Learn how to cook bacon in the oven with no splatter and no mess. This easy recipe works beautifully for both thin and thick-cut slices.
I love cooking bacon in the oven. My favorite method is simple, hands-off, and delivers evenly cooked, perfectly crispy bacon every time. I’ve pretty much committed to baking bacon and rarely use a skillet anymore. It’s just so easy. Plus, it’s perfect for adding flavor twists, such as maple or peppered bacon (see all my flavor tips below).
Serve the crispy slices with scrambled eggs, layer them on sandwiches (try our tall, fluffy biscuits), crumble them over salads, or tuck them into juicy burgers. And if you’re planning a full breakfast spread, try our homemade breakfast sausage with sage and onion, it’s a perfect pairing.
How to Bake Bacon in the Oven
Tip 1: Use a rimmed baking sheet. As the bacon cooks, the fat renders, so it’s really important to use a rimmed baking sheet that catches all the bacon grease. If you have a baking rack that fits inside, pop that in the pan too. Baking bacon on a rack helps it get extra crispy.
Tip 2: How long to cook bacon in the oven. The exact bake time depends on the thickness of the slices and how crispy you like them. I usually bake bacon at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes, checking around the 12-minute mark to see how it’s coming along. Thinner bacon will cook a little faster, while thick-cut slices take a few extra minutes to crisp up perfectly.
Tip 3: Make cleanup easy. Line your baking sheet with foil or parchment paper before adding the bacon. Once it cools, you can lift out and toss the foil or paper. Some grease might still get to the baking sheet, but there shouldn’t be any scrubbing involved.
If you want to save the bacon grease for cooking (it adds amazing flavor to roasted vegetables or fried eggs), carefully pour it into a heat-safe container while it’s still warm, then refrigerate once cooled. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
Tip 4: Make flavored bacon. Here’s one more bonus of cooking bacon in the oven. You can add some extra flavor. Here are three of my favorites:
- Peppered bacon: Generously grind fresh black pepper (I like a coarse grind) over the slices.
- Maple bacon: Brush the bacon with maple syrup during the last few minutes of cooking for a sweet and savory treat.
- Honey sriracha bacon: During the last few minutes of cooking, drizzle with honey and a touch of Sriracha.
My Favorite Recipes with Bacon
- Braised Kale, Bacon, and Egg Toasts
- Perfect Eggs Benedict
- Broccoli Salad
- Breakfast Tacos
- BLT Rice Paper Rolls
- Wedge Salad
How to Cook Crispy Bacon in the Oven
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
You’ll need a rimmed baking sheet to cook bacon in the oven. If you have one, insert a metal (oven-safe) rack inside your baking sheet so the bacon sits on top of the rack and any fat drains underneath. Thin-cut bacon works, but I prefer to use thick-cut bacon (⅛-inch thick), which usually means there are 12 to 14 slices per pound.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 pound bacon, preferably thick cut (450g)
Pepper, optional
Directions
1Prep: Place an oven rack in the center of your oven and heat to 400°F (204°C). If you’re cooking a large batch, position two racks, one in the upper third and one in the lower third of the oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet (or two) with foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup.
2For extra crispy bacon (optional): Place a baking rack inside the lined sheet pan if you have one. It helps the bacon cook more evenly and stay crisp as it bakes.
3Arrange the bacon: Lay the slices in a single layer on the baking sheet (or on top of the rack). They can be close together, but try not to overlap them completely. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper, if using.
4Bake the bacon: Cook for 12 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your slices and how crispy you like them. Start checking around the 8-minute mark, then keep an eye on it as it finishes. If you’re baking on two racks, rotate the sheets halfway through for even browning.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Equipment note: I love using an oven-safe rack that fits inside a rimmed baking sheet for this. If you don’t have a rack that will fit inside a baking sheet, line it with aluminum foil or parchment paper and place the bacon slices directly onto the foil (make sure they are in one layer). The fat won’t drip away from the bacon but will crisp up nicely anyway.
- The nutrition facts below are estimates and assume about 14 slices of bacon equals 1 pound.
Question for you: I’ve made it in the oven several times, but the pieces on the edges always cook so much faster, it means taking out the pan numerous times to remove the ones that are done, rearranging, etc. It ends up taking 45 minutes, and is a chore. I didn’t have a rack that fit inside the pan until recently, though: I was placing the slices directly on the foil. The baking pan that came with a rack that I just bought is quite small, however. Is it the rack what makes them cook more evenly? If you buy a rack, how do you know if it’s oven proof? I think the others I have are just for cooling cookies out of the oven. Should I be using the convection setting? Thanks.
Hi Linnea, I do not use my convection setting. For the rack, you want to use a rack specifically sold as oven-proof. I’ve seen them sold with a rimmed baking sheet as a set. I do find that the rack helps them bake more evenly.
I do our bacon like this baked in the oven I don’t know why more people don’t! Just got a great pan, with Rack. Doing that now. Would like to see more of you guys recipes!!!!
That’s wonderful, Gail! We love this method so much.
I made this exactly as written and it turned out perfectly. I never cook bacon, I just hate to. Now I will be making bacon every week! My girls will be thrilled
Baking bacon has been my preferred cooking method for some time now. However, I still kept looking for the perfect technique. This is it! I lined my pan with parchment paper and found the perfect rack (already in my inventory) that fits 7 to 8 strips of bacon. It crisped up quickly and perfectly!
Thank you for such amazing tips! I always prefer cooking bacon in the oven using the oven racks. Following this method, bacon turns out to be crispier and perfectly cooked.
Fabulous! I was a sceptic about this but now will only do it this way – reviews made me try it. I used Wrights Extra Thick hickory smoked bacon and 20 min was perfect for 2 racks. Christmas morning waffle tradition for large group of carnivores!! I also use a turkey baster to grab the bacon grease as I use it to cook breakfast potatos, chops, etc. Much easier than pouring from baking sheet. Thanks so much!!
Try brown sugar and cayenne pepper to taste about half way through cooking.
Great idea!
You both have great recipes. Thank you for your service. God Bless Both of you. ?❤️?❤️
i’m using the thick-cut bacon in my Blue Cheese BLT. i don’t have either lettuce or tomato, though, so i’m subbing jarred roasted red pepper and thin-sliced green cabbage that i’m sauteeing lightly in some of the rendered bacon fat. because of my wanting to use the rendered fat, i’m going to pre-grind my pepper so i can sprinkle it on the bacon by hand, thus controlling where the pepper goes rather than letting the pepper scatter into the grease. i want to be able to control the pepper content of the cabbage myself. and, in this case, it’s NONE. i will, though, be adding celery seeds to the cabbage while it cooks. btw, of coUrse you know that it’s coArse-grind … right?
O.k this was FABULOUS!!!!! My husband loves BLTs and this bacon came out perfectly even, he loved every bite and super easy, I was doing other things like feeding my fur babies and didn’t have to keep checking on the bacon to see if it was burning or needed turning over. Thank you so much for this, this is how I wil be cooking our bacon from now on!
This was the best bacon I have EVER had! Every piece was perfect. This is so easy and with no mess. Thank you very much.
Absolutely perfect. Don’t know why I didn’t think to do this sooner. Tasted better then pan frying it. I was able to make 12 pieces Snd didn’t have to miss out on breakfast because I was making 4-5 pieces at a time. This will be my new method for bacon every time now. Thank you !
Great idea! I have used the bake method before. Inspired by Arbys Brown sugar bacon. It’s awesome. but unfortunately i find the bacon is dry. Perhaps i am over cooking it. I do use regular cut, instead of thick cut
Excellent! We like ours crispy so it took almost 40 minutes at 400°. We all thought it was delicious!
Tried bacon in the oven 400 degrees lined a rimmed baking sheet with foil put a cooling rack on the pan cooked the bacon,, was the best bacon and the easiest no mess wonderful BLT sandwiches ever I’ll never make it any other way. Thank you
Perfect, thank you no more hot oil burns
Over the years, I’ve cooked bacon every way possible. Not sure why some cooks prefer the oven over the microwave? One thing is for sure, fresh bacon is built for the microwave. It has a high fat and water content and it is thin, so it cooks up crisp and tasty.
Take a look at the Bacon Pro for cooking 23 slices.
Make the best oven bacon ever by adding Montreal Steak Seasoning.
OMG I have GOT to try this!!!!
Always used the oven method its great. Cooling rack even better for draining oil no more paper towel dabbing after done! Now how to make rack easy to clean up after?? Ideas?
Use some spay, like Pam…
We have the Ultra Cuisine Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Cooling and Baking Rack that fits a Jelly Roll Sheet Pan. It’s the best cooling and baking rack we’ve ever had. We use if for baking and cooling. We just pop it in the dishwasher and it cleans up beautifully.
Hi there, a quick spray of nonstick cooking spray can help. We also have a rack devoted to this type of cooking (we bake chicken wings the same way).
Not to be dense but… I ended up with so much grease in the baking sheet that there was no way of safely removing it from the oven until it completely cooled down. Any suggestions? PS: The bacon itself did rule, once I finally got it out an hour later.
Eliza, discarding the bacon grease is best done with lining the bottom of the rimmed sheet with aluminum foil. And yes, you need to let it cool to a safe temperature before you gather it up and discard it (or save it). IMHO, baking your bacon is the way to go. It’s pretty foolproof. Ideally, you should have another dish, bread, French toast to pop in the oven to take advantage of the hot oven, but it somewhat minor.
Hi Eliza, did you use a rimmed baking sheet? This is best when baking bacon.
Absolutely amazing, I love cooking bacon now.my Family loves it..
If you use parchment paper instead of foil-no spatters in your oven!
Good to know, thanks! ?
…What’s the temp on the oven…?
The bacon bakes at 400 degrees F.
5 stars for oven cooked bacon. A (little) messy
I have fixed the pepper bacon and it was lovely! My family’s favorite is bacon sprinkled with dark brown sugar for a delicious candied bacon. Don’t overdo the sugar – moderate amount for best taste. I LOVE baking bacon. Especially the thick cut by Hormel. YUM! ?❤️
Yes! I’ m not very kitchen savvy, and my bacon usually ends up “extra crispy”. But everyone loved my bacon this morning. The cooling rack is genious! 5 stars definitely.Thank you.
I think cooking bacon in the oven is the best method, because the both sides of the bacon strips are heated relatively equally in this method. You will get more delicious bacon without have to dirt your stove badly.
We love to make bacon in the oven. I sprinkle a little sugar on top of the bacon slices before I put the bacon in the oven. You get both sweet and salty bacon. Great combination.
Fantastic post. That’s exactly what I was looking for.
this is the only way I’ve cooked bacon for years. So easy and less mess. Usually save some of the bacon grease for future use.
Your Recipes and Pictures look simply delicious. Thanks! and Cheers!
thanks so much!
My mouth just fell off my face in a river of drool.
This is genius! I had never thought of putting a cookie sheet in the bottom like that. Now I might be making bacon a little more often. 😉
P.S. Thanks for linking back to my cupcakes guys!
Jessica – You should definitely make bacon more often!
-Joanne