Baking bacon in the oven is one of the easiest ways to make perfect crispy bacon every time. By baking instead of frying, you avoid the messy splatters of grease and get consistently cooked bacon without having to stand over a hot stove. But like any cooking technique, there are a few tricks to getting bacon just right in the oven. One key factor is baking temperature – set your oven to the ideal temp and you’ll get irresistibly crunchy, flavorsome bacon.
Why Bake Bacon in the Oven?
There are a few reasons why baking bacon in the oven is superior to frying in a skillet
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It cooks more evenly – no need to flip and risk underdone spots. The heat of the oven surrounds the bacon from all sides for consistent results.
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Less splattering – baking contains the hot grease in the pan rather than spraying it out of a skillet
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Hands-free cooking – simply slide it in the oven and go about your business until the timer dings. No need to watch it closely.
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You can cook a lot at once – baking sheets fit more bacon than a skillet Great for feeding a crowd!
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Easy cleanup – once the grease cools, it lifts right off the foil-lined pan. Beats scrubbing a greasy stovetop.
How to Bake Bacon Perfectly
Baking crispy, flavorful bacon is simple, but there are a few key steps:
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Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup. For extra drainage, you can place a wire rack inside the baking sheet.
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Lay bacon slices in a single layer on the sheet without overlapping. This allows even cooking.
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Bake in a cold oven. That’s right – start bacon in an oven that hasn’t preheated. This lets the fat render slowly for crispy results.
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Bake at 400°F for around 15-20 minutes. Time varies based on bacon thickness.
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Drain on paper towels before serving.
The most important factor for perfect oven-baked bacon is…you guessed it…temperature!
Why 400 Degrees is the Best Oven Temperature for Bacon
You’ll find recipes suggesting a range of baking temps for bacon, from as low as 325°F to up to 425°F. So why do we recommend 400°F?
A few reasons:
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Gets crispy without burning – 400°F renders fat for crispy bacon without overcooking the meat or causing burnt edges.
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Cooks quickly – at a higher temp like 400°F, you get crisp bacon in a reasonable 15-20 minutes. Lower oven temps means waiting 30 minutes or more.
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Works for all bacon types – whether thick-cut, regular sliced, turkey, or other, 400°F provides great results without having to tweak temps.
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Allows preheating – unlike some methods, 400°F lets the oven fully preheat before bacon goes in. Important for proper cooking.
Of course oven calibration can vary, so keep an eye on doneness the first time you bake bacon at 400°F in your oven. Adjust time up or down slightly as needed for your preferred crispness.
Other Oven Temps for Bacon – Pros and Cons
While 400°F is ideal for most, you may see recipes with other oven temps for baking bacon. Here’s how they compare:
350°F – 375°F
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Pros: Allows slow rendering of fat; can prevent overcooking thin bacon
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Cons: Incredibly long bake times, upwards of 30 minutes; risk of undercooked bacon
425°F – 450°F
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Pros: Cooks bacon faster for those in a hurry
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Cons: Potential to burn bacon; fat may not fully render; requires close monitoring
500°F+
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Pros: Lightning fast crispy bacon in 5-10 minutes
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Cons: High risk of burning and fire hazards; requires constant vigilance
For most purposes, 400°F hits the sweet spot between quick cooking, crispy and cooked bacon, and easy monitoring. But feel free to experiment to find your bacon nirvana!
More Tips for Baked Bacon Perfection
Follow these extra tips for absolutely perfect oven-baked bacon every time:
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Pat bacon dry before baking to prevent splatters.
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Use thick-cut bacon for irresistibly crispy results.
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Sprinkle brown sugar, pepper or other spices on the bacon before baking.
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Bake bacon on a wire rack set inside the baking sheet for extra crispness.
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Make baked bacon in big batches – it stores well in the fridge or freezer.
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Save that delicious rendered bacon grease for cooking other dishes!
The Takeaway – Bake Bacon at 400 Degrees F
For ideal texture, taste and cook time, bake bacon in the oven at 400°F. Preheating the oven fully and starting with a cold oven prevents burning. Check for your desired crispness at 15 minutes, then continue cooking a few minutes more if needed. In no time, you’ll be enjoying stacks of irresistibly crunchy, completely cooked bacon! With less mess and effort than skillet frying.
So next time you’re cooking breakfast for a crowd or meal prepping bacon for the week, skip the stove and head for the oven. Simply line a baking sheet with foil, lay out your bacon, and bake at 400°F for deliciously easy oven-baked bacon every time.
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I call this 425 Bacon. I put it in a cold oven. Set for 425 degrees and turn on the oven. When the temperature is reached, the bacon is done (sometimes it needs one more minute). The slow rise in temperature lets more fat escape from the bacon, making it healthier. LOL.
Oddly, it doesn’t splatter in the oven. This was recommended to me by my brother-in-law. I was skeptical at first, but I tried it and haven’t looked back since. The only drawback is eating more bacon.
We brush the bacon with maple syrup before baking.
You can also use parchment paper instead of foil. I couldnt believe that it worked, but it produced even less mess.
An NPR interview with a brunch chef talked about this method. He said it was very important to put the bacon in a cold oven. It takes longer, but it’s the only way I cook it.
I have been doing this for years now and it is so great. Also, I use parchment paper – not foil! I can then put the parchment into compost.
We don’t eat a lot of bacon, so I cook a package this way until partially done. After the strips have lost most of their fat, I drain them on paper towels and then wrap them in parchment paper. Roll up the paper and bacon strips, pop into a freezer bag and freeze. When needed, one or two slices can be removed and quickly finished in a frying pan.
This method is the best! Doesn’t splatter. I use a lower oven temp, 325°F for thick-cut bacon. The fat that comes out is clear and clean. Once you strain out the bacon bits, you can store the fat in the fridge for later use. Cooked slices of bacon are uniformly crispy – even the fatty parts. Even though it takes longer, you can make the rest of your breakfast while the bacon cooks. I wonder if the higher temp oven would burn pan bits & make the rendered fat unpalatable?.
I bake at a lower temperature. 450 is too high. 350 will render much more fat.
So turns out bringing it up to 400 degrees for 20-22 minutes is actually the better path forward. 450 gets too hot and singes the bacon more than I cared for. Relatively thick cuts at 400/22 mins had a nice chew to them.
I use parchment paper instead of foil
I start the bacon in a cast iron skillet in a cold oven set for 350. Perfectly done in 20 min or so, depending on the thickness of the bacon.
This works GREAT. Started doing this to reduce overall fat content of weekly “big” breakfasts. I am a Pancreatic Cancer Survivor and have to be careful about fat. But giving up a weekly treat like bacon (limit myself to 2 slices) is NOT an option. I use wire racks and disposable broiler pans that are lined with tinfoil so that the pans can be used more than once. Let the rendered fat cool and throw away wrapped in the foil.
And if you’re really worried, place a piece of parchment on top. Does not affect the cooking.
It doesnt splatter, surprisingly. Ive been doing this for years. Best bacon ever.
Please don’t leave! This is the only way I can cook bacon now that I have a glass-top stove that I hate cleaning. Its so easy to burn oven bacon, so I dont leave the kitchen when cooking it this way.
Ive been cooking bacon in the oven for about 20 years. I lean each rasher against the side of the baking dish (I use a small Pyrex roasting pan) or the mushrooms and tomatoes to keep it standing up. I do this because I love a cooked breakfast. All of that and a pot of water to boil for poached eggs are the best parts. Then I take a shower. When I get dressed, most of the time, the eggs and bread are already poached and sliced. No fussing over everything while its cooking!.
Lined baking sheets with parchment paper. Easy-peasy pan cleanup.
I had a pound of bacon stick to the rack over my sheet pan. Now I know to grease the rack — to avoid loud kitchen cursing.
If you use parchment paper, this is a great way to cook bacon! It’s easy to do, and you should only turn it over once during the baking time.
I’m in the parchment camp and a bit lower temp – 350-375 F. Crispy bacon and easy cleanup.
For easier cleanup, use parchment paper in your pan. If you’re careful and let the grease cool, you don’t even have to wash the pan! No kidding’.
It helps me keep my baking sheets clean. Once the bacon is done, I put the pans in the freezer for 30 minutes to cool down. The fat hardens and sometimes lifts off completely leaving the pan clean. Use the fat however you want.
We all agree that the oven temperature is too high. I use 375 degrees and don’t heat the oven up first. Put the bacon in a cold oven and let it come up to temperature for best results.
These are all great tips from others posted, Thanks! But. if you read the package on the parchment paper, it says safe up to 425 degrees. I wont use parchment paper above the 425. Reynolds seems to know what they’re doing, no matter how you look at it. By the way, I buy their parchment paper.
Far better to use English back bacon – less fat and more delicious meat.
When I use convection in my oven, the temperature drops by 25 degrees automatically. I think this can be made at a lower temperature, between 375 and 400 degrees. The last time I made it the way it said to, it almost burned, but we like our bacon crispy. I’d just watch for this but otherwise a pretty straightforward one.
Yield: 4-8 servings. Yield at my house tonight: 1 generous, delicious meal (I will add two over-light eggs).
I made this as directed and it works great. The bacon turns out flat, which is nice. Another time, I liked it even more when I put parchment paper over the foil in the pan’s bottom. It soaks up some of the grease. The thought of cleaning up bacon grease on the stovetop was a big reason why I didn’t cook bacon in a frying pan. It’s worth the extra time to cook it in the oven instead. Highly recommended.
Best to use a cast-iron skillet. Cleanup is a breeze.Private notes are only visible to you.
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HOW TO COOK BACON IN THE OVEN | easy, crispy and no mess!
What temperature should Bacon be cooked at?
Thicker bacon will always take longer to cook. You can cook bacon in the oven at 350˚F, 375˚F, 400˚F, or 425˚F. Each can produce bacon that is evenly cooked and delicious- however the time will vary. My personal favorite method is cooking bacon starting in a cold oven and setting the temperature to 400˚F.
How do you cook bacon in the oven?
Baking bacon in the oven is one of the easiest mess-free ways to prepare it. With our special method it comes out perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious every single time. Lay the bacon in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place the bacon in a cold oven. Set the oven to 400˚F.
Can You bake Bacon at the same temperature?
No two ovens bake at exactly the same temperature. You’ll probably need to test this method a couple of times to find the right time/temperature that works for you. Prevent oven splatters. This from Cindy Capps Lepp: Lay a layer of foil over the bacon; this will keep grease from spitting all over the oven.
How long do you cook bacon in a sheet pan?
Place the sheet pan in a cold oven, and turn the oven on to 400 degrees . Bake on the first side for about 20 minutes, then carefully flip the bacon over using tongs, and rotate the sheet pan. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the bacon has reached the desired crispness.
Should Bacon be preheated before baking?
For most recipes, you’d wait for the oven to preheat before you start baking. When baking bacon, however, we suggest sliding the sheet pan into the cold oven so the bacon sits inside as the oven comes to temperature. Now that you’ve mastered baking bacon, all that’s left to do is start using those gorgeous cracking strips.
How do you cook bacon on a rimmed baking sheet?
For easy clean-up, line a 13 x 18-inch rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty wide aluminum foil and so that there is some overhang on all sides (this prevents the grease from leaking onto the baking sheet), then cover with a sheet of parchment paper. Lay as many slices of bacon as you’d like to cook in a single layer on the baking sheet.