Learn how to cook bacon in the oven the easy way! Making bacon in the oven at 375 F is seriously the ideal cooking temperature. Some people prefer to cook it at 350 or 400 F, but our favorite is 375 F so you have more control over the cooking time and the bacon doesn't accidentally overcook.
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Cooking Bacon in the Oven
Mmmmm, is there truly a better smell and taste out there than just cooked bacon in the morning?
Once you start cooking bacon in the oven you'll never go back to frying it in the pan. Who knew you could cook tons of bacon all at once and be totally hands off? Whether you prefer your bacon nice and crisp or if you like it a little softer, baking bacon.....I'm fairly certain....will become your favorite cooking method too!
Did you know it's also easy to cook turkey bacon in the oven, air fryer bacon, or even Instant Pot bacon too? We have even more bacon recipes if you're bacon obsessed like we are!
Oven Cooked Bacon Ingredients
To make oven baked bacon, you mostly just need one ingredient....the bacon of course! Our favorite is an apple wood smoked kind we get from our grocery store meat counter. Feel free to use whichever bacon is your favorite for this recipe. Seasonings are totally optional.
- 1 lb bacon
- Optional seasonings- pepper, garlic, cayenne pepper
Our most common way to cook bacon is without adding a sprinkle of extra seasoning. We usually save the extra kick for a special brunch or holiday breakfast.
Supplies needed for Cooking Bacon in the Oven
Here's a list of our favorite kitchen supplies for cooking bacon in the oven. The only one technically required is a baking sheet, but the other items just make the job even easier.
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
There are a few things to know before you start cooking bacon in the oven.
The thickness of your bacon can impact how long it takes bacon to cook. So while I'm sure you're wanting to know how long does it take to cook bacon in the oven at 375 F...the answer really depends on the type of bacon you purchase and your personal preference on whether you prefer crisp or softer bacon.
Even purchasing brand name packaged bacon seems to vary in thickness from week to week when we purchase it. Clearly, the thicker your bacon the longer it will take to cook. We highly recommend the first time you go to cook oven-baked bacon, to keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn and to also get the feel for how long it takes to cook your favorite brand of bacon.
- Preheat your oven to 375 and move the oven rack to the middle position.
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy clean-up.
- Lay the bacon in strips on the pan, making sure not to overlap and crowd the bacon pieces. Cook the bacon for 10 minutes and then check it for doneness. Continue cooking the bacon for 10+ more minutes depending on your personal preference. We usually cook apple wood smoked bacon for a total of 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and place between two sheets of paper towels to help absorb the kitchen grease.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
FAQs on Cooking Bacon in the Oven
For crispy bacon, bake it at 400°F (205°C) for about 15-20 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your bacon. You can basically take it out of the oven at any point that’s to your personal liking, whether you prefer it soft and chewy or very crispy.
Likewise, we prefer to cook bacon at 400°F, but you can cook it at any temperature range between 375°F and 425°F.
The best way to cook bacon in the oven is to make sure you’re using an aluminum pan that has rimmed sides so the grease doesn’t spill over.
We also highly recommend you like the baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy clean-up.
Make sure the bacon slices are spaced out on the pan and don’t overlap
Some people like to add a wire rack to the baking sheet so the bacon doesn’t cook in the grease, but we personally find that unnecessary plus it’s a hassle to clean the wire rack.
For even cooking, we recommend flipping the bacon halfway through the cooking time.
If you’re placing the bacon on a wire rack you probably can skip the flip since the hot air circulates around to bacon and cooks it more evenly.
Always bake your bacon uncovered. Covering it would trap steam and prevent the bacon from crisping up. Your goal is to allow the moisture to escape so you get crispy, perfectly-cooked bacon every time!
More Bacon Recipes
If you're looking for more bacon recipes, you'll want to check these out!
- Low carb bacon egg cups
- Wilted Spinach salad with hot bacon dressing
- Brussel sprout casserole with bacon
- Cold broccoli salad
- Cooking bacon in an air fryer
- turkey bacon in oven
Bacon Cooked in Oven
Cooking bacon in the oven at 375 F is the easiest and best way to make bacon. You'll never go back to frying bacon once you learn this easy method.
Ingredients
- 1 lb bacon
- optional seasoning- black pepper or your favorite spices
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 and make sure the oven rack is in the middle position
- Lay parchment paper on a jelly roll style baking sheet and evenly space your bacon slices so they don't overlap.
- Cook the bacon for 10 minutes and check for your preferred degree of doneness. Flip the bacon over and continue cooking for 8-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the bacon and how crispy you prefer it.
- Lay the cooked bacon on a couple of paper towels to help remove the grease
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
Using parchment paper or foil is helpful for easy clean-up, but it's not essential.
The thickness of your bacon can change the cooking time, as can whether you prefer it on the softer side or very crisp.
We used the Trader Joe's applewood smoked bacon but any of your favorite bacon brands will work for this recipe.
We have tried cooking bacon on a rack but honestly, it's just easiest to cook it straight on the pan.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 180Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 30mgSodium 480mgCarbohydrates 0gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 10g
The nutritional information should be considered an estimate and can vary based on the brand of bacon you purchase.
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