I must have been living in a bubble. I never knew it was possible to cook bacon this good in an oven. For years I have pan-fried or microwaved (I know, don’t even go there.) my bacon. The microwave gave me the crisp I wanted, but I have to rearrange the bacon while it was cooking and sometimes it burnt it to a crisp. Not exactly what I was looking for. The good old frying pan provided a better option, but once again there was the mess and the fact that parts of the bacon would get overcooked while part remained undercooked. Nope, I didn’t want that either. Then, there is the age-old dilemma of guests for breakfast. Personally, I like my food hot and I would like to sit and eat with my guests not slave over a frying pan or an electric griddle. You can get fantastic bacon for a crowd right in your oven. This was a real game changer when my son had his sleepover and I pulled a pan of bacon out of the oven for everyone. Every week I’m going to feature a new tip either in the kitchen or in the home to help you get things done quicker! Enjoy!
How To Oven Cook Bacon:
The most important thing to remember is that bacon needs to cook slowly DO NOT PRE-HEAT the oven! The bacon needs to go into a cold oven.
- Line a baking sheet with foil. This makes clean up so much easier.
- Place the bacon in a single layer on the pan. Do not stretch it out flat. Just naturally place it on the pan.
- Place the baking sheet with bacon on the center rack of the oven.
- Turn the oven to 400 degrees. That’s it!
- Set your timer for 15-22 minutes. You have to know your oven. You don’t want to burn the bacon. It will crisp up a bit more once removed as it continues to cook a bit. I leave mine in for 22 minutes. I like mine crispy.
6. Once you remove the pan from the oven, carefully lift the bacon off the pan and onto a plate covered with a paper towel to absorb the grease. I also place one on top to get that extra grease.
That’s it folks! You have beautiful crispy bacon ready for yourself or a crowd. You can also let the bacon cool and place it in a container for use during the week in sandwiches, or crushed over a salad etc.
lisa says
January 22, 2015 at 12:44 PMThis sounds like an easy way to make bacon! I hate pan frying bacon.
Pam says
January 22, 2015 at 4:39 PMOven baking bacon is so great when you want to feed a crowd. Plus, no more grease burns!
Debbie says
January 22, 2015 at 4:44 PMI like baking the bacon. Really easy and just make sure you remove it and get it on to drain is all I know
becca says
January 22, 2015 at 5:38 PMWhat a great way to cook a large amount of bacon. I need to try this when I make my weekly sunday breakfast.
maria @closetohome says
January 22, 2015 at 7:02 PMI love baking my bacon, simply for the mess if anything else. It may take a little longer but worth it every time.
MommyJenna says
January 22, 2015 at 7:07 PMLOVE Bacon! My boyfriend brown sugars bacon before baking ours.
Heather says
January 22, 2015 at 7:20 PMI’ll have to try making it this way!
Christina Berry says
January 22, 2015 at 7:34 PMIt certainly looks delicious and it does seem like it would be less messy than the traditional way of making bacon. Thanks for sharing!
Amanda says
January 22, 2015 at 9:06 PMThat bacon looks amazing! I’m going to try this way of cooking bacon this weekend! Yummy!
Trisha says
January 22, 2015 at 10:00 PMI’ve never thought to cook bacon in the oven but yum, it looks nice and crispy, just how I like it! Will have to give cooking it in the oven a try!
Susan says
January 22, 2015 at 10:14 PMI didn’t know you can cook bacon in the oven. I refuse to fry bacon because of the mess it makes. You’ve just solved my problem.
Mama to 5 BLessings says
January 22, 2015 at 10:44 PMI have cooked mine in the oven before but there was so much grease, maybe I did something wrong. Is there a lot of grease when you do it? I cook mine in the microwave.
Rosey says
January 22, 2015 at 10:56 PMI’ve heard it’s so much more easy to clean if you bake it. Maybe I’ll give it a go.
Lois Alter Mark says
January 22, 2015 at 11:24 PMI love bacon and will definitely have to try doing it this way.
Lexie Lane says
January 23, 2015 at 2:14 AMAh! Thanks for this! I don’t know why I always pan fry mine. I will start to do this. I think it’s slightly healthier too.
Wendy @ ABCs and Garden Peas says
January 23, 2015 at 10:50 AMGreat hack. I HATE cleaning up after bacon!
Annie {Stowed Stuff} says
January 23, 2015 at 11:12 AMWow, I’d never think to cook bacon in the oven! We love our bacon around here!
Pamela :: Still Dating My Spouse says
January 24, 2015 at 12:00 AMWe always cook our bacon in the oven unless I’m having a nostalgia moment and cook it on the stove.
Becca Wilson says
January 24, 2015 at 12:17 AMOven baked is the best way to have bacon. My aunt and mother have been doing this for a while and just turned me on to it!
Janeane Davis says
January 24, 2015 at 7:33 AM.I have never made bacon in the oven. This seems like a good idea to try.
Kerri says
January 24, 2015 at 6:26 PMI love making bacon in the oven. Such an easy clean up and it tastes so good!
Debbie L. says
January 25, 2015 at 9:14 AMI iwll be giving this a try – we love bacon but it makes such a mess! This is perfect!
Giveaways 4 Mom says
January 25, 2015 at 1:17 PMThis is a good idea. I am going to have to give this a try, with turkey bacon of course.
Jessica Beal Harlow says
January 25, 2015 at 3:04 PMI oven bake our bacon too…and I use a wire rack to keep the bacon lifted so all the grease just sits on the bottom of the pan…not marinating in my bacon! lol
Anne says
January 25, 2015 at 7:43 PMMy mom swears by making bacon in the oven, but I’ve never even tried it. I guess I should try it and see why it is so popular for myself.
Jessica says
January 25, 2015 at 7:57 PMThis looks MUCH easier then how I cooked bacon earlier… In an electric frying pan. Less to clean up too!!
Tammy Woodall says
January 26, 2015 at 8:41 PMWow, I’ve must have been in the same bubble. I’ve only ever heard of cooking bacon by frying it in a pan or using the microwave. I’m going to have to try this.
Melissa L. says
January 27, 2015 at 11:25 AMI have heard this tip before, and was so glad to learn it! It makes things much easier! Thanks for sharing the great tip!
Angela Saver says
January 27, 2015 at 9:17 PMWow! Thanks for a great tip! I can’t wait to try this! We eat a lot of bacon & I hate the splatter that it makes in my kitchen!
andysavi.mom@gmail.com
rochelle haynes says
January 28, 2015 at 7:29 AMWhat a great tip going to try this
Amy Orvin says
January 28, 2015 at 6:26 PMI have never tried cooking bacon in the oven before, but now I ‘d like to try it after reading this. Thanks for the tips.
Ronald Oliver says
March 7, 2015 at 4:52 PMThis is great tip! I’ve done this before..I knew I wasn’t the only one who’s tried this before. 🙂
Jessica Harlow says
May 30, 2015 at 6:48 PMI’ve been doing this for awhile now and it does work great. It eliminates spitting hot grease all over my stove top! I do usually use a rack so the bacon sits up above the grease instead of swimming in it!
Janet W. says
June 4, 2015 at 9:08 PMYum, thanks for the tips! My family is bacon fanatics, so I’ll have to try and cook it this way next time!
Janet W. says
July 30, 2015 at 6:21 AMMy mother in law used to make bacon this way. I loved the taste of it but found it to be quite messy in the oven.
Milena Barrett says
July 30, 2015 at 7:39 PMIf you place the bacon on a wire rack on top of the foil lined pan- it’s easy too clean. Almost no mess at all!
Jackie says
September 30, 2015 at 11:27 PMWhat a great way to cook bacon! (and I love the detailed directions). I love bacon…as does my family…but I hate the way the grease splatters all over the stove top when I fry it.
Thank you!
ellen beck says
October 3, 2015 at 1:58 AMThis works really well. I have even done this in a toasste oven. The trick there is to have it not too high temps and it works well and thee kitchen smells amazing.
Geraldine says
October 5, 2015 at 12:49 PMI’m impatient so I usually end up using the microwave instead of the oven.
DJ says
October 6, 2015 at 8:53 AMGreat tips! I usually just pan fry bacon, but I think I will try this.
Julie Wood says
October 15, 2015 at 7:40 AMWhat a great way to cook bacon! The strips come out all nice and straight instead of all broken and crumpled. I am going to make your awesome recipe! Thanks for the tip on making sure to have a cold oven.
Heather lawrence says
October 22, 2015 at 2:44 PMI have been baking our bacon in the oven for almost a year now.
Love that I can put it in a cold oven and just walk a way.
I normally weave my bacon so then when it’s done I can cut it into pre-determined sizes perfect for our BLT’s.
Laura J says
October 25, 2015 at 9:31 PMOh what a neat idea! I have never done it in the oven! I pinned so I can try this!
maria @closetohome says
December 17, 2015 at 1:57 PMThis is a great way to keep the mess contained. I love to add a little flavor to my bacon b/f baking it as well.
Jamie says
December 19, 2015 at 10:59 PMI love bacon, but I’ve never oven baked it. I’ll have to give this a try!
Censie says
December 20, 2015 at 11:27 PMI need to try this. Great idea and easy if you need it fast!
Charlene Canfield says
October 23, 2017 at 3:17 PMGirl, I have cooked my bacon like this for several years. When my son was younger he always wanted me to stop by this little country store on the way to take him to school. He loved the way they cooked the bacon. One day I saw a pan that had just come out of the oven and it was bacon. Well, I had to try it. Well that was the way to go. I haven’t cooked bacon in a frying pan since!