How to Cook Crispy Bacon in the Oven (With Less Mess)
Cooking bacon in the oven is my go-to method for making the perfect bacon quicker and with less mess. While the oven method probably isn’t the best choice if you only need a piece or two, it’s a great option for when you need a lot of bacon or don’t want to deal with a pan full of bacon grease.
This is our favorite method while making a big breakfast (when the stovetop is already full), baking a batch to crumble up for bacon bits on pizza, or just going for an easy cleanup. It only takes about 20 minutes, which can actually be a lot quicker than the stovetop method if you’re making a lot of it.
Using the oven is consistent, hands-free (so you can focus on other ingredients), and keeps you from having to stand over a hot pan of splashing grease—and then cleaning up the stovetop afterward.
Plus, it’s easy! No extra tools—the oven just does the work for you. Once you know hot to cook crispy bacon in the oven, it’s hard to go back!
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What You’ll Need for Cooking Bacon in the Oven
Here’s what you’ll need to bake bacon in the oven:
- A rimmed baking sheet. Make sure it has good rims on all sides so grease doesn’t slip off and burn in the bottom of your oven.
- Parchment paper. You could also use aluminum foil.
- Bacon. I use thick cut bacon but you can use any kind of bacon as long as you keep an eye on it.
- Tongs or a fork. For flipping your bacon slices.
- Paper towels. For dabbing grease (or not!).
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
- Preheat your oven to 425° F. It’s helpful to wait until you’re oven is preheated in order to get your slices to bake evenly.
- Line your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Lay bacon slices in a single layer on the lined sheet. Make sure they have enough space and don’t overlap, as this creates soggy spots.
- Bake for about 10 minutes per side, checking after 5 minutes to ensure it isn’t getting too crispy. Slices are ready to flip when the backside just starts turning a darker brown color. It’s important to keep a close eye on it, especially your first time, since the cooking time depends quite a bit on the thickness of the bacon and how evenly your oven heats. (Hint: Thick cut bacon seems to take at least 10 minutes per side, while thinner slices may only take 5 minutes per side.)
- Remove and drain. Place the finished bacon on a paper towel-lined plate, and let it sit for a minute to absorb excess grease.
- Keep the grease! You can dump any excess bacon fat from your baking sheet into a clean, empty can to save it for cooking at a later time. We like to use extra bacon grease to cook scrambled eggs and all sorts of other foods! It can be kept at room temperature.
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container. If it doesn’t get eaten immediately, of course!
More Tips for Making the Perfect Bacon in the Oven
1. The Flip Matters (More Than You Think).
Skipping the flip will leave you with chewy bacon on one side (even if the other looks crispy). This is because as it sits in the hot grease, the bottom steams while the top crisps. Flipping redistributes the fat and exposes both sides to direct heat. This will allow you to get a pan of bacon that’s evenly golden and crispy all the way through.
2. Thickness Changes Everything.
It’s really important to watch your bacon closely, since the thickness and type of bacon will really change the cooking time. while standard bacon can cook in just 5 minutes per side, thick-cut bacon typically needs at least 10 minutes per side. Always start with less!
3. Consider Rearranging Your Bacon After Flipping.
Some pans or ovens may have hot spots that cause slices to cook differently. Sometimes, bacon slices on the edges of the pan can burn more easily. It can be helpful to move pieces around (putting the edge pieces in the middle and vice versa) when you flip.
With a big family, we’ve found cooking bacon in the oven to be the easiest way to get crispy bacon every single time, without making a big mess and having grease spots to clean up all over the stovetop. Enjoy!!
