Cooking bacon in the oven is the key to easy, perfectly cooked bacon every time! Especially when cooking a big batch of bacon or making breakfast for a crowd. An easy method with less mess so you can cook smarter not harder! Gluten free, keto, Whole30 option.

Crispy strips of bacon on a white speckled plate.

The best way to cook bacon

Have you ever cooked bacon in the oven?

If not, I’m so excited for you to learn how!

It was a total game changer when I switched from cooking bacon on the stove top to cooking bacon in the oven. Not only does it save a lot of time (you can cook way more at once!), it also makes for super easy clean up.

No more messy bacon grease splatters to wipe up from every nook and cranny of your stove after breakfast.

Because who wants to waste their post brunch bliss on clean up?

Why you’ll love cooking bacon in the oven

It is:

Easy
Way less messy
Perfectly cooked every time!
Cooked to your preference – crispy or meaty
Great for a crowd
Hands free
TRULY game-changing!

What you’ll need

To bake bacon in the oven all you need is a few simple kitchen tools, and of course – bacon!

Here’s exactly what you need:

Bacon – You can use this method to cook thin or thick bacon. You’ll just want to adjust your cook time based on how thick it is.
A large rimmed sheet pan – A large rimmed sheet pan (or baking sheet as some call it), is hands down one of my most used pieces of cookware. So versatile for everything from roasting veggies to seafood. And absolutely perfect for cooking bacon! This is our favorite sheet pan. If you don’t have one, you can also use a large casserole dish.
Parchment paper or foil – Lining your sheet pan with parchment paper or tin foil is a must for easy clean up. Either is fine, but if I don’t want to have to wash the grease off a pan I’ll use both. First lined with foil and then topped with a piece of parchment paper.

Do you need a cooling rack to cook bacon in the oven?

Many recipes for cooking bacon in the oven will suggest placing the bacon on a cooling rack on top of your sheet pan.

This works for some, but we have found the bacon cooks a little better with direct contact with the pan – no cooling rack required. And it makes clean up even easier!

Raw bacon slices on a white baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Close up of raw bacon slices on a white baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Close up of crispy golden brown strips of cooked bacon on a parchment lined baking sheet.

How to cook bacon in the oven

Once you have gathered your supplies, there’s just a few steps between you and the best, crispy bacon!

Here’s the step-by-step

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and/or foil. Arrange bacon pieces in a single layer, side by side. Be careful not to overlap or the bacon will stick together. Move to the oven and bake for 15 – 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bacon and how crispy you want it. Everyone’s oven is a little bit different, so keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Transfer to a paper towel lined plate using a fork or tongs to drain the grease.
Serve and enjoy!

Crispy golden brown strips of cooked bacon on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Crispy strips of bacon on paper towels, on top of a white speckled plate.

Do you need to flip the bacon?

Nope! No flipping necessary. The bacon should cook evenly with the circulating heat of the oven. Just one more reason to love this simple and easy bacon cooking method!

Does bacon in the oven get crispy?

Yes – if you want it crispy!

Just as you can control how crispy bacon gets in a skillet, you can also control how crispy it gets in the oven.

For softer, meatier bacon, pull it out of the oven a minute or two early. This can also be done if you are batch cooking bacon for a week’s worth of breakfasts and plan to re-heat it in the oven or in a skillet.

If you like your bacon crispy, bake it until it’s perfectly crisp and golden brown.

The perfect temperature for cooking bacon in the oven

In my experience, 400 degrees Fahrenheit is the perfect temperature to cook bacon.

You could cook it at a lower temperature like 350 or 375, but it will take longer.

If cooked at a higher temperature you run the risk of accidentally over-cooking or burning your bacon before you have a chance to pull it out of the oven.

What to do with leftover bacon grease

If you’re inclined to save your bacon grease, I would encourage you to do so!

It’s a versatile and flavorful fat that works well for roasting vegetables, cooking meat, seafood, and as a base for soups and stews.

How to save your bacon fat

Carefully drain the bacon fat into a glass or metal (heatproof) container while it is still liquid, but not straight out of oven when it’s super hot. Do not use plastic as the hot bacon grease could melt it.

Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months, until ready to use.

Storage and reheating

Leftover bacon can easily be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for 4-6 days.

There are several options for reheating:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and warm leftover bacon on a sheet pan.
Gently warm in a skillet over medium heat.
Warm in the microwave for 45-60 seconds, until hot.

How to use your oven cooked bacon

Once your bacon is cooked, you can use it so many ways!

It can simply be served with your breakfast spread , crumbled on a delicious homemade breakfast pizza, or in any recipe that calls for pre-cooked bacon.

If you enjoyed this recipe, we’d love it if you would take 5 seconds to rate and review it below! It’s also super helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe.

Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!