Learn how to cook bacon in the oven with this simple, mess-free method! This hands-off approach guarantees crispy, evenly-cooked bacon every time, making it perfect for cooking large batches without the stovetop splatter.

Oven-Baked Bacon

There’s nothing like the smell of bacon wafting through the house—instant happiness, right? My family comes running the moment they catch a whiff, and honestly, it’s one of my favorite ways to get everyone to the table. But here’s the thing: cooking bacon on the stovetop is messy, time-consuming, and always ends with grease splatters everywhere. That’s why I’m a huge fan of making bacon in the oven—it’s the ultimate hands-off, hassle-free method.

Baking bacon gives you complete control over how crispy it gets, whether you love it with a little chew or perfectly crunchy. Plus, it cooks evenly, so you’re not left with pieces that are half-burnt and half-raw. And because the oven does all the work, you can focus on flipping pancakes, scrambling eggs, or just sipping your coffee while the bacon works its magic. No splatters, no babysitting—just easy, unattended cooking.

This method is also perfect when you need to make a big batch. A single sheet pan can hold enough bacon to feed a crowd, and cleanup is a breeze if you line the pan with foil or parchment paper. So, if you’re ready to ditch the stovetop mess and start your morning with less stress, oven-baked bacon is the way to go! Your kitchen (and sanity) will thank you.

slices of raw bacon on top of wooden tray.

What You Will Need to Make Bacon in the Oven

Bacon: I prefer to use thick-cut bacon because it holds up well during baking and tends to crisp up evenly without burning. Applewood smoked or hickory smoked bacon will add a rich flavor, but you can use any high-quality, uncured bacon for a more natural taste. You can use turkey bacon in this recipe, but keep in mind that it behaves a bit differently than pork bacon. Turkey bacon tends to be leaner, so it may cook faster and can become dry if left in the oven too long.
Rimmed Baking Sheet – Trust me, you want the rimmed pan. Otherwise, the grease will drip off of the pan and make a huge mess!
Parchment paper – I love using a sheet of parchment paper or aluminum foil to line my pan. Make sure there is an overhang on all four sides (you may need to use two overlapping pieces. This will make for less mess and an easy clean-up!
A Paper Towel-lined plate—You will transfer the strips of bacon to the plate to absorb some of the grease.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Cook Bacon in the Oven

Prepare The Pans: Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and arrange the bacon slices in single layer.
Bake The Bacon: Bake the bacon slices at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, use tongs to flip each piece over, and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Transfer To Paper Towels: Place the bacon slices on paper towels to absorb the extra grease and bacon fat.

Raw bacon arranged in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet, followed by cooked, crispy bacon on the same sheet.

Serving Suggestions

Oven-baked bacon can be served in so many ways! Enjoy it as a side with sheet pan pancakes or air fryer French toast sticks, as a topping for burgers, mixed into baked beans with bacon or bacon mac and cheese.

Crispy baked bacon resting on a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet.

Tips & Variations

Prep The Pan: Feel free to line your baking sheets with tin foil or a silicone baking mat instead of using parchment paper. It will work just as well to help make clean up much easier!
Bake Thick Bacon: For extra thick cut bacon, you will need to bake for 20 minutes on each side.
Cook Until Crispy: Near the end of the cooking time, watch the bacon closely to make sure it doesn’t burn. This is the only time you need to keep an eye on it. Everyone likes their bacon done a little bit differently. I love mine super crispy, so I leave it in a bit longer, but you can take it out when it’s done to your liking. If you are after a super crispy finish, bake your bacon at 400°F.
Season Your Slices: Sprinkle your baked bacon with brown sugar (or a drizzle of maple syrup) so it tastes like caramelized bacon or add some cracked black pepper to it before baking to balance out the salt and give it a nice flavor.

What To Do With Bacon Grease? Save It!

Don’t discard the bacon grease–save it for later! Let it cool slightly, then pour it through a fine-mesh strainer into a container and refrigerate. Rendered bacon grease it great for adding depth and flavor to sautéed or roasted vegetables. You can use it to fry or scramble eggs or sear almost any meat.

Proper Storage

To Store: Leftover bacon can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
To Freeze: You can freeze the baked bacon for 2-3 months. It makes an easy breakfast option on busy mornings! microwave it for 30 seconds. It’s great for breakfast sandwiches.
To Reheat: Reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds.

oven baked bacon on top of parchment paper.

How to Cook Bacon in Oven

Author — Jennifer Fishkind

Serves —

The quickest, easiest way to make bacon that turns out perfectly crispy every single time.

Print Rate Pin Save

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Video

Ingredients

▢ 1 package Bacon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
Arrange bacon slices in single layer on parchment paper.
1 package Bacon
Bake for 15 minutes then remove from oven, flip each piece over, and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until it reaches your preferred level of crispiness. (Note: For thick sliced bacon, cook on 20 minutes for each side.)
Place baked bacon slices on paper towels (under and over bacon) to absorb the extra grease.

Jenn’s Notes

Tip 1: You can opt to line your baking sheets with tin foil instead of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. It will work just as good and helps to make the clean up much easier!

Tip 2: For thick-sliced bacon, bake for 20 minutes on each side.

Tip 3: Near the end of the cooking time, watch the bacon closely to make sure it doesn’t burn. This is the only time you really need to keep an eye on it. Everyone likes their bacon done a little bit differently. I love mine super crispy, so I leave it in a bit longer, but if you don’t you will want to watch and take it out when it’s done to your liking.

Tip 4: If the bacon is still on the pan when you take it out of the oven, it will continue to cook a bit. If it’s done how you like it, be sure to remove it from the pan right away to make sure it doesn’t cook anymore.

Tip 5: Use paper towels to dab up any extra, undesired bacon grease.

Nutrition Info

I am truly thrilled for you to have this little bacon making trick. It makes cooking bacon so easy and the clean up is no long that disgusting greasy mess.

Whether you’re cooking breakfast for a crowd or making some bacon for a dinner salad, it is going to be the perfect, crispy bacon every single time when you cook it in the oven.