A step by step guide to oven frying crispy and perfect bacon without a rack, options without foil, and tips for keeping your oven clean. Baking bacon in the oven is so easy!
Related: I get all of my heritage breed pork from Butcher Box. Read my honest review here.
If there is one thing I am an expert at, its cooking bacon in the oven. I bake bacon in the oven at least 3 times a week so I thought "Why not share all of my tips and tricks for How to Cook Bacon in the Oven with my readers!"
I could literally give the person who invented bacon a huge hug. This person has sustained me for the past 10 years. I really consider myself a bacon expert and I have a whole section on my blog dedicated to bacon recipes. Check it out here.
I have used bacon in many recipes on my blog:
- Click here for my Crustless quiche recipe - This quiche is filled with bacon and it is so easy to make because of no crust.
- Click here for my Bacon Wrapped asparagus recipe - all of my tips on how to make perfect bacon wrapped asparagus without having overcooked, mushy asparagus.
- Click here for my green beans with crispy bacon - one if the easiest and most delicious side dished you can make.
- Click here for my Bacon wrapped chicken thighs - The seasoning on these bone in chicken thighs is amazing!
Bacon has been my easy meal that I can just throw in the oven and call it breakfast...all while my coffee is brewing.
I oven fry my bacon in the oven without a rack, sometimes with parchment paper, and sometimes with foil. They all work.
My favorite kind of bacon is thick cut bacon. That has always been my preference because it is delicious and thicker. I really can't think of any other reasons, ha!
You could definitely use any bacon you like though, it will just alter the cooking time depending on the thickness.
WHAT TO COOK BACON ON IN THE OVEN?
- NO RACK - I use a rimmed sheet pan and I lay the raw bacon directly on the sheet pan. I can usually fit 8-9 pieces on my sheet pan. This is my favorite sheet pan because when I want to use foil or parchment paper, it fits perfectly in the pan without the bacon grease seeping under like on larger sheet pans.
You could use a rimmed sheet pan with a rack (like this one) if you want to avoid draining your bacon. I personally don't like to use this type of pan because the wire rack is a pain to clean and I cook bacon too much to be cleaning that wire rack 3 times a week.
I also do not like to use a rack to cook the bacon on because I like that the bacon lays in it's own grease and fries, just like when you cook it on the stove top. But I do love that wire rack when I make my Crispy Chicken Thighs.
- PARCHMENT PAPER OR FOIL - You could also line your baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. I personally use foil sometimes when I don't feel like cleaning the pan.
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WHAT TEMPERATURE DO YOU USE?
I put my bacon in the oven at 400F and it takes about 15 minutes to cook to my liking. If you use thinner bacon, it will cook quicker so be sure to keep an eye on it. I would check it every 5 minutes just to be safe.
There is no need to pre-heat the oven. It is actually best to start the bacon in a cold oven. It helps render the fat better.
Sometimes for thicker bacon, I flip the pieces halfway through so I don't have any half cooked pieces.
Now you can lay it out on paper towels to drain off the grease.
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HOW LONG TO BAKE BACON IN THE OVEN AT 400F?
Typically it will take about 15 minutes or so. There are many variables in how long you need to let your bacon bake in the oven. A good temperature to start with is 400F. The time it takes depends on the thickness of you bacon and how crispy you like your bacon.
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HOW TO KEEP BACON FROM SPLATTERING IN THE OVEN?
You guys I have a massive trick to keeping the bacon from popping grease all over your oven! If you are a conservationist, i'm sorry. I bought a shiny new oven and I did not want to mess it up with bacon grease like my old oven. So this is what I do now.
I place the bacon on the baking sheet and then I cover it with parchment paper. I cook the bacon at 400F until it is crispy. This takes about 20-25 minutes at 400 for thick cut bacon. I've been doing this for over a month and my oven is still spotless!
For the leftover bacon grease that is in your pan, you can save it! Bacon grease is great to cook with because it has a high smoke point...and it's free!
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BACON NUTRITION FACTS
Again, it varies on the brand you buy but in general, here are the nutrition facts:
1 slice cooked bacon has 43 calories / 3.3g fat / 1.1g sat fat / .1g carbs / 3g protein
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven (No Rack!)
Ingredients
- 8-9 Slices bacon
Instructions
- See Notes to find out a different technique to keep your oven completely clean while cooking bacon in the oven!
- Lay the raw bacon out on a sheet pan without a rack. Place in the middle of the oven and turn the oven on to 400F. Cook the bacon until crisp, about 20 minutes (or until it is done to your liking) Remove from the oven and drain the bacon on a plate lined with paper towels.
Jennifer's tips
- PARCHMENT PAPER OR FOIL - You can line your baking sheet with a wire rack, parchment paper, or foil. The parchment paper and foil will aid with cleanup and the wire rack will help you avoid draining on paper towels.
- STORE COOKED BACON - Store leftover bacon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- FREEZE COOKED BACON - Cook as much bacon as you like according to the above directions and let cool. Line a sheet pan with wax paper or parchment paper and place the bacon on the pan in a single layer. Continue with the paper and a layer of bacon up to 3 thick. Place in the freezer and freeze for 2 hours. Transfer the frozen bacon to a freezer bag or container and keep frozen for up to 3 months. TO SERVE: microwave for 30 seconds and serve.
- NO MESSY OVEN - You guys I have a massive trick to keeping the bacon from popping grease all over your oven! If you are a conservationist, i'm sorry. I bought a shiny new oven and I did not want to mess it up with bacon grease like my old oven. So this is what I do now. I place the bacon on the baking sheet and then I cover the bacon with parchment paper. I cook the bacon at 350F until it is crispy. This takes about 30-40 minutes at 350. I've been doing this for over a month and my oven is still spotless!
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy only. Please re-calculate on your own with the ingredients and amounts you used for the most accurate data.
Garfield22 says
Great tips!
Charles Hazard says
great idea, tried it with amazing results!
Rhonda says
You are one of the few that starts in a cold oven, thank you. It does work best. Also, I love your idea and tip on covering it. I’ll definitely start doing that. Lime you, I love bacon and all the great uses it had.
Jason says
Going to try this today. Think of the oven cleaner you don't have to use by covering with parchment.
Brenda Chapman says
Thanks So Much For The Non Splatter Tip!
Jenna says
Confusing info about covering w/ parchment to keep oven clean....
In post you say 20-25min @ 400 but on recipe card you say 30-40min @ 350. What is the right temp & time?
jenniferbanz says
Either will work. 350F will just take longer.
Wanda Durost says
I have tried different ways to cook bacon but I have to say this recipe is "THE BEST" one ever! Thanks so much for posting this...I definitely will be sharing this with my friends & family.
William Harrell says
Another tip is to place a second baking sheet on top of the first baking sheet. So you have baking sheet with bacon, parchment paper on top and baking sheet on top of the parchment paper.
S Hughes says
Oh my goodness! What a simple solution! I HATE how my oven gets sooooo dirty. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Sharon Raney says
I'll never cook bacon in the oven without parchement paper again! Fabulous tip! My new oven is spotless! Thank you!
ED BURKE says
Great video I love bacon thank you great idea parchment paper
Kelly says
I used to cook on a train and we always cooked our bacon this way as we were needing bacon for hundreds of passengers at a time.
To help keep it from sticking to the pan, place the first slice meatier side up, then lay the next slice half on top of it, placing the next piece's meatier side on top of the fattier side of the one before. Continue laying them out this way until your pan is filled. As they cook they will shrink and you can then separate them to lay them flat on the pan now coated with the melted fat.
If the bacon curls in areas to the point that it can't lay flat to brown properly, making a small cut in the bulged area will allow it to flatten.
Joanie says
Wow! This works soo well! No more frying pan for me ?
Thank you Jennifer
Gene Burks says
Very good recipe. I am concerned about the temperature. You say 400 in the instructions then in the video you say 350. Which is it?
jenniferbanz says
Either temp will work.
Heather says
So I oven roast bacon every weekend at 350 degrees. Now I’m dying to try it at 400 and covered with parchment! I just got done with a self clean on my oven and I’m not willing to go through that again anytime soon!
ALSOOOOO ... I always use foil and after the pan cools and the grease starts to solidify, I scrap it off the foil. Then I fold the foil up and toss it in the freezer. I use for wrapping up meats on the smoker or BBQ.
Brenda says
Going to try parchment paper to cover cooking bacon in oven. Can the baking sheet be covered with parchment paper instead of foil?
Jacqueline McCollum says
Loved your hint of parchment paper on top of bacon. ?
JSM says
For this point forward, THIS is how I'll cook bacon! Thank you.
One small bit of trouble ~~> The first time I tried the recipe, the bacon strips stuck to the cooking sheet. Now, I cover the pan in a thin layer of bacon grease before the first batch and no more sticking!
Also, love the parchment paper over top suggestion!
Diane says
??????????
Nancy says
Great tip covering bacon with parchment paper and cooking at 350. Worked perfectly!!
Deb says
Why didn't I know this tip!!! Awesome - Thanks
Kristy says
I never realized you could cook bacon like this until my roommate started doing it this way lol. We use a rack and it is a pain to clean, but we spray it down with cooking oil beforehand which definitely helps, but it's still a pain in the butt. lol.
Emma says
Jennifer - please help - I can't find the answer anywhere...So if I cook a whole bunch of bacon in the oven for prepping ahead...I can store it in the refrigerator, but then how would you heat it up for use in recipes? I don't want fridge cold bacon all the time. Thanks
jenniferbanz says
That's a good questions, Emma! I would put it back in the oven on a baking sheet for a few minutes.
Emma @ Supper in the Suburbs says
Great post I dont know why Ive not tried cooking bacon in the oven before. Fab tip about starting off the oven cold to help render the fat!
Tina says
I love cooking bacon in the oven, easy cleanup, just shut the oven door;P
Valentina says
Bookmarking this right now! I love making bacon in the oven as opposed to on the stove, but I've never gotten it quite right. Now I will. 🙂
Diana says
That is also how I cook my bacon in the oven, but I didn't know that you can use a microfibre cloth I will have to try next time. Great post!
Tracy | Baking Mischief says
This is *exactly* how I cook my bacon in the oven, except I always use foil because I'm always lazy. 😉 Love the tip about the microfiber cloth though. Totally trying that next time!