How to Make Crispy Bacon in the Oven {Easy Method}

Last updated on March 7th, 2025

Learn how to make crispy bacon in the oven in 15-20 minutes with this quick, easy, tried-and-tested recipe. Includes loads of tips and tricks to get perfectly crispy bacon every time. Enjoy crispy bacon in salads, burgers, sandwiches and of course alongside scrambled or fried eggs!

The secret to cooking juicy yet crispy bacon in the oven, is to cook the bacon in its own fat. That may sound gross but if you grill the bacon on a rack (so the fats drips off), the bacon lands up a little dry and crispy instead of juicy and crispy. 

This is how you make crispy bacon in the oven – full printable method is at the end of the page.

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (or 400 degrees Fahrenheit) 
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper (also called baking paper) or tin foil – If you don’t have tin foil or parchment paper, you can use a rectangular glass casserole dish without any foil or parchment paper.  
• Place the slices of bacon on top of the baking paper or foil in a single layer. 
• Cook the bacon for 15-20 minutes until crispy or according to your preference. There is no need to flip the bacon – it will cook evenly top and bottom. 
• Remove bacon from the oven and place bacon on paper towel to cool and drain the fat.
• Repeat again if you have more bacon to cook or alternatively use 2-3 baking trays and cook all at once. 

Advantages of Cooking Bacon in the Oven

1. Avoid the oil stains! Frying means spluttering and spray of cooking oil going everywhere! Cooking bacon in the oven results in no splatters and no mess. Crispy bacon without the clean-up afterwards 
2. Gives you time to cook up something else. Once the bacon is in the oven, you’re free to whip up some other glorious breakfast item, like scrambled eggs, pancakes or slices of fruit. 
3. Cook More in Less Time! You can get a lot more bacon cooked in the oven than you can in a pan,  if you use 2 or 3 baking trays. Perfect for cooking for a hung. 
4. Easy Clean-Up: Lining the baking tray with parchment paper or foil means easy clean-up! 

Thin Bacon versus Thicker Bacon

Thin bacon will cook in 15-20 minutes but thicker bacon will take a little longer, approximately 20-25 minutes. 

Do I need to flip the bacon?

You don’t need to flip bacon cooked in the oven because it will cook evenly on both sides however, some people like to flip the bacon. See if you feel the urge to flip it! 

My smoke alarm keeps going off when making crispy bacon in the oven, what can I do? 

Keep the door of the oven slightly ajar so that smoke can easily escape! 

Some tips for cooking bacon in the oven:

• Check your bacon at 8-10 minutes – ovens can be calibrated differently so check the bacon after 8-10 minutes to make sure it is not on the verge of getting burnt. Also, some bacon is really thin and cooks faster. 
• Arranging bacon in a single layer works best BUT if you have to layer it, crisscross the layers and cook like that. Once the bacon has cooked for half the time and shrunken significantly, place in a single layer to get crispy all over. 
• If you are using 2 baking trays, make sure to rotate the baking trays half way through cooking so each tray gets time at the top of the oven. You may also need to increase the cooking time slightly as well. 
• If you love semi-crisp bacon, set your oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or 180 degrees Celsius), and bake 15-20 minutes.  

What should I do with leftover bacon grease/ fat?

• You can either allow it to cool, then scrape it off and transfer to a jar. You can use bacon fat instead of butter or oil in recipes for a punch of flavour. It is perfect for frying your pork sausages or cooking scrambled or fried eggs. 
• Alternately, use a paper towel to scoop it up and place in the bin. 

Storage: What do I do with leftover bacon?

• Is there any such thing as leftover bacon? Well, if you happen to have leftover bacon, then you can keep it in the fridge for 3-4 days.  
• Did you know that you can even freeze cooked bacon? Simply let the bacon cool, lay slices out on parchment, plastic wrap or waxed paper, roll up, label & freeze. If you just need 1 or 2 slices, pull them off the roll, pop in the microwave for a few seconds and you have instant hot crispy bacon! If you don’t have a microwave, the bacon thaws in just a few minutes. 

Interesting and Useful Comments from around the web on cooking bacon in the oven: 

• “My mother-in-law in Australia dusted bacon with flour before baking–delicious!” 

• “If I’m making bacon for a bacon sandwich or salad, I sprinkle a little brown sugar on it. It gives it a chewy, gooey texture with a little sweetness” 

• “I used a steel rack the first time – bad idea because it was impossible to get the rack clean. Now I use a piece of heavy duty foil and crinkle it up good to create lots of crevices. This serves as a rack for the bacon and a catch for the grease” 

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