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If you want crispy, mess-free bacon in the oven, line a rimmed sheet pan with foil or parchment, lay the bacon in a single layer, and bake at 425°F for 12–15 minutes (start checking at 10 minutes). Transfer to paper towels, it crisps up even more as it cools.
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Table of Contents
- Kellie’s Note The Only Way To Bacon
- Two Easy Ways to Make Bacon in the Oven (Pick Your Favorite)
- How To Cook Bacon in the Oven
- Bacon in the Oven Time Guide
- Why Bake Bacon in the Oven
- Foil vs Parchment (What I Use)
- How to Store and Reheat Bacon
- Saving Bacon Grease (Optional but Worth It)
- How To Avoid Bacon Splatter
- More Easy Bacon Recipes
- Oven Bacon Recipe
This is so genius!! I love bacon and to be able to get it crispy and on my plate without a huge mess is epic! Thank you!!
– Sabrina
Kellie’s Note
The Only Way To Bacon
“OMG….she’s baking the bacon in the oven!!!” Those were the words I heard from across the kitchen many, many years ago. Seriously, I was stunned that not everyone was actually cooking their bacon in the oven already and still….I shock people everywhere when I say I only make bacon in the oven. EVER.
And, honestly, it’s out of sheer laziness that this even started as the normal way to cook bacon in my house. I hate the grease spatter….in fact, I hate frying things on the stovetop so much I even make my fried chicken in the oven. I mean, really, do you want to be cleaning bacon grease off all surfaces within a tend foot radius of your oven for all eternity?
And don’t you want the most perfectly crisp bacon ever made….but not too crisp….still with bits of chewiness…but not too floppy (that’s a technical term we use here.) All without having to hose down your kitchen after you’re done cooking? Then, oven baked bacon is totally for you.
Two Easy Ways to Make Bacon in the Oven (Pick Your Favorite)
You’ll see a few different temperatures and methods online, they all work, but they produce slightly different results. Here are the two best options:
Option A: Fast and Crispy (Preheated Oven – my go-to)
Best when you want bacon in a hurry, with crisp edges and easy cleanup.
- Preheat: 425°F
- Time: 12–18 minutes (depends on thickness)
Option B: Less Curl (Cold Oven Start)
Best if your bacon tends to curl a lot or you want a slightly more even render.
- Start: Put the pan in a cold oven
- Set oven to: 375°F
- Time: 20–30 minutes
No matter which method you choose: bake on a rimmed pan, watch closely near the end, and remove when it’s a shade before your ideal crispness (it finishes as it cools).
How To Cook Bacon in the Oven
Cooking bacon in the oven is so easy to do….here are a few easy steps to get you started.
- Line a baking sheet (I used a rimmed half sheet pan) with parchment, or my personal favorite, aluminum foil. I, actually, like to cover the entire baking sheet with foil (sometimes multiple layers) for easy clean up. Meaning, I take the foil off and toss it into the trash, baking pan is totally clean.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- Arrange bacon strips in a single layer directly on the foil or parchment being sure they are not overlapping. If the bacon is touching while it cooks, it is harder to pull apart when it’s finished cooking.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake bacon in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until your desired degree of doneness. Sometimes, I flip the bacon for even cooking and to satisfy picky bacon eaters.
- Line a plate with paper towels and transfer the bacon to the plate. Bacon will crisp up a little more as it cools, so don’t wait until it looks overdone in the oven.
- Transfer the bacon to a platter and serve.
Bacon in the Oven Time Guide
Bacon thickness and your oven can change cook time a lot, so use this as a starting point and begin checking early.
- Thin-cut bacon: 10–14 minutes
- Regular-cut bacon: 12–18 minutes
- Thick-cut bacon: 18–25 minutes
- Extra crispy: add 1–3 minutes (watch closely)
Best cue: When the fat looks rendered and the bacon is deep golden, it’s ready. Remove it from the oven slightly early, it crisps as it cools.
Do You Need a Wire Rack?
No, you can make great bacon without a rack.
- No rack (my preference): easiest cleanup, bacon “fries” in its fat and still gets crisp
- With a rack: slightly less greasy feel and can be extra crispy, but you’ll have more to scrub
If you use a rack, make sure it’s oven-safe, and still use a rimmed sheet pan underneath to catch drips.
Why Bake Bacon in the Oven
Seriously, why shouldn’t you bake bacon in the oven….right? Well, if that wasn’t a good enough answer then this is exactly why you should always cook bacon in the oven:
- Mess free!!! Did you see that? MESS FREE!!!!
- You can cook a whole pound of bacon at one time….no batch cooking….no bacon vanishing into thin air while you cook more. One pound of bacon in minutes.
- No grease spatters all over every surface of the kitchen.
- No grease spatters on your face.
- No grease spatters on your clothes.
- No grease spatters on your dog.
- The bacon cooks up perfectly flat every time!
- You can actually, like, do other stuff while your bacon is baking…..like make pancakes or this AHHHMAZING French Toast
- Oh….and did I mention that it’s MESS FREE!!! Oh yeah.
Foil vs Parchment (What I Use)
Both work, choose based on what you care about most or what you have on hand.
- Foil: the easiest cleanup (lift it out and toss)
- Parchment: helps prevent sticking and can make removal easier
Quick note: Some parchment can let grease seep through depending on the brand, if that happens, double-layer it or switch to foil.
How to Store and Reheat Bacon
- To store: Let bacon cool completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container for 4–5 days.
- To freeze: Freeze slices flat on a sheet pan, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 1–2 months.
To reheat (best options):
- Microwave: 10–20 seconds (quick, but less crisp)
- Oven: 350°F for 5–7 minutes
- Air fryer: 350°F for 2–4 minutes
- Skillet: 1–2 minutes over medium heat
Saving Bacon Grease (Optional but Worth It)
After baking, let the grease cool for about 10 minutes, then carefully pour it into a heat-safe jar.
- For cleaner grease: strain through a fine mesh strainer (or a coffee filter if you want it extra clear).
Storage: keep refrigerated and use within up to 3 months. - Ways to use it: fry eggs, sauté greens, roast potatoes/veggies, make biscuits/cornbread, or pop popcorn.
How To Avoid Bacon Splatter
I told you how I love to make this bacon in the oven to eliminate the kitchen mess but if you’re concerned about the inside of your oven taking the brunt of the bacon grease then you can simply tent a large piece of foil over the bacon being sure it’s not actually touching the surface of the bacon to contain some of the grease.
You will have to remove it near the end of the cooking time to crisp up the surface a bit on your bacon.
This Oven Baked Bacon recipe is my gift to you, the gift of a clean kitchen, and perfect bacon, perfectly crispy bacon that will knock your socks off.
More Easy Bacon Recipes
- This Bacon Cheeseburger Soup is fantastic topped with extra bacon!
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup NEEDS bacon…or it’s not really loaded.
- My favorite Loaded Iceberg Wedge Salad
- Pulled Pork Sweet Potatoes are just better with bacon.
- How to Cook Bacon in the Microwave
Want more tasty treats? Follow us over on Instagram!
Oven Bacon Recipe
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
- foil or a silicone baking mat
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Arrange the bacon slices in a single layer on the baking sheet being sure not to overlap the edges.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the desired degree of doneness.
- Line a plate or platter with paper towels and transfer the bacon the plate to drain. Bacon will crisp a little more as it cools.
- Transfer to a clean platter and serve immediately or use in your favorite recipe.
Video
Notes
- Check early: Bacon thickness and ovens vary—start checking at 10 minutes and watch closely near the end.
- Doneness tip: Pull bacon when it’s just shy of perfect; it crisps up more as it cools on paper towels.
- Foil vs parchment: Foil = easiest cleanup. Parchment helps prevent sticking (double-layer if grease seeps through).
- Extra crispy: Add 1–3 minutes, checking every minute to avoid burning.
- Less curl option: For flatter bacon, try a cold oven start (set to 375°F) and bake 20–30 minutes.
- Save the grease: Cool 10 minutes, strain if desired, and refrigerate for cooking (eggs, potatoes, veggies).
- Storage/Reheat: Refrigerate cooked bacon 4–5 days. Reheat at 350°F for 5–7 minutes (or air fryer 2–4 minutes).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Curling is usually from high heat and fast shrinking. Try one of these:
Use the cold oven method (375°F from cold start)
Use a wire rack (helps air circulate)
If you really want flat bacon: lay a second rimmed sheet pan on top for the first 5–7 minutes (don’t press hard – just a light “weight”)
A few fixes:
Bake 1–3 minutes longer and check every minute
Make sure slices aren’t overlapping
Transfer to paper towels and let it sit 2 minutes – it crisps as it cools
Use a rimmed baking sheet
Keep bacon in a single layer
If your oven splatters easily, loosely tent with foil for the first half of cooking (leave space so steam can escape)
Usually it’s grease overheating or dripping onto the oven floor.
Use a rimmed sheet pan and don’t overfill it
Consider lowering the temp (400°F or the cold oven method)
If there’s old grease in your oven, it can smoke when heated
Optional. If your oven has hot spots or you want even browning, flip once around the halfway mark. Otherwise, it’s usually not necessary.
Yes, but it cooks faster and can dry out:
Try 375–400°F
Start checking around 8–10 minutes
It’s best to thaw first for even cooking. If you’re in a pinch, cook it low and slow until slices loosen, then separate and continue baking.
Use parchment or foil
Let it cook a few minutes longer, bacon often releases once fat renders.
We love cooking bacon in the oven, the only way!! We use parchment paper and once the grease coagulates we just roll up and throw away, the pan does not even need to be cleaned! I check every time but it doesn’t leak through! Love your recipes!
We do that using foil. The parchment doesn’t keep the pan clean for us so I still have to wash it. Thank you so much!
I’ve been baking bacon in the oven for years but I use a grill pan so the drippings fall through into the base ( which I line with foil for easy clean up.
We used to do that but this is easier to clean.
When I make the egg cups in the over, can I use turkey bacon on top instead?
If so, should I cook the turkey bacon in the microwave and then top the egg later with that and cheese? I don’t think my cheese needs more than a few mins in a hot over on the eggs. Mors Alfabesi Bileklik
Thanks…
Yes, I would definitely par cook the bacon before putting it on top.