Crispy Air Fryer Bacon Recipe
Add Preferred SourceAir Fryer Bacon is what I make when I don’t want to stand over a spitting pan or scrub down the stovetop afterward. It cooks inside a closed drawer, so the grease stays contained and the bacon comes out evenly crisp while I get the eggs going.
A single layer cooks in about 10 minutes, so finishing a whole pack means a couple of quick back-to-back batches rather than one long cook. The part that makes or breaks it is laying the strips in a single layer and knowing when to pull them for your machine, and that is what I’ll walk you through.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Mostly hands-off. The closed drawer traps the grease and the hot air circulates on its own, so you set a timer and step away, with just one flip partway through, instead of standing over a spitting pan.
- Even, crispy bacon. A single layer lets hot air reach every strip, so the bacon crisps evenly instead of leaving you with soft centers and burnt edges.
- Quick for a weekday. A basket of bacon is done in about ten minutes, and there’s no pan to babysit or hot fat to pour off mid-cook.
- Batch it for the week. Running a few back-to-back batches gets you a whole pack of cooked bacon to portion across several breakfasts, which stretches your grocery run further than buying pricier pre-cooked slices.
- Barely any cleanup. Most of the grease drips into the drawer, so you wipe out one basket instead of degreasing the stovetop and the wall behind it.
Ingredients You’ll Need
There’s just one thing on the list, but a couple of choices are worth making before you start. The printable card below has the full details.
- Bacon. One pound of regular pork bacon is the baseline, and a store-brand pack cooks just as evenly as a name-brand one, so there is no reason to trade up. Thick-cut, thin-cut, and turkey bacon all work too; they mainly change the timing, which I cover in the variations below.
How to Make Crispy Air Fryer Bacon
A complete printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F
Set your air fryer to 400°F and let it preheat for about 3 minutes while you open the pack. A hot basket ensures the bacon starts cooking immediately once it goes in.
Lay the bacon in a single layer
Arrange the bacon strips in one layer in the basket with no overlap. Depending on your basket size, you’ll likely do this in 2 or 3 batches, and crowding is the main reason bacon cooks unevenly, so give each strip room.
Air fry for 8 to 10 minutes
Cook the bacon at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes, checking at the eight-minute mark. This range works for most regular-cut strips cooked in an air fryer at 400°F; thin bacon cooks faster, while thick-cut bacon needs a little longer.
Flip the strips halfway
About halfway through, use tongs to flip each strip of bacon so both sides crisp evenly. The strips get hot and the drawer holds hot grease, so tongs beat fingers here.
Drain and rest
Move the cooked bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain, then let it rest a minute or two before serving so it firms up and you don’t burn your mouth.
Recipe Notes and Expert Tips
- Stop the smoke before it starts. Bacon smokes when rendered fat drips onto the hot base and burns off. Clear the grease from the drawer between batches and drop the temperature slightly if it starts to smoke; a splash of water in the drawer keeps that fat cooler too, and I use about two tablespoons.
- Start checking at eight minutes. Air fryers vary enough in power that the gap between chewy and burnt bacon can be under two minutes, so I start looking at eight and pull the bacon the moment it’s the color I want.
- Line it for cleanup, carefully. A sheet of parchment under the bacon catches grease, but keep it clear of the basket’s air holes or the bacon steams instead of crisping.
- Save the drippings. The rendered fat that collects in the drawer is worth keeping in a jar for frying eggs or potatoes later, so nothing from the pack goes to waste.
- Use tongs, not fingers. The basket and the fat stay hot well after the timer stops, so handle the bacon with tongs and mind the drawer.
Recipe Variations
- Thick-cut bacon. I’ve made this with thick-cut plenty of times, and it works because the extra fat just needs longer to render, so add a few minutes and start checking late.
- Turkey bacon. Turkey bacon has less fat to render, so it cooks faster and drier; I’ve tested it and it crisps up fine, just sooner, so drop the time and watch it closely.
- Straight from frozen. When I forget to thaw, I cook the bacon frozen and pull the slices apart as they loosen, adding a couple of extra minutes. This one is well-supported by the way the air fryer thaws and crisps in a single run.
How to Store Leftovers
Let the bacon cool for a few minutes, then refrigerate it within two hours of cooking so it doesn’t sit out too long. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days; a paper towel in the container absorbs moisture and keeps the bacon from turning chewy.
To freeze, lay the cooled strips flat with parchment between them, freeze until firm, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to a month so you can pull a slice or two at a time. Reheat the bacon straight from the fridge or freezer in the air fryer at 350°F for a few minutes until hot and crispy again.
What to Serve With Air Fryer Bacon
Bacon earns its place at breakfast, so I most often serve it next to Sheet Pan Eggs or a short stack of Healthy Banana Pancakes for a plate that comes together fast. Crumbled, it makes an easy topping scattered over a Breakfast Casserole before serving.
Beyond breakfast, chopped bacon adds a salty, smoky bite to a bowl of Potato Soup or a pot of Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana, and it turns a Cheeseburger Soup into a proper bacon-cheeseburger version. It is also the strip you want on a BLT, a burger, or a loaded baked potato.
FAQs
A short preheat helps. Allow about 3 minutes at 400°F so the bacon starts crisping right away, but if you skip it, add a minute or two to the cooking time.
Almost always grease. Clear the drawer between batches so the drippings don’t pool on the hot element, and nudge the temperature down a little if it keeps smoking. If your model allows standing water, add a couple of tablespoons to the base to keep the fat cooler.
Yes. Freeze what you won’t eat within a few days, then reheat the bacon straight from frozen in the air fryer; a few minutes brings the crisp back.
More Air Fryer Recipes to Try at Home
If the air fryer is already out, here is what I would make next.
- Air Fryer Twisted Bacon takes the same bacon and twists it into spirals with more crunch per bite.
- Air Fryer Mashed Potatoes gives you a whole side dish from the same machine, no pot of boiling water needed.
- Air Fryer Potato Soup blends air-fried potatoes into a bowl that is built for a bacon topping.
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings uses the same air fryer method for a batch of wings on game day.
- Air Fryer Homemade Fries turns out hand-cut fries from the same basket to round out a plate.
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 400°F (200°C) for about 3 minutes.
- While the air fryer is preheating, arrange the bacon slices in a single layer on the air fryer basket. You may need to cook the bacon in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.1 pound bacon
- Place the basket into the air fryer and cook the bacon for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it reaches your desired level of crispiness.
- Halfway through cooking, flip the bacon slices using tongs to ensure even cooking on both sides.
- Once cooked, use tongs to carefully transfer the bacon onto a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess grease.
- Allow the bacon to cool for a minute or two before serving to avoid any burns.
Notes
- Single layer, no overlap: crowding is the top cause of uneven cooking, so work in batches if the basket is small.
- Start checking your bacon at the 8-minute mark, since air fryer power varies and the window between chewy and burnt is short.
- Thick-cut needs a few extra minutes; turkey bacon cooks faster; frozen bacon works with a couple of minutes added once the slices separate.
- If the bacon smokes, empty grease from the drawer between batches and, if your model allows standing water, add about two tablespoons to the drawer.
- Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days; a paper towel in the container absorbs moisture and keeps the bacon from turning chewy.
Nutrition
