How to Cook Bacon in the Oven

Oven baking is an easy, foolproof way to make perfectly crisp, evenly browned bacon. Learn how to do it in seven easy steps.

Course Breakfast & Brunch

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Servings servings

Calories 92

Author Lynne Webb

Equipment

1 Half sheet pan (approximately 13 x 18-inch)
1 cooling rack (approximately 12 x 17-inch)
Heavy-duty aluminum foil or
Parchment paper

Ingredients

1 lb bacon
Nonstick spray, optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Line the sheet pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil or parchment paper (see next step).
Position the rack on the pan and coat it thoroughly with nonstick spray. Note: If you don’t have a rack size that will work for this, use parchment to line the pan and place the bacon on it directly.
Arrange the bacon slices side-by-side. It’s okay for them to be close together, but don’t overlap the strips as they can fuse together during cooking.
Bake the bacon for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan to ensure even cooking. If you're not using a rack, drain off some of the fat as well so that the bacon strips aren’t submerged in it.
Return the bacon to the oven and bake until crisp, 10 to 15 minutes longer depending on the thickness of the slices.
Remove the bacon from the oven and drain the strips on several thicknesses of paper towels.

Tips for Making This Recipe

How To Store Cooked Bacon

Once cooled, wrap the bacon strips in aluminum foil and store them in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. You can also freeze the strips for 4 to 6 weeks without losing flavor. They defrost in a matter of minutes.

Nutrition