How Many Calories in Oven Baked Bacon? A Detailed Look

Crispy, salty bacon is a staple breakfast food for many people. While delicious, bacon is high in fat and calories. Some choose to oven bake their bacon instead of frying in an attempt to reduce the calories. But does oven baking really cut the calories compared to frying on the stovetop?

Let’s take a detailed look at the calorie content of oven baked versus pan fried bacon to find out.

Calorie Content of Bacon

The calorie content of bacon depends on a few factors:

• Type of bacon (thick cut, regular, turkey)
  -Cooking method (pan fried, oven baked, microwaved)
• Amount of trimming and draining after cooking
• Portion size

According to the USDA, a typical pan fried slice of bacon contains 36 calories and 3 grams of fat

However, nutrition can vary by brand and cooking method. Many types of artisan style or thick cut bacons contain more calories – sometimes upwards of 50 calories per slice before trimming.

Does Oven Baking Reduce Calories in Bacon?

There is a common perception that oven baking bacon reduces the calories by allowing more fat to render out compared to frying in a pan. However, this may not actually be the case.

When bacon is cooked, some of the fat melts off but a good amount also stays trapped within the meat structure even when oven baked.

According to testing, a slice of bacon loses only about 6-8% more fat when oven baked versus pan fried.

For a typical 36 calorie slice, oven baking would only reduce calories by 2-3 calories. Not a huge difference!

So oven baking does result in a small calorie reduction thanks to additional fat rendering, but not as substantial as some may think.

How Cooking Method Impacts Fat Loss

The reason oven baking doesn’t hugely impact calories is because most of the fat melts off bacon during the cooking process regardless of whether it’s fried or baked.

Here’s how cooking method affects fat rendering:

• Pan frying: Hot skillet helps render fat, but some stays trapped within. Easy to trim excess after.

• Oven baking: More fat may render off, but still not a huge difference from pan frying. Harder to trim off excess post-bake.

• Microwaving: Leads to less fat loss since not exposed to direct heat. More fat remains in finished bacon.

How to Reduce Calories When Cooking Bacon

While oven baking doesn’t make a huge calorie difference, you can trim and drain the bacon properly after cooking to further reduce fat and calories.

Here are some tips to reduce fat and calories from bacon:

• Start with a thick cut, lower sodium bacon to begin with less calories per slice

• Trim excess white fatty areas before cooking

• Drain on paper towels after cooking, don’t eat excess grease

• Blot bacon thoroughly with paper towels to absorb grease

• Weigh or track portions since calories add up fast

• Crumble and use as flavoring instead of eating whole slices

Nutrition Facts Comparison

To compare calories and fat, here are the nutrition facts for pan fried versus oven baked bacon:

Pan Fried (1 medium slice)

• Calories: 36
• Fat: 3g
• Saturated Fat: 1g
• Sodium: 149mg

Oven Baked (1 medium slice)

• Calories: 34
• Fat: 2.5g
• Saturated Fat: 1g
• Sodium: 149mg

As you can see oven baked saves about 2-3 calories and 0.5g of fat per slice – not a huge difference.

Calorie Variation Between Brands

It’s important to note nutrition can vary widely across different brands and types of bacon.

To demonstrate, here is a nutrition comparison between some common bacons:

• Oscar Meyer Original (pan fried, 1 slice): 36 calories

• Hormel Black Label (pan fried, 1 slice): 50 calories

• Nueske’s Applewood Smoked (oven baked, 1 slice): 60 calories

• Applegate Organic Uncured Sunday Bacon (pan fried, 1 slice): 40 calories

No matter what brand you buy, oven baking will only reduce the calories slightly compared to frying. But you can see a substantial calorie difference between products based on factors like thickness and ingredients.

Should You Bake or Fry Your Bacon?

Whether you should bake or fry comes down to personal preference:

Benefits of oven baking:

• Allows you to cook large batches evenly
• Less splatter compared to stovetop
• Small amount of additional fat rendered

Benefits of pan frying:

• Can cook just what you need
• Faster cooking time
• Better for getting crispy texture
• Easy to trim fat after cooking

Both methods result in tasty, crispy bacon. Oven baking is preferred when cooking large quantities, while pan frying is great for quick week day breakfasts.

Tips for Oven Baking Bacon

If you want to oven bake, follow these tips for perfect bacon every time:

• Use a rimmed baking sheet to catch drippings
• Place bacon slices on a wire rack over the sheet
• Bake at 400°F, flipping halfway through
• Bake to desired level of crispness
• Blot with paper towels to soak up grease

Baking low and slow at around 250°F will also work, but will take much longer.

Healthiest Bacon Options

While all bacon should be enjoyed in moderation, here are some of the healthier bacon options:

• Turkey bacon has fewer calories and fat than pork bacon

• Look for uncured bacon without added nitrites or nitrates

• Opt for bacon cured using natural sources like celery powder

• Choose a thick cut bacon with less sodium per slice

• Check the ingredient list and select bacons without added sugars

No matter what type of bacon you buy, practicing proper portion control is key to keep calories in check.

While oven baked bacon does lose a small amount of additional fat compared to pan frying, the calorie difference is fairly negligible at only 2-3 calories per slice. Proper post-cooking draining and blotting has a bigger impact. Focus on choosing quality bacon brands, trimming excess fat, weighing portions, and using cooking methods suited to your needs. This allows you to enjoy the delicious flavor while keeping calories and fat in check!