How To Cook Bacon In The Oven (Easy Method)

Learn how to cook bacon in the oven with this easy method. Crispy, smoked bacon cooked perfect every time right in the oven. Big batch bacon cooking with no flipping, no mess and no splatter.

Hands down, you just can’t beat the ease of cooking crispy, finger-licking bacon in the oven. It’s AWESOME. Less mess, no standing at the stove and big batches of BACON all cooked at once. What’s not to love? If you’ve never cooked bacon in the oven, now’s a great time to give it a try.

I make this bacon all the time, and keep a stash of it in the freezer. I get asked about how I cook it, so I thought I’d share.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE COOKING BACON IN THE OVEN

Super easy cleanup – there is virtually no mess or grease splatter when you cook bacon in the oven. All the grease stays in the pan, meaning your stove top will stay nice and shiny…just like you like it.

Cook for a Crowd – big batches of crisp smoky bacon are yours for the asking because you can fit ALL the bacon in the oven at once. You can’t do that with a frying pan. Even my big counter top griddle can’t hold this much bacon!

This method is so darn easy. Load the bacon strips of thick-cut bacon in a single layer onto oven-safe wire racks placed inside the sheet pans. *If using regular cut bacon it will require less baking time.

If you don’t have wire racks, you can place the bacon directly on the sheet pan or line the sheet pan with parchment paper. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate after cooking.

Stagger the racks in the oven and bake at 400 °F for 20 -22 minutes rotating the racks at the half way point. You may need a little more time for extra crisp bacon.

Tip – oven temperatures vary, so start watching the bacon at 18 minutes.

CAN I BAKE MORE THAN ONE PAN OF BACON AT A TIME?

Sure, you can Make Multiple Batches at the same time. If you want to make make extra bacon to freeze or just need lots of bacon (more bacon is always better!) it’s easy to just throw a second pan in the oven. Stagger the pans on the upper middle and lower middle oven racks and reverse the pans at the halfway mark.

I want to be alone with this bacon!!? But seriously, it’s ready to serve right away. Just remember the bacon grease is extremely hot (serious burns) so let it cool a bit on the racks before wrapping it for the fridge or storing in the freezer. .

CAN BACON BE COOKED IN THE MICROWAVE?

It sure can. It only takes minutes and makes delicious crispy bacon just like bacon cooked in the skillet or the oven. Just put a few slices on a plate, cover with paper towel and cook 2 – 3 minutes until crisp! Keep and eye on the bacon…it can burn quickly in the microwave!

HOW TO FREEZE OVEN COOKED BACON

It’s a real luxury to reach into the freezer and pull out crispy bacon that ready for recipes…or breakfast! Here’s how:

1. Cook bacon to desired crisp, then allow to cool.
2. Place bacon slices on pieces of wax paper (as many as you can fit),
3. Slide into freezer bags, seal and label. Cooked bacon can be stored up to 3 months in the freezer.

No need to thaw – frozen bacon slices can be re-heated in the microwave for about 30 seconds, thrown right into your skillet with eggs, or chopped up for immediate use in recipes.

WAYS TO USE OVEN COOKED BACON

If you’re a bacon lover, you’ll invent ways to add amazing bacon flavor to EVERYTHING. Aside from serving bacon with eggs (more please), here are just a few recipes to use that incredible batch of smoky goodness you just made:

• Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac and Cheese
• Amazing Jalapeno Pepper Salad
• Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
• Bacon Ranch mini Pepper Poppers