To cook bacon in the oven, follow these steps for crispy, evenly cooked bacon with minimal mess:
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
- Arrange the bacon slices in a single layer on the baking sheet, making sure the slices do not overlap. They can touch but should not be stacked.
- Bake the bacon in the preheated oven for 12 to 20 minutes depending on thickness and desired crispiness:
- For regular slices, start checking around 12 minutes.
- For thick-cut bacon, it may take up to 18-20 minutes.
- For chewy bacon, bake about 14 minutes; for crispy, about 16 minutes; and for extra crispy, about 18 minutes.
- Optional: If you want extra crispy bacon and have a wire rack, place it on the baking sheet and lay the bacon on top so fat drips away.
- Remove the bacon from the oven when it reaches your preferred crispiness. Use tongs to transfer the slices to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease.
- Let the bacon cool slightly; it will crisp up more as it cools.
Additional tips:
- No need to flip the bacon during cooking.
- For large batches, use two baking sheets and rotate them halfway through cooking.
- Save the bacon fat by pouring it through a paper towel-lined sieve into a jar for future cooking.
This method produces evenly cooked, crispy bacon with less mess and frees up stovetop space
