Today we’re going to talk about How to Bake Bacon. It’s the easiest and least messy way to prepare bacon and therefore my favorite.

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With the holiday season upon us, so are all the fun brunches and breakfasts. Although this year looks different, it’s still fun to prepare a delicious spread for your family.

And every breakfast buffet needs bacon. Am I right?!

Why Baking is Best

There are a few reasons I love this method. First, there’s no splattering all over the stove top and yourself. That mess is the worst to clean up.

Second, the bacon cooks evenly and gets perfectly crispy. Plus, it doesn’t curl up or get into weird shapes with this cooking method, making it perfect for sandwiches.

You can better control how it’s cooked. If you love it super crispy, cook it longer. If you’re more of a chewy bacon kind of person, cook it a little less.

As you can tell, the cook time will depend on how you like your bacon so there will be a time range in the recipe instructions.

No babysitting a pan. You don’t have to flip it so the most work that goes into the bacon is watching it the last few minutes to ensure it’s just to your liking.

How to Bake Bacon

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. While it’s heating, prepare the bacon for baking.

Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. This helps make clean up easier.

Lay the bacon on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. They can touch but make sure the strips aren’t overlapping.

Bake until you’ve reached your ideal bacon crispiness. I’ll have more precise times in the recipe card below.

Regular or Thick Cut Bacon?

You can use either a regular cut bacon or thick cut bacon for this “recipe.”

If you’re using regular cut bacon, you’ll need to bake it for about 15 minutes in the oven. Thick cut bacon will take a few minutes at 20 to 25 minutes, depending on how you like you’re bacon.

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