How to Bake Bacon in Oven

How to Bake Bacon in the Oven in 12 Minutes from The Food Charlatan

4.80 from 5 votes

Let me show you how easy it is to bake bacon in the oven. It's way better than getting splattered with grease. And you can make a whole pan at a time!

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 230kcal

Author: Karen

Ingredients

Bacon
Sheet Pan
aluminum foil optional

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Line your pan with plenty of aluminum foil for easy clean up. (Or don't. I just wash the pan. No big deal.)
Lay out your bacon in one layer on the pan. No need to grease the pan. Bacon is basically grease, so you're good.
Arrange the strips as close to each other as you can. Touching is fine, but don't overlap. I usually can get 1 or 2 strips at the bottom of the pan, perpendicular to the rest.
Bake at 400 on the middle rack. If you use regular bacon, it will take about 10 minutes. (I always buy thick cut, that's going to be more like 12-14 minutes.) Either way, check on it after 10 minutes. Then set the timer again until it's done to the crispiness level that you like. The darker it gets, the crispier it will be. Feel free to take one out and test it.
When it's done, remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
My rule for baking bacon is to always bake a full pan. If you need 4 strips for your recipe, you're wrong. You actually need 4 strips plus 2 or 5 to snack on while you cook. (Seriously though, throw the rest in the fridge and eat it for breakfast tomorrow. You won't regret it.)
If you want your life to be amazing, funnel all the bacon grease you just made into a mason jar and store it in the fridge. Then use it next time you make the Best Pancake Recipe I've ever made. It keeps a long time in the fridge (several weeks.)

Notes

Bacon is great for freezing (raw). There's never a time when I don't have a copious amount of bacon in the freezer. It thaws so quick and easy in the microwave.

Bacon is a great make-ahead dish. Bake it before your event, throw it in the fridge, then microwave on a paper towel lined plate just before serving. If you plan to do this, you may want to under bake the bacon by a couple minutes so it is perfect when you serve.

Nutrition