I love cooking bacon in the oven! There’s no mess, and it guarantees perfectly crispy slices of bacon. My method for oven baked bacon is also perfect for making larger batches!
Here’s my foolproof way to cook bacon without messy stovetop splatters. It’s perfect for both thin and thick-cut slices, and you can even add some fun flavor twists!
Serve this crispy baked bacon for breakfast with scrambled eggs, make sandwiches (try a homemade fluffy biscuit), or add to these juicy burgers! Or, for something different, try our homemade breakfast sausage with sage and onion.
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
For super easy cleanup, line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. The rim is important for catching all the tasty bacon grease! If you have a baking rack, pop that in the pan too. (Baking bacon on a rack helps the it get extra crispy.)
Bake your bacon in a 400°F oven until crisp. The bacon takes 12 to 20 minutes, depending on its thickness.
If I haven’t convinced you well enough yet, there’s one more bonus of cooking bacon in the oven. We 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 Baked 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.
How to Bake Crispy Bacon
- 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. We prefer to use thick-cut bacon (1/8-inch thick), which usually means there are 12 to 14 slices per pound.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 pound (450g) bacon, preferably thick cut
Pepper, optional
Directions
1Place a rack in the center of your oven and heat it to 400°F (204°C). If you are cooking a lot of bacon, use two racks: one in the lower third of the oven, the other in the upper third.
2Line a rimmed baking sheet (or two) with foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup.
3For extra crispy bacon: Place a baking rack (if you have one) inside the baking sheet.
4Lay bacon slices in a single layer on the baking sheet (or on top of the rack). Avoid overlapping, but touching is okay.
5Season with freshly ground black pepper (optional, but delicious!).
6Cook for 12 to 20 minutes, checking at around 8 minutes, and often after that, until the bacon reaches your desired level of crispiness. If using two racks, rotate the baking sheets halfway through cooking 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