Make EASY No-Mess Bacon Like a Boss
Love Bacon? Get excited because making bacon in the air fryer is easy and AWESOME!
I’ve only had my air fryer for a few weeks, and I’m happy to report that making bacon has never been so simple. I’m in LOVE with how easy the process is! There’s no more standing over a stove, or even heating up the whole oven.
This super easy air fryer bacon is the way to go!
Air Fryer Bacon
cook time: 10 MINUTES
total time: 10 MINUTES
Crispy delicious bacon is a cinch in the air fryer!
Ingredients
- Bacon
Directions
1
Place bacon in a single layer in the fryer basket. (Number of pieces will depend on the size of your machine.)
2
Set timer for 10 minutes at 390 degrees Fahrenheit.
3
If possible, flip the bacon at the halfway point. (If not, no biggie. I've skipped it before.)
4
If not done to desired crispiness after 10 minutes, add a couple more minutes of cook time.
5
If making a second batch, drain the grease first to avoid smoke.
This is the perfect way to quickly meet bacon requests without splatters and greasy messes! The grease drips to the bottom, and it’s super easy just to pour out when done!
Your cook time will depend on how crispy you prefer bacon as well as the thickness of your brand of bacon. One reason I love my air fryer is because it’s easy to pull the basket out, peek inside for done-ness, and then stick it back in to continue cook time.
I can cook 5-6 pieces of bacon at a time in my air fryer, but I’m considering a stacking accessory rack like this one to double the surface area for cooking!
As you can see, Collin loves making bacon in her air fryer too!😉
Omg I ❤️❤️❤️❤️bacon! My issue with the air fryer is that it’s messy when cleaning bacon. I use the microwave. I have a bacon dish that I just put paper towels and place 5 strips for 5 minutes and done. Only thing to clean (dishwasher safe) is the one dish. Fast, super crispy and the house doesn’t smell too bad.
My mom uses a bacon dish too for the microwave!
“the house doesn’t smell too bad” ????
who doesn’t love a house that smells like bacon!?! that’s our favorite are freshener:)
I love the smell of bacon as it’s cooking but CANNOT stand the smell that lingers afterward! I’m probably the only one though! 😂
I agree! I cooked a few pieces of bacon for a fritatta and afterwards I commented “our house smelled so nice when we got home and now it doesn’t. It almost makes me want to avoid cooking here.” I actually looked at this post just to see if it fixed that problem.
I bake my bacon since I don’t have an air fryer – do not preheat the oven; line baking sheet with foil then place a cooling rack snugly inside. Squeeze as much bacon as possible on cooling rack but don’t overlap the pieces. Place into the oven and bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes (give or take depending on how to like your bacon). No need to flip and works especially great for thick cut bacon. Drain on paper towels and viola!
I love to bake bacon .
Thanks for the cooling rack idea inside the cookie sheet, such a good idea!
I don’t even use a cooking rack, just place on foil lined cookie sheet. 400 degrees for 20 mins for thick cut bacon!!
I love putting it in the oven also but was told it makes a big mess in the oven. I haven’t really noticed my oven being greasy after cooking it this way.
These tips are amazing. I never even thought to bake bacon. This is perfect for me. Thanks.
Me too I do 400 for 20 minutes and flip 15 minutes in
You guys! If you don’t have an air fryer and don’t intend to get one I found a great way to make bacon! I take a cookie sheet (covered with foil) and lay out the bacon evenly, it usually takes up the entire cookie sheet, and put it in the oven at 375 for 30 minutes. This works so well and I can do other things while it’s cooking. I told my sister and she’s hooked too 🙂 Plus the bacon looks perfect!
I do the same, but I use the foil pans from the dollar section of my grocery store. Then when it cools is can just toss the whole thing out (I hate dealing with discarding of leftover grease). I easily make an entire package of bacon at once.
Good idea!
You are officially a genius!! 🙂
Funny, I thought I was telling all of you this great new way of cooking bacon (oven) but most of you already knew about it! How did I go so long and not know? I’ve used the skillet all my life and it’s such a mess.
This was new to me. And also a good idea. I laughed when I read AP’s comment (also good tip) about throwing the foil pan away I usually throw my non-stick pans away when they get old and I cook something and it sticks and its too much trouble to clean it. I always laugh when I do this.
Great tip – thanks!
ROFL I love this!
I wanted to love this plan but even with the accessory rack that I have it seemed like I spent ages doing multiple batches of bacon and trying not to burn myself by moving the rack in/out between batches. My air fryer is a 3.6 or 3.7 quart so it is small. Sadly, it’s back to oven bacon for me. It was super easy to clean up in the AF though.
I too was super excited to know that I can make bacon in my airfryer. But again I have to make it in batches and gets really messy, I found a grease is extremely hard to clean and I also found it smokes up my air fryer. Especially by time you get to the third batch. I am back to making bacon in my oven which I have found to be the best way. I have not made bacon in the skillet for years.
Ya you have to empty in between batches. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing!
Baking is the best way to do it!
I bake in my oster large convection oven in a quarter sheet Tray with cooling rack. 375 convection for 10-15 min and then I drain the bacon grease into a jar to use for cooking eggs and also does seasoning my cast iron 🙂
Great ideas! Thanks Vanessa
Vanessa, does it splatter?
HA HA HA!!! Love the video it’s so cute ;-D
I know! Collin is funny! ❤️
Ditto. The video is so fun.
I buy the pre cooked bacon in huge bags from Costco. It’s really good bacon! I place it between paper towels and microwave it, no mess since it’s already cooked, most of the grease is gone. My kids get bacon for breakfast or on sandwiches at lunch whenever they want. It has changed our lives!
Thanks for sharing! I’d have to go look for the pre cooked bacon next time I’m in Costco!
Oh great idea!
That stuff is awesome, a little more expensive but I started buying it because I saw a deal on here.
I buy the pre-cooked bacon at Sam’s. It’s so much easier & less messy.
Sending this to my husband- we were talking air fryers with a friend this weekend and I think I can convince him we neeeed one.
Most of us at Hip2Save are addicted to air fryers now! Ha – it’s just also really fun to use.
Precooked bacon at Sam’s too–great if you only need a few slices. Who can ever get too much bacon?? Not Collin and not me! I especially like the disposable pan idea from dollar store–why didn’t I think of that!
is that the air fryer that they sell at sams??
I love bacon and usually do it in the oven but I do not discard the grease. It adds amazing flavor to almost any food you can think of and you don’t have to use a lot! Just an idea 😊
I usually dump a tiny amount on my dogs food, I know I probably shouldn’t but it makes him so happy!
Our vet recommended giving our dog bacon grease on her food once a week. She was suffering from dry skin.
Birdie12 did it work? I will try it if so cause my dog is soo itchy!
Our dog was really itchy (no fleas, regularly bathed, inside dog) and I started reading that dogs can have allergies, especially to corn. I did a lot of research and started buying him Blue Buffalo brand (this was about 10 years ago so there weren’t too many specialized dog foods available) and the itching cleared up within a few weeks.
I love my air fryer! Of course I only cook for one most of the time. But not heating up my big oven and heating up my kitchen in the sun is so worth it!
I also feel safer because when it’s done it shuts off.
As I get older I find myself forgetting to turn the oven or burners off. That scares me. So I pretty much cook with auto shut off appliances now.
Oh my gosh yes! Love that too. I tend to burn things sometimes 👍
The dollar store foil pans are a great idea, I will use it next time I make bacon.
I’ve been doing this with turkey bacon n yes yum!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing 👍
Yes oven is a good idea I sometimes splurge on the precooked baked (don’t like the greasy mess even with turkey baking).
I do wish for those that “discard the pans” please rembember it ends up in the land fill 😧
Oh come on, people have been recycling aluminum for years. I Think a more reasonable response , if you’re so worried, would be to remind people to recycle the trays. Don’t just assume everything is going to end up at a landfill.
We dont eat pork. But our family LOVES turkey bacon. Alot of it tastes just like regular bacon to us. Anyhow, use to always bake it..on a cookie sheet. Now most of the time we microwave it on a bacon plate. Also some of our new favorite bacon is the precooked butterball turkey bacon, it is soo good!! After seeing this post think I’m goin to fix breakfast for dinner Lol 🙂 🙂
Im glad a waited to get my air fryer Because just the other day I seen in for Marshall for the air fryer oven which has multiple shelves on it to little bit more pricey but it was well worth the wait because now I’ll be able to make lots of bacon
I have to bake my bacon 🙂
I’ve been baking my bacon in the oven for awhile now. It melts in your mouth! I like to cut it in half since I find it doesn’t curl as much, and i find I use it in that size most often. I will definitely use the dollar store pans. Thanks for that tip. It should make it easier to save my bacon fat.
I also bake my bacon sometimes and when my husband is home he cooks it on the stove top. Either way its made we too use the bacon grease in other meals. I bought a small strainer and place a coffee filter in it and slowly scoop out the grease with a small ladle, all these items i found at the Dollar Tree years ago, and this gets any crumbs out of the grease and it slowly drips out of the filter into the container of our choice clean. I like that it hardens in the fridge and i can reuse it as needed for another meal with no crumbs.
I use my air fryer for bacon too! Super fast and comes out extra crispy the way I like it.. I don’t find the clean up to be an issue.
I use my George Foreman to make bacon. Cooks great and no grease mess!!🥓
Now you are talking to the whole family..even the dog ..lol
I want an air fryer…..y’all talked me into it ……….🌈🐇🐣🌈
Rita
Yes! I use mine everyday ❤️
My wife has an air fryer on her wish list.
We fry lots of things here in the south.
Things most would never try. Lol. No foolin either,
Oh funny! I believe you 👍
One day I decided to pop some thin, crispy turkey bacon in the air fryer and it was a life changer! I had also seen someone in instagram suggest putting some aluminum foil on the bottom of the basket for easier clean up!
Great tip! Thanks!
ok so i tried this
mind you i have a cooks essentials air fryer from QVC 5.3 qt
it curled up and burnt
so I lowered cooking time to 8 minutes and 370 and it burnt again
not paying attention my bad
ok so 360 and 7 minutes perfect
curls up from the air but thats ok still taste good.
Hometown Buffet here bakes Lots of nice thin crispy bacon. My air fryer is in a box somewhere. After we unpack I am goiing to try this. My tip is to drain the bacon on a brown paper grocery bag, printed side down, on top of another cookie sheet. My grandmother, when she was little, asked her grandfather why, when he could afford more, did he have only 2 strips of bacon each morning? Learning self-control, she practiced that all her life, and she lived to be 100 years old <3
I love bacon and I have fried, air fried rolled bacon set on edge and you can fit a lot, microwaved and baked. You baking and air baking peeps need to be aware that cooking bacon above 350 creates nitrosamines that are not good for you, I know it takes longer but its better to stay healthy!
You can add a little water to the bottom of the Air Fryer to cut down on the smoking when you’re cooking bacon.
Great Tip! THANKS 🙂
I cannot imagine how the air fryer method of frying bacon would affect the internals with flying bacon grease? I see what happens in a microwave but I need any input please? How in the world would one get the smell out of the air fryer? Thank you!
I usually bake my bacon too but use the broiling pan that came with my oven… so the grease falls to the bottom through the slots.
You know those last few slices of bread that don’t get eaten? Use them to line your air fryer before cooking bacon or anything greasy. It absorbs all that grease and makes clean up easier!
Oh great tip- thanks Linada!