From-scratch Oven Baked Bacon

Experience evenly crispy, evenly cooked bacon without the splattering mess or curling. This straightforward and quick recipe for making bacon in the oven leaves you with a hassle-free method to make well-balanced bacon every time.

Weekend mornings at our house often involve a from-scratch breakfast.

Sometimes we make something sweet like Fluffy pancakes Or Coffee cake muffins. Other times it’s all savory, like a Spinach mushroom omelette Or Hash brown egg cups.

But no matter what, one thing stays the same: bacon. There’s nothing like well-balanced crispy bacon.

If you’re anything like us, you love bacon too. And you probably learned how to cook bacon in a skillet on the stove.

Cooking bacon on the stovetop is time-consuming, messy and not to mention a little dangerous. It’s also hard to get the bacon evenly crispy and to stop it from curling.

There’s a better way. Oven baked bacon is the breakfast hack you didn’t know you needed. You can cook a whole pound at once, with less mess, even cooking and no curling.

Why You’ll Love Cooking Bacon on Parchment Paper in the Oven

• Consistency – You get a consistent result every single time without the hassle.
• It’s quick to make and you can have an entire pound of bacon cooked evenly in 20 minutes.
• You only dirty a sheet pan — not a skillet, your stovetop and all the countertops nearby.
• The oven provides even cooking, and your bacon won’t curl.
• It’s all ready at once. No need for multiple batches (unless you need a LOT of bacon).

Cooking bacon in the oven is a great way to meal prep toppings for Cobb salads, Twice-baked potatoes And Hamburgers.

You can even add it to Guacamole And Macaroni and cheese.

What You Need to Bake Crispy Bacon in the Oven

What do you need to make well-balanced oven cooked bacon? Add this to your grocery list:

• One pound of bacon – You’ll need about 16 slices.

That’s it! If you like, you can sprinkle on black pepper or maple sugar to give your bacon some extra flavor.

The kind of bacon you use is up to you, so start with your favorite. We prefer thick-sliced or center cut bacon, but a thinner slice also works. However, it may affect the cook time so plan to keep an eye on it.

Center cut bacon is simply regular bacon that has the fatty ends cut off. If you prefer less fat, get center-cut. You can also use kitchen shears to cut off excess fat. But do remember that a little fat is what makes bacon so good!

You can experiment with uncured bacon and different smokes like hardwood smoked, maple bacon and hickory smoked bacon.

How to cook Crispy Bacon in the Oven (Step by Step)

Cooking bacon in the oven is going to be your new favorite way to cook bacon!

1. First, preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
2. Then, arrange the bacon pieces flat on the parchment paper, in a single layer. You don’t want them to overlap. However, it is okay to place them close together because they will shrink a little bit when cooked.
3. Bake the bacon in the oven for around 15-20 minutes.
4. Remove the bacon from the oven. Use a paper towel to blot them and remove any excess grease.
5. Use tongs to remove them from the hot pan and add to a serving platter.

Tip

You may need more or less time depending on the thickness of your bacon and the desired crispiness. Thin bacon will go from cooked to burned quickly, while thick cut bacon will need more time.

What temp to cook Bacon in Oven?

Bacon should be cooked in a 400°F (204.5 °C) oven. Be sure to preheat the oven and place your bacon on a parchment-lined pan for best results.

How long to cook Bacon in the Oven?

When cooking bacon in the oven, it will crisp up in about 15-20 minutes. But exactly how long depends on the thickness of the bacon and how crispy you like it.

Kitchen tools to make bacon in the oven

Baking sheet

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Parchment paper

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Tips for Cooking Thick Cut Bacon in the Oven

You don’t need a wire rack to cook bacon in the oven. The bacon is equally as crispy without it and it’s less hassle and fewer dishes. Sometimes the bacon can also stick to the rack which is frustrating.

Try cracking black pepper on each piece of bacon for extra flavor or sprinkle maple sugar on top for extra sweetness.

Eat it hot or break it up into small pieces to use as a topping for salads, baked potatoes and more.

If you don’t have parchment paper, aluminum foil lined baking sheets work as well.

You’ll want to use a rimmed baking sheet to avoid grease spilling over into the oven.

Crispy Bacon in the Oven FAQs

Recipes that use bacon

What can you make with oven-cooked bacon? So many things! Here are a few favorite recipes using bacon:

Sour Cream Bacon Ranch Dip

Straightforward Air Fryer Potato Skins

Crock Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Summer Salad

Chicken Club Lettuce Wraps

Prep 5 minutesCook 20 minutesMakes 8

Ingredients

• 1 lb bacon about 16 slices of thick sliced)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper .
3. Lay the bacon flat in a single layer on the parchment paper .
4. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. You may need more or less time depending on the thickness of your bacon and your desired crispiness).
5. Remove them from the oven and blot them with a paper towel to remove the excess grease.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

• While some use a rack to cook bacon in the oven, we find that it isn’t necessary. The bacon is equally as crispy without it and it’s less hassle and fewer dishes. Sometimes the bacon can also stick to the rack which is frustrating.