying allows excess fat to drip away into the bottom of the cooking chamber. For reference, here is the fat content difference:

• Pan fried bacon: 9g fat per slice

• Air fried bacon: 5g fat per slice

So air frying reduces the fat grams per slice by almost half compared to other high-fat cooking methods. The overall fat decrease depends on portion size, but you can expect a total fat reduction of around 4-8g for a typical 2-3 slice portion. For those monitoring fat and calories, air frying is the clear winner.

Is Air Fried Bacon Healthier Than Microwaved or Baked?

Despite being lower in fat than pan-frying, air fried bacon is fairly comparable in calories and nutrition to oven-baking or microwaving. The differences are:

• Air fried is slightly lower calorie than baked (about 10-20 calories)

• Microwaved bacon may be a little leaner due to less overall cooking time

• Air fried gets crispier than microwaved

• Baked can have more even cooking than air fried

So while air frying has some advantages nutritionally versus high-fat pan frying, it is reasonably similar to other lower-fat cooking methods. The choice comes down to convenience and texture preference. But air fried remains the best option for crispiness and lower fat than pan frying.

Is Air Fried Bacon Healthy Overall?

While air frying is one of the healthier ways to cook bacon, nutritionists still consider bacon an occasional treat food rather than a daily health food due to:

• High sodium content – air fried bacon still has 250-300mg sodium per slice.

• Nitrates used in cured bacon linked to cancer risk.

• Heme iron content may cause inflammation.

• Risk of burned or overcooked portions.

So air fried bacon is a better choice than fried, but still should be enjoyed in moderation as part of an overall balanced diet, not every day. Other proteins like turkey bacon, chicken sausage or eggs are healthier for regular breakfasts.

The Takeaway

If you’re going to indulge in delicious bacon, air frying makes sense nutritionally by reducing fat and calories compared to pan frying – around a 30-50 calorie savings per slice adds up over a serving. At approximately 65 calories and 5g fat per thin slice, air fried bacon clocks in around 40% lower in calories and 50% less fat versus pan-frying. Just be mindful of portion size, cook times and fat dripping to maximize the calorie-cutting benefits of air frying. While no cooking method makes bacon a health food, air frying lets you enjoy the smoky, savory flavor with a bit less guilt. In moderation, as an occasional treat, air fried bacon can be part of a balanced breakfast.