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    Home » Recipes » Air Fryer

    How to Cook Air Fryer Bacon

    First Published: January 26, 2023 . Last Modified: February 28, 2023 lisa13 Comments This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe

    Enjoy incredibly crispy air fryer bacon cooked perfectly in under 10 minutes cooking time with minimal mess and easy cleanup. Learning how to cook air-fried bacon is a breakfast game changer.

    A pile of crispy bacon on a white plate.

    Delicious Bacon may be the king of breakfast, but getting splattered with hot oil first thing in the morning is not my cup of tea. To combat the greasy mess of cooking bacon, I've experimented with methods such as microwaving and even cooking bacon on a sheet pan in the oven.

    Microwave bacon never seemed to crisp as I liked. Cooking oven bacon was hands-off, but cleaning up the tray and the baking rack was a pain, and I often ended up with bacon grease splattered about my oven. If I am going to make bacon in the oven, it will be this Candied Maple Bacon. This is an over the top oven bacon recipe drizzled with a brown sugar and maple syrup mixture. I say go big or go home!

    I'd considered making air fryer bacon but had heard conflicting reports about the ease and success. I finally decided to try it for myself and discovered that it's my favorite way to cook the crispiest bacon with less mess. Air fryer bacon comes out perfect every single time, the process is entirely hands-off, so there is no risk of getting splattered by hot grease, and clean up is a breeze.

    In just a few minutes, you'll have the best bacon that you can serve for breakfast, pile on a BLT or add to soups, salads, casseroles and more. My family especially likes it next to my Blueberry Stuffed French Toast Casserole for a really decadent brunch. I also will make some simple scrambled eggs and pan fried potatoes for a hearty but easy breakfast. It's also great next to Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pancakes.

    Ingredients

    • Bacon

    The only ingredient needed is bacon! But that doesn't mean you don't have options. There are different types of bacon and it comes in various thicknesses and flavors. From low sodium to pepper bacon to maple bacon or thick-sliced butcher bacon, you can't go wrong. You can even cook turkey bacon in air fryer. I actually have a separate post for that because the fat and grease content is much less when cooking turkey bacon so the tips can be very different.

    Raw bacon strips in an air fryer basket.
    Air frying bacon is really simple and such an easy recipe!

    See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and instructions.

    How to Cook Bacon in the Air Fryer

    Raw bacon in air fryer.
    1. Line your air fryer basket with several slices of bacon.
    Air fryer bacon strips in air fryer basket.

    2. Air fry at 350 degrees F for about 7 minutes (see chart below) or until crispy.

    Cooked bacon drains on a paper towel.

    3. Drain the strips of bacon on paper towels to remove excess grease.

    A plate full of bacon.

    4. Serve with breakfast, on a sandwich or add it to your favorite recipes. You can store in the refrigerator for when you need it.

    Hint: Thoroughly clean your air fryer's drip tray before cooking bacon if you want to save the bacon drippings.

    Bacon Cooking Tips

    • Smoking is a concern for some people when cooking bacon. Keeping the temperature at 350 degrees F ensures that you will have minimal smoking.
    • If your bacon is long, you may need to cut it in half.
    • Arrange the bacon strips in a single layer. The bacon can touch but avoid a lot of folds or overlapping.
    • If cooking multiple batches, empty the grease tray before continuing.
    • If you still have trouble with smoking, you can add a piece of bread to the drip tray to help soak up the grease.

    Bacon Cooking Times

    • Thin Sliced Bacon – 5 minutes
    • Regular Bacon – 7 minutes
    • Thick-Cut Bacon – 9 minutes
    • For Chewy Bacon - 5 minutes

    Note: Bacon cook time is approximate and can vary depending on your air fryer and the thickness of the bacon you select.

    Equipment

    The two most common types of air fryers are basket air fryers and oven style air fryers with racks. Both types of air fryers cook bacon well, but the basket tends to cook faster and more evenly, so it is my preferred method. If you use an oven-style air fryer, I recommend rotating the rack halfway through cooking to ensure even browning.

    Storage/ Leftovers

    Leftover bacon slices can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for several days.

    Reheat the bacon in the air fryer at 350 degrees F for several minutes to re-crisp it. I love using the leftovers in this Chicken Bacon Salad as it makes a delicious lunch or dinner.

    Cooked bacon can be frozen in a freezer bag for several months. For larger quantities of bacon, line the strips onto a sheet pan and flash freeze before adding them to the freezer bag. This makes it easy to pull out just a few slices when needed. I love having already prepped bacon for when I am making these Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes.

    Bacon Food safety

    Bacon doesn't stay fresh forever, so if you can't use your entire package, you'll want to be sure that you safely store your bacon so you don't get sick. Here are a few tips:

    • Check for a "sell by" or "use by date" and discard bacon that has exceeded that date.
    • Check the odor. Raw bacon should smell slightly smoky but should not smell sour.
    • Bacon should not be slimy and slimy bacon should be tossed.
    • Bacon should also have a slightly pink color. Bacon that is gray, brown, green or shows any signs of mold should be discarded.

    Serving Suggestions

    Need recipes to use cooked bacon in or suggestions on how to use bacon? Of course, serving bacon with your toast and eggs is a given and who doesn't love a good, old-fashioned BLT? Bacon also adds delicious flavor to salads, soups, casseroles and vegetables.

    • Buffalo Chicken Flatbread with Bacon
    • Savory Cauliflower Flan
    • Tomato, Bacon and Avocado Crostini
    • Instant Pot Bacon Cheeseburger Soup from Maria's Mixing Bowl

    If you like this Air Fryer Bacon, please leave a 5-star rating.

    RECIPE

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!
    5 from 7 votes

    Air Fryer Bacon

    Prep Time5 minutes mins
    Cook Time10 minutes mins
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 236kcal

    Ingredients

    • 12 ounces bacon (about 12 slices)

    Instructions

    • Place 4-6 bacon slices in a single layer on the air fryer basket or rack.
    • Turn the temperature to 350F and cook for 7 minutes or until bacon is to desired crispiness. Thick cut bacon will hav eto cook longer.
    • Carefully transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb some of the grease.
    • Enjoy bacon or store in an air tight container in the fridge. Bacon is now recipe ready.
       

    Notes

    To reheat stored bacon, it can be cooked in the air fryer for about 5 minutes. It can also be microwaved on a microwave safe plate covered with a peper towel in 20 second increments.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 375mg | Potassium: 112mg | Vitamin A: 21IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.2mg

    Thanks for stopping by! Subscribe to Jersey Girl Cooks if you would like more recipes and cooking tips sent to your email. You can also order my Super Easy Cookbook for Beginners and follow me on social media - Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

    « Air Fryer Calamari
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    Comments

    1. Kylee says

      May 03, 2023 at 8:28 pm

      This worked perfectly in the air fryer and freed up the space in my skillet for all the other yummy breakfast items I made!

      Reply
      • lisa says

        May 04, 2023 at 5:53 pm

        I love cooking in my air fryer and having more room on the stove!

        Reply
    2. veenaazmanov says

      May 04, 2023 at 8:01 am

      5 stars
      Air Fryer cooking sounds mess free. This is so easy and quick for any time meal planning. Thanks for detailing.

      Reply
      • lisa says

        May 04, 2023 at 5:52 pm

        It definitely is easy clean up and mess free!

        Reply
    3. Erin says

      May 05, 2023 at 6:45 am

      5 stars
      I'm never using the pan again! This was so easy and prevented a big old mess on my stove. Thank you for that! Now we can have bacon more often (I hate cleaning 😆).

      Reply
      • lisa says

        May 05, 2023 at 8:46 am

        Awesome Erin! I do not cleaning anything either 🙂

        Reply
    4. Dennis says

      May 05, 2023 at 1:51 pm

      5 stars
      I will never cook bacon any other way now! It came out perfectly crisp and delicious!!

      Reply
      • lisa says

        May 05, 2023 at 2:14 pm

        It's my favorite way!

        Reply
    5. Sharon says

      May 06, 2023 at 11:58 am

      5 stars
      I had no idea it was so easy to fry bacon right in the air fryer. Perfect for when you don't want to deal with greasy pans on the stovetop.

      Reply
    6. Amy says

      May 07, 2023 at 9:06 pm

      5 stars
      Love this easy bacon recipe! And thanks for including the reheating instructions. It’s so easy to have bacon all the time.

      Reply
    7. Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says

      May 07, 2023 at 10:03 pm

      5 stars
      I so love air-fryer recipes! This is definitely dangerous as I can eat my weight in bacon (thank you for this!!!). This was AMAZING with thick-cut bacon. Definitely making it this way again!

      Reply
    8. Nicole says

      May 07, 2023 at 11:15 pm

      Easy and straightforward just how I like my recipes.

      Reply
    9. Anna says

      May 08, 2023 at 5:34 am

      5 stars
      I'm still quite new to air fryer, but I know I will never be making my bacon any other way! It's such a game changer!

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Lisa

    I love creating recipes and cooking for my family and friends. It's great to bring everyone to my kitchen to talk, laugh and eat. I also like to spread my love for cooking to others. So grab an apron and let's do it together. I promise my recipes will be easy and delicious!

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