Oven-Baked Bacon

4.66 from 29 reviews

Bacon in the Oven is the easiest and best way to cook bacon that is perfectly crispy and golden every time. Cooking bacon in the oven is the only way to bake bacon without any mess! Great for cooking big or small batches!

Course Breakfast, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Bacon in the Oven

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings people

Calories 236kcal

Author Chef Kathy McDaniel

Equipment

Ingredients

1 pound good quality bacon
Thick-cut or regular

Instructions

Method 1 - Preferred Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup.
Lay the bacon slices on the prepared baking sheet, making sure they don't overlap.
Place in the preheated oven and bake until the bacon reaches your desired level of crispiness, about 12-15 minutes for thin-cut bacon, 16 to 20 minutes for regular-cut or medium-cut bacon and 20-25 minutes for thick-cut bacon. Exact baking time will depend on the thickness of the bacon. Always check about after 10-12 minutes to get a better estimate on the baking time.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow it to cool for 2-3 minutes. Using kitchen tongs, transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any extra grease.
Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.

Method 2

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup. Place a wire rack on the lined baking sheet.
Lay the bacon slices on the wire rack, making sure they don't overlap. Follow same instructions as above.

Video

Notes

I never flip the bacon while it bakes but I usually rotate the pan halfway through, just to ensure even cooking as I know my oven has a hot spot on one side.
Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Heavy duty aluminum foil was made with baked bacon in mind!! (not really).
A wire rack is not necessary when cooking bacon in the oven! It only adds to the pile of dirty dishes.
Although oven-baked bacon is a hands-off cooking method, keep an eye on the bacon. It can go from beautiful golden brown to burnt in very little time.
Using a wire rack does not make healthier bacon! Bacon cooks in its own fat and releases its fat with or without a rack!
Draining the bacon on a plate lined with paper towels after is cooked, is a must whether you use a wire rack or not! Don't skip this step.
When possible, buy bacon that was made with humanly raised and humanly slaughtered pigs.

Nutrition