I finally perfected bacon in the oven with a fuss free 20-minute method that fixes the usual mess and uneven cooking.
I’ve tried every bacon method and the oven one keeps winning, no contest. Wondering how to cook bacon in the oven?
This fuss free trick takes only 20 minutes and makes the crispiest oven baked bacon every time, honest. I prefer regular or thick cut bacon for the chew, and sometimes I brush a little pure maple syrup for a sticky finish that fools everyone, its dumb simple.
If you want the no-nonsense Oven Baked Bacon How To Make that actually behaves, stay with me, I’ll point out the tiny changes that turn sad floppy strips into perfect crackly slices. Trust me, you’ll be surprised.
Ingredients
- Bacon: rich in protein and fat, very flavorful, not much fiber, watch salt intake
- Light brown sugar: adds sweetness and caramel notes, mostly carbs, very little nutrients
- Pure maple syrup: natural sweetener, mostly sugars, gives sticky glaze and warm flavor
- Black pepper: hardly any calories, adds heat and complexity, helps cut richness
- Smoked paprika or cayenne: tiny amounts of spice, adds smoky or spicy kick, low calories
- Coarse sea salt: intensifies flavor, mostly sodium, use very sparingly, no real nutrients
Ingredient Quantities
- 1 pound (450 g) bacon, regular or thick cut, about 12 to 16 slices depending how thick they are
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar (optional, for candied bacon)
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (optional, for a sticky glaze)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (optional, to taste)
- pinch smoked paprika or cayenne pepper (optional, for a smoky kick)
- coarse sea salt, very sparingly and optional (bacon is already salty)
How to Make this
1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup and set a wire rack on top if you have one, if not thats fine use the foil or parchment paper.
2. Lay 1 pound bacon in a single layer on the rack or sheet, slices can touch but dont pile them up or they wont crisp right.
3. For candied bacon sprinkle 1 tablespoon light brown sugar evenly over the slices, or brush 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup for a sticky glaze, you can do both if you want extra sweet sticky bacon.
4. Season with 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to taste and a pinch of smoked paprika or cayenne for a smoky kick, skip the coarse sea salt before cooking because bacon is already salty.
5. Slide the pan into the middle of the oven and bake about 20 minutes, checking at 12 to 15 minutes to gauge how fast your oven is and how crispy you like it; regular cut will finish around 18 to 20 minutes, thick cut may need 20 to 25 minutes.
6. If you brushed on maple syrup or added sugar watch closely the last few minutes so it doesnt burn, you can rotate the pan once for even browning if your oven cooks unevenly.
7. When it looks golden and crisp to your liking remove the pan and transfer bacon with tongs to a plate lined with paper towels to drain and finish crisping.
8. Sprinkle a very small pinch of coarse sea salt only if needed, let sit a minute so the glaze sets and the fat firms up a bit.
9. Save the rendered bacon fat by pouring it into a jar once cooled for cooking later, and toss the foil for easy cleanup. Serve and enjoy, its gonna be the best crispy oven baked bacon.
Equipment Needed
1. Rimmed baking sheet, for the oven.
2. Aluminum foil or parchment paper, for easy cleanup.
3. Wire rack (optional), helps bacon crisp since slices arent sitting in the fat.
4. Tongs, to lift and move hot bacon.
5. Measuring spoons or a small bowl, for the brown sugar, maple and pepper.
6. Oven mitts or heatproof gloves, cause the pan gets really hot.
7. Plate lined with paper towels, to drain and finish crisping.
8. Heatproof jar or small container, to save the rendered bacon fat.
FAQ
How To Cook Bacon In The Oven Recipe Substitutions and Variations
How To Cook Bacon In The Oven
Ingredients:
- 1 pound (450 g) bacon, regular or thick cut, about 12 to 16 slices depending how thick they are
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar (optional, for candied bacon)
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (optional, for a sticky glaze)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (optional, to taste)
- pinch smoked paprika or cayenne pepper (optional, for a smoky kick)
- coarse sea salt, very sparingly and optional (bacon is already salty)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easier cleanup. If you want super crispy bacon, set a wire rack on the sheet and lay the slices on the rack. If you want softer bacon or candied to stick, lay the slices right on the parchment.
2. Arrange bacon in a single layer without a lot of overlap. It’s okay if they touch a little, they will shrink as they cook.
3. If using brown sugar or maple syrup, brush or sprinkle it on now. For a sweet sticky finish lightly brush the syrup over each slice. If adding pepper or paprika, sprinkle that now too. Don’t add much salt.
4. Bake in the oven until done to your liking. Regular slice will take about 15 to 20 minutes. Thick cut will take about 20 to 25 minutes. Check it at about 12 minutes the first time you try this cause ovens vary a lot.
5. For extra caramelized sugar or syrup, you can turn on the broiler for 30 to 60 seconds at the end but watch it like a hawk, sugar burns fast.
6. Remove the pan and transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain and crisp up. Let it rest a minute or two, it gets firmer as it cools.
7. Save the bacon fat in a jar once it cools, it’s great for frying eggs or roasting veggies.
Quick tips and hacks:
– Use a wire rack for really even crisping, no flipping needed. If you don’t have one just lay directly on parchment.
– Line the pan with foil under the parchment so cleanup is even easier, you can fold grease into the foil and toss.
– If you like chewy bacon, take it out a little earlier, for very crisp leave it a bit longer.
– Leftover bacon reheats nicely in a warm oven or microwave for a few seconds, but the oven keeps it crisp.
– Keep an eye on it the last few minutes, the difference between perfect and burnt is a minute sometimes.
Substitutions:
- Bacon: Use turkey bacon for a leaner option, pancetta for a more porky cured flavor, or plant based bacon for a vegetarian choice
- Light brown sugar: Swap with dark brown sugar for deeper molasses flavor, or use honey for a different sticky sweetness
- Pure maple syrup: Use honey or agave nectar if you dont have maple syrup, or make a quick glaze with a little extra brown sugar and water
- Smoked paprika or cayenne pepper: Replace with chili powder, chipotle powder, or smoked salt for a similar smoky or spicy kick
There, that’s how I usually do it, quick and pretty foolproof. Enjoy the bacon.
Pro Tips
1) Let the bacon sit out for about 10 minutes before it goes in the oven so slices cook more evenly, thicker pieces especially need that. Dont crowd the pan, give each strip a little room or do two pans so they crisp instead of steam.
2) If youre doing brown sugar or maple, wait until the last 5 minutes to brush or sprinkle it on, otherwise the sugar will burn and taste bitter. Rotate the pan and watch closely during those final minutes, because sticky bacon goes from perfect to charred real fast.
3) Use a wire rack over a rimmed sheet if you have one, it keeps bacon out of the fat so it crisps better and drains cleaner. If you dont have a rack, ball up foil into little feet to lift the slices off the sheet so they dont sit in grease.
4) Let bacon rest on paper towels for a minute to finish firming up, then save the strained fat in a jar for frying eggs or roasting veg later, it lasts weeks in the fridge and tastes great.
How To Cook Bacon In The Oven Recipe
I finally perfected bacon in the oven with a fuss free 20-minute method that fixes the usual mess and uneven cooking.
4
servings
635
kcal
Equipment: 1. Rimmed baking sheet, for the oven.
2. Aluminum foil or parchment paper, for easy cleanup.
3. Wire rack (optional), helps bacon crisp since slices arent sitting in the fat.
4. Tongs, to lift and move hot bacon.
5. Measuring spoons or a small bowl, for the brown sugar, maple and pepper.
6. Oven mitts or heatproof gloves, cause the pan gets really hot.
7. Plate lined with paper towels, to drain and finish crisping.
8. Heatproof jar or small container, to save the rendered bacon fat.
Ingredients
-
1 pound (450 g) bacon, regular or thick cut, about 12 to 16 slices depending how thick they are
-
1 tablespoon light brown sugar (optional, for candied bacon)
-
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (optional, for a sticky glaze)
-
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (optional, to taste)
-
pinch smoked paprika or cayenne pepper (optional, for a smoky kick)
-
coarse sea salt, very sparingly and optional (bacon is already salty)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup and set a wire rack on top if you have one, if not thats fine use the foil or parchment paper.
- Lay 1 pound bacon in a single layer on the rack or sheet, slices can touch but dont pile them up or they wont crisp right.
- For candied bacon sprinkle 1 tablespoon light brown sugar evenly over the slices, or brush 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup for a sticky glaze, you can do both if you want extra sweet sticky bacon.
- Season with 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to taste and a pinch of smoked paprika or cayenne for a smoky kick, skip the coarse sea salt before cooking because bacon is already salty.
- Slide the pan into the middle of the oven and bake about 20 minutes, checking at 12 to 15 minutes to gauge how fast your oven is and how crispy you like it; regular cut will finish around 18 to 20 minutes, thick cut may need 20 to 25 minutes.
- If you brushed on maple syrup or added sugar watch closely the last few minutes so it doesnt burn, you can rotate the pan once for even browning if your oven cooks unevenly.
- When it looks golden and crisp to your liking remove the pan and transfer bacon with tongs to a plate lined with paper towels to drain and finish crisping.
- Sprinkle a very small pinch of coarse sea salt only if needed, let sit a minute so the glaze sets and the fat firms up a bit.
- Save the rendered bacon fat by pouring it into a jar once cooled for cooking later, and toss the foil for easy cleanup. Serve and enjoy, its gonna be the best crispy oven baked bacon.
Notes
- Below you’ll find my best estimate of this recipe’s nutrition facts. Treat the numbers as a guide rather than a rule—great food should nourish both body and spirit. Figures are approximate, and the website owner assumes no liability for any inaccuracies in this recipe.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 112.5g
- Total number of serves: 4
- Calories: 635kcal
- Fat: 47.3g
- Saturated Fat: 16.9g
- Trans Fat: 0.56g
- Polyunsaturated: 4.5g
- Monounsaturated: 20.3g
- Cholesterol: 124mg
- Sodium: 1688mg
- Potassium: 635mg
- Carbohydrates: 8.1g
- Fiber: 0g
- Sugar: 6.7g
- Protein: 41.6g
- Vitamin A: 34IU
- Vitamin C: 0mg
- Calcium: 16mg
- Iron: 0.8mg
