Yes, you can cook perfectly crispy bacon in the oven. Promise! It doesn’t take much time or effort. Depending on the thickness of your bacon you need 18-24 minutes in a 400°F oven and you have amazing crispy bacon.

Bacon is back on the menu, baby! Make amazing BLT’s or Bacon Cheese Burgers, crumble it on top of soups or baked potatoes, or just have bacon for breakfast.

Watch the video in the recipe card below to see how it is done!

Table of Contents hide

1 Thickness Matters

2 Bacon Cooking Times

3 Bacon Tips to Remember

4 More Bacon Recipes

5 Did you make this recipe?

6 Oven Cooked Bacon Guide + Video

Thickness Matters

No matter the thickness of your bacon you will cook it at 400°F. That is hot enough to cook the bacon crispy, but not so hot you burn the bacon before the thicker parts are cooked.

peeling bacon from a slab and placing on a baking sheet with parchment paper.

However, with thicker bacon you will want to cook for a longer time. Here is a good guide for bacon cooking times based on thickness:

Bacon Cooking Times

Traditional Cut Bacon 18-20 minutes
Thick Cut Bacon 20-22 minutes
Thick Center Cut Bacon 20-24 minutes
Extra Thick Butcher Cut Bacon 22-24 minutes

Bacon Tips to Remember

Preheat your oven before adding the bacon!
Crumple your parchment paper so it will lay flat on the baking sheet
Start with COLD bacon, straight out of the fridge. This helps you peel the bacon from the slab without it stretching out.
Use a rimmed baking sheet to catch any bacon grease that cooks out.
Lay the bacon side-by-side on the baking sheet. It’s ok if the bacon touches, just don’t overlap the slices.
Flip the bacon half way through the cooking time
Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess grease and increase crispiness.

More Bacon Recipes

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Oven Cooked Bacon Guide + Video

No matter the thickness of your bacon, this guide will help you make crispy bacon in your oven, every time!

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Servings: pieces

Author: Susie Weinrich

Equipment

▢
large rimmed sheet pan
▢
Parchment paper

Ingredients

▢ 10-12 slices bacon - any thickness, any flavor/smoke

Instructions

Leave the bacon in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 400℉.
Cold bacon is easier to work with!!
Prep a large rimmed bacon sheet with parchment paper. Crumpling your parchment paper first will help it lay flat on the baking pan.
Lay the bacon side-by-side on the prepared baking sheet. It is ok if the slices are touching, but don't overlap them.
10-12 slices bacon
Cook the bacon for half the time, then flip each slice over, and continue to cook for the remaining time. Here is a guide for cooking time depending on thickness:
Traditional Cut Bacon 18-20 minutes
Thick Cut Bacon 20-22 minutes
Thick Center Cut Bacon 20-24 minutes
Extra Thick Butcher Cut Bacon 22-24 minutes
At the end of the cooking time check the "look" of your bacon. If it looks like your desired amount of doneness, pull it out of the oven.
If you want it crispier, add 1-1:30 minutes to the cooking time.
Transfer the slices to a paper towel lined plate.
Let the bacon cool for a few minutes on the paper towel lined plate. It will crisp up as it cools.