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Home / Blog / Recipes

Cook Perfectly Crispy Bacon Every Single Time

Jump to Recipe

By:

Madeline

Updated: June 5, 2024

This site may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

If you want to Cook Perfectly Crispy Bacon Every Single Time, you have to bake it! It’s as simple as that. Follow these basic instructions to bake your bacon and make cleanup a breeze.

Above view of crispy bacon on a plate

Weeknight-easy

Minimal prep

You’ll Learn: How to bake bacon for crispy, consistent results

Worth It: Simple method, great results without fussy steps

Bonus: Works with multiple trays in the oven

Above view of strips of crispy bacon on a plate

If you’re gonna have bacon, its gotta be crispy bacon

I love bacon. I especially love perfectly crispy bacon If you follow me on Instagram, you definitely already know that. If it’s not crispy I am not interested.

And you probably also know that I catch a lot of flack for posting bacon as frequently as I do. I get all kinds of comments like, “good luck with your bacon cancer!” Yikes!

Beyond the angry comments I get lots of comments asking me how I make my crispy bacon. The short answer is that I bake it.

I never cook it in a frying pan unless I know I am going to immediately use the grease for cooking. The long answer is detailed here so that you can also make crispy bacon.

Check out these other delicious breakfast recipes

  • How Long to Cook Hard Boiled Eggs
  • Paleo Breakfast Meal Prep
  • Cheeseburger Breakfast Casserole
  • Chocolate Cherry Chia Seed Pudding
Above view of baked bacon recipe on a baking sheet

Bake your bacon in the oven! It’s as simple as that.

I have to give my older brother all of the credit for opening my eyes to the magic of baked bacon. It makes the bacon perfectly crispy every single time. Which is a huge cooking win!

The other plus of cooking bacon in the oven is the clean up. When you cook bacon in a pan the grease can splash around and dirty the kitchen. Then you need to find a way to dispose of that grease.

I will say that there are times when it is necessary to cook bacon in a pan. I do this for my paleo breakfast meal prep so I can preserve the bacon grease to cook in. If I cook bacon in a frying pan, I always cook it slow and low.

Three quarter view of crispy bacon on a baking sheet

You can bake a big batch of bacon at once for meal prep

The other thing I like about making perfectly crispy bacon in the oven is that I can make a big batch for meal prep. During my first Whole30 I realized that I could prep bacon ahead of time, store it in the fridge and then heat it up whenever I need it. I like reheating mine in a toaster oven.

Since I am baking my bacon I can easily make a full pack of bacon. I sometimes need to space the bacon out in more than one tray. If I am using more than one tray in the oven at a time, I just switch them out half way through cooking.

Of course, I usually have my bacon at breakfast time, but if it is prepped and in the fridge I like it at other times of day as well. I like to grab it as a quick snack on the go with some cheese. I also love to have a crispy piece of bacon crumbled over my salads. It’s the perfect bacon to use in Meal Prep Breakfast Sandwiches!

Three quarter view of crispy bacon slices on a plate
 

Simplify clean up with baked bacon

I use this method every time I cook bacon, but it is particularly useful for meal prep! I just cook the bacon and transfer the strips to a paper towel lined plate. Then I save them in an airtight container in the fridge for the rest of the week.

I find clean up to be easier with this method because I catch my grease in my parchment and then toss it in the trash. All I have to do then is rinse out my baking sheet and I am good to go.

Keep reading to find the full instructions and be sure to tag me on Instagram in your images of perfectly cooked bacon so I can see them!

Image for pining how long to bake bacon recipe on pinterest

You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!

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Above view of crispy bacon on a plate

Recipe

Cook Perfectly Crispy Bacon Every Single Time

4.88 from 8 votes
Bake your bacon in the oven for perfectly crispy bacon every single time.
Recipe By: Madeline
Prep: 5 minutes minutes
Cook: 20 minutes minutes
Total: 25 minutes minutes
Print Review Pin It SaveSaved!
Servings: 12 Slices of bacon

Ingredients

  • 1 pack of bacon about 12 slices
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400F
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  • Arrange the strips of bacon on the baking sheet – the strips can be very close, but try to not have them overlap
  • Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes – I usually check mine at 15 and leave them cooking for the full 20 to be extra crispy
  • Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Serving: 12g, Calories: 8kcal, Carbohydrates: 0.02g, Protein: 0.2g, Fat: 1g (2%), Saturated Fat: 0.2g (1%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Trans Fat: 0.003g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 12mg (1%), Potassium: 4mg, Vitamin A: 1IU, Calcium: 0.1mg, Iron: 0.01mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

Did you make my Cook Perfectly Crispy Bacon Every Single Time?

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Hi, I’m Madeline! I am so excited to share my healthy and approachable recipes with you. Here you will find simple, comforting recipes that the whole family will enjoy. Turn on your favorite playlist or podcast and let’s get cooking!
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Recipe Rating




27 responses

  1. Joni
    December 17, 2020

    5 stars
    This feels like such a simple recipe but it is a game changer! I hate frying bacon because of the mess it makes but this was so easy (to make AND to clean up). The bacon was perfectly crispy and delicious!

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      December 17, 2020

      amazing!! I am so glad and feel the exact same way.

      Reply
    2. Nalley
      August 11, 2022

      I work long hours and made this salad with some shortcut steps.
      I purchased precooked bacon(i like the taste but not smell of bacon cooking) precut broccolli florets, and a rotisserie chicken from the deli. I added diced red onion to the salad and a 1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. To the ranch dressing I added to minced garlic cloves and mixed well for added flavor.

      Reply
  2. Mary jane
    March 5, 2022

    5 stars
    Best bacon ever never to fry again. Have 15 children 35 to 56 so at a brunch that’s one thing we need much of

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      March 6, 2022

      oh yay!!

      Reply
  3. Ashley
    July 17, 2022

    5 stars
    Wow this was really a game changer! I LOVE bacon. Love it. I grew up with microwaved bacon (don’t judge too harshly please), so I thought my pan-fried bacon was THE way to go. I was wrong. This was so easy to make a bunch at once, I didn’t have to keep watching it to make sure it doesn’t burn. Best of all – it was perfectly crisp and not even a little bit overcooked. This helped me make a batch to use in different recipes throughout the week. I don’t think I’ll go back to any other method after this. Thank you!!

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      July 18, 2022

      YAY!! amazing

      Reply
  4. Sarah
    November 26, 2022

    5 stars
    Such a time saver when making breakfast for more than one! Bacon comes out so good and just crispy enough. Would definitely recommend leaving in for the full 20 minutes (it was still a little soft at 15 for my oven)

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      November 27, 2022

      Thanks for the review, Sarah!

      Reply
  5. Karl
    May 21, 2023

    5 stars
    Any additional tips for baking crispy bacon at 7600’ altitude? Thanks much in advance!

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      May 22, 2023

      Hi there! I don’t have personal experience but try increasing the temperature by 25 degrees and decreasing the time by a couple minutes.

      Reply
  6. Gabe
    August 26, 2023

    Hello! Does this work with beef bacon? I wasn’t sure if the protein type would have any effect.

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      August 27, 2023

      Hi there! I have not tested this recipe with beef bacon but I believe it should cook similarly to pork bacon.

      Reply
  7. Barbara
    September 20, 2023

    I was doing mine at 350° for about a half hour, but if 400° will make it get done quicker, by all means!

    Reply
  8. Brooke greenlee
    January 29, 2024

    5 stars
    So good! So easy to do!! Great flavor!

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      January 30, 2024

      Awesome!

      Reply
    2. Vickie
      April 21, 2025

      I’ve only tried baking bacon in the oven with a metal air fryer basket at 400 but it was floppy; only the ends got crispy. I’ll try using the sheet pan with parchment paper.
      Does your method work the same with both thick and regular cut bacon?

      Reply
      1. Madeline
        April 22, 2025

        Hi! Yes, but for thick, you may need to cook slightly longer.

        Reply
  9. Stephen Crye
    March 25, 2024

    4 stars
    I tried this baking message for bacon for the first time this morning. Although it works pretty good, definitely better than frying it in a pan, it still wasn’t as crispy as some of the bacon I’ve had at restaurants. I have a question. After I pull the tray out of the oven, should I take the individual pieces of bacon off the tray and put them on paper towels to cool off? I’m thinking that when I do that, that’s part of what makes the bacon soggy.

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      March 25, 2024

      Sorry it didn’t get to the level of crispy that you expected. Perhaps it needed more time in the oven. Oven temperatures can vary oven to oven so maybe try just slightly longer next time. When I make it, I do put it on paper towel lined plates for it to cool off.

      Reply
  10. Jeannie Boor
    March 27, 2024

    Works every time I do bacon this way ! Love it!❤️😋

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      March 28, 2024

      So glad to hear it!

      Reply
  11. Joy
    March 8, 2025

    What brand of bacon works well for this? I need specifics lol

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      March 8, 2025

      I don’t remember what brand I used at this point for this specific recipe but I have used this method with several brands and have not had any issues.

      Reply
  12. Elisabeth Molatore
    October 1, 2025

    In my state it seems no one cooks crispy bacon. It’s always slab bacon. It’s like supposed to be the greatest western home on the range thing. Good grief, it takes 10 minutes to chew, like beef jerky. I miss crispy bacon from New York, Ohio, Minnesota, and lots of other places.
    Now…well thank you. Delish!

    Reply
  13. Lordley
    October 12, 2025

    5 stars
    My oven might be hotter but at 20 minutes my bacon was overcooked

    Reply
    1. Madeline
      October 13, 2025

      Yes, I recommend keeping a close eye between 15-20 minutes as oven temps definitely vary!

      Reply

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