How to Cook Bacon in the Oven (Crispy, Easy & No Mess)

Learn How to Cook Bacon in the Oven (Crispy, Easy & No Mess). If you’ve ever struggled with splattering grease or unevenly cooked strips, learning how to cook bacon in the oven will completely change your routine. This method is hands-off, easy, and delivers perfectly crispy bacon every single time.

Whether you’re making breakfast for a crowd or prepping bacon ahead for recipes, oven baked bacon is the best way to get consistent results with minimal cleanup. No flipping, no standing over the stove, and no mess all over your kitchen.

In this post, I’ll show you exactly how to cook bacon in the oven, how long it takes, and tips to get it crispy just the way you like it.

Why You’ll Love This Method

• No splatter or mess
• Cooks evenly every time
• Perfect for large batches
• Hands-off cooking
• Easy cleanup

Let’s start with what you’ll need

Bacon, any thickness. I prefer thick bacon for this method, and oh what I’ll show you I do with it… may be a game changer for your dessert needs.

How to Cook Bacon in the Oven

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F
2. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper
3. Place bacon in a single layer (do not overlap)
4. Bake for 15–20 minutes
5. Remove when crispy to your liking
6. Transfer to paper towels to drain

The photo above is a great example of bacon that looks like it’s done, but it actually needs a couple more minutes.

Tips for Perfect Bacon

• Use a wire rack for extra crispiness
• Thick cut bacon takes longer
• Start with a cold oven if you want more even cooking
• Check at 15 minutes to avoid burning

Now, that is some crispy bacon!!!

I will mention that baking time will vary depending on how thick your bacon is. I prefer thick-sliced bacon. Check the bacon every few minutes after 10 minutes so that you can take it out when it’s as crisp as you like it.

And for more bacon recipes and my chocolate-covered bacon!

To make chocolate covered bacon, it’s important that the bacon be nice and crisp, then dip it into melted chocolate (I find it’s best to melt chocolate with a little bit of shortening or coconut oil to make sure it’s thin and smooth, then brush it on the bacon with a silicone brush) and the photo shows the bacon skewered, but it wasn’t as easy to get it off the skewered, so just coat the bacon over top of a piece of wax paper then add coarse salt, for great results, place it in the fridge for a few minutes to set up the chocolate.

*be sure the chocolate is completely melted and hot, and that no water gets into it or you’ll have thick, grainy chocolate.

What should you do with all this crispy bacon?

Let me give you a few suggestions:

• Guacamole with Goat Cheese and Bacon
• Oatmeal Maple Bacon Cookies
• Buttermilk Pancake Cupcakes 
• Cornbread Tamales Bites with Jalapeño, Cheese and Bacon
• Cheesy Bacon Breakfast Potatoes in 5 Minutes
• Stuffed Jalapeño Bread with Bacon
• Healthier Stuffed Jalapeños 
• Pepper Jack Mac and Cheese

Variations

• Sprinkle with brown sugar for candied bacon
• Add black pepper for a savory kick
• Brush with maple syrup for sweet flavor

How to Store Bacon

• Fridge: up to 5 days
• Freezer: up to 2 months

How long does bacon take in the oven?
Usually 15 to 20 minutes at 400°F depending on thickness.

Do you have to flip bacon in the oven?
No, it cooks evenly without flipping.

Is oven bacon better than pan fried?
Yes, it’s less messy and cooks more evenly.

more recipes with bacon

• The perfect breakfast pizza
• Grilled Romaine BLT Salad
• Bacon and Scrambled Egg Fried Rice, amazing and great for breakfast and dinner
• The summer side dish that everyone will devour
• Guacamole with goat cheese and bacon!
• Oatmeal Maple Bacon Oatmeal Cookies
• The tastiest maple bacon popcorn!
• Maple Bacon Bourbon Chicken Legs
• My number one requested recipe for all gatherings (jalapeno bacon mac and cheese)

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

How to Bake Bacon

Author: Diane Schmidt - createdbydiane.com

Ingredients

• thick-sliced bacon
• rimmed baking sheet
• baking rack
• aluminum foil

Instructions

• Line a baking sheet with foil,
• lay baking rack on top of the foil,
• place bacon on the rack,
• be sure it's close together, without overlapping.
• bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes for thick sliced bacon Can take up to 30 minutes.
• Turn the bacon with tongs and bake it until it's crisp on both sides.
• Be sure if you want crisp bacon, that you bake it long enough.
• Test a piece with a pair of tongs,
• pick up a piece, if it's flopping over,
• give it a couple more minutes.
• *note for thinner bacon check at 10 minutes at then every couple minutes until the bacon is as crisp as you prefer.