How to Cook Bacon in the Oven

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Did you know you can cook perfect bacon in the oven? I’ll show you how this hands-off method cooks bacon evenly and flat with no foil, no splatter, and easy clean up!

Can you cook bacon in the oven on parchment paper?

Yes, you can bake your bacon on parchment paper in the oven! The oven really is the cleanest and easiest way that I’ve found to cook bacon.

If you’re like me, you’ll be relieved you don’t have to stand at the stove manning splattering bacon, trying to make sure it cooks up evenly and flat.

You’ll be free to cook other elements of your breakfast or meal while the bacon cooks on its own.

As a busy mom of four, I’m all about hands-off cooking, which is why I’ve become so fond of my using my Instant Pot for meal prep.

(Let’s face it, I need the extra time to bake lots of sourdough bread. 😉)

Recommended Equipment

• Parchment paper
• Half sheet pan (make sure to use a rimmed baking sheet to catch the grease)

How to Cook Bacon in the Oven

To cook perfect bacon, it really is as simple as lining a rimmed sheet pan (cookie sheet) with parchment paper, laying the bacon slices in a single layer on the parchment, and baking at 400°F.

Now you could line your entire pan with foil for the easiest clean up, but many people avoid cooking on foil these days for health reasons.

Thankfully, parchment paper does the job beautifully as well, and catches all the baked-on mess. (Just make sure you don’t try to use wax paper!)

Avoid overlapping any of the bacon slices, and rotate the pan halfway through the cooking time.

There you go! Perfect oven cooked bacon.

Make sure to save your bacon grease (instructions below) or wipe it into the trash with paper towels after it has cooled. Don’t pour grease down your kitchen drain!

How to Cook Bacon in the Oven Without Making a Mess

Your bacon should not splatter or smoke in the oven if the oven is at the proper temperature. It should just sizzle gently.

400°F is the best temperature to cook bacon in the oven to prevent splattering and popping and still cook the bacon within a reasonable timeframe.

If you are experiencing splatting at this temperature, your oven is likely running hot. Simply lower the temperature for the remaining baking time.

When the bacon is cooked to your liking, use kitchen tongs to remove the bacon from the cookie sheet to a paper-towel-lined plate. Allow it to drain and cool slightly, then serve.

How to Make Crispy or Chewy Bacon in the Oven

Chewy verses crispy bacon is simply a matter of baking duration.

It’s hard to give an exact cooking time for bacon, because every brand of bacon is cut to a slightly different thickness.

You can expect regular thin cut bacon to take 10-20 minutes at 400°F. Thick cut bacon will likely take 30-40 minutes.

If you’re going for chewy, remove the bacon from the oven when much of the fat has rendered and the bacon has just turned to an evenly golden-brown color. (If you see a lot of white, rubbery fat left, it’s probably not quite there yet.)

It should not feel very firm when you lift it or press on it with a fork.

For crispy bacon, continue cooking until the bacon is a deeper golden color throughout and feels more firm when pressed with a fork.

It will continue to crisp as it cools, so avoid burning the bacon. With a little experience, you’ll be able to tell when the bacon is cooked to your preference.

How to Cook Large Quantities of Bacon

If you need to cook a large quantity of bacon, this method will still work.

You can stagger sheet pans on different racks in the oven and use the convection setting.

If you don’t have a convection oven, you can rotate the pans after 10 minutes. The bacon will likely take longer to cook than a single pan would, in this case.

Avoid overlapping bacon slices on the pans for even baking.

How to Save Bacon Grease for Cooking

Bacon grease can add amazing flavor to fried eggs, seared meats, vegetables or potatoes, biscuits, and more!

To save the grease, you’ll want to remove any remaining bits of bacon. These bits could cause your grease to go rancid later or cause burning while you’re cooking with the fat.

Line a small strainer with a cheese cloth, coffee filter, or a paper towel. After the grease has cooled for a while, strain the warm grease carefully into a mason jar (don’t use a plastic container.)

It’s recommended by food safety experts that you store bacon grease in the refrigerator for up to three months or in small portions in freezer for long term storage.

How to Reheat Bacon in the Oven

You can reheat bacon that you’ve cooked ahead of time in the oven at 350°F. Place it back in a single layer on a baking sheet for reheating. It should be hot after 5-10 minutes.

You can also quickly reheat a small amount of cooked bacon on the stove in a preheated skillet.

If you make this recipe and love it, I would be so grateful if you would come back to leave a star rating and a comment. Your feedback is very appreciated!

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