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Air Fryer Bacon (Best. Bacon. Ever!)

Did you know that air fryer bacon is a thing? I will show you exactly how to cook bacon in the air fryer.

Air fryer bacon with hand grabbing a piece

And y’all! It is the most perfect, most delicious bacon I have ever had. Seriously!

I am not even that big of a bacon eater, but this is sooooo good. After you try this method for cooking bacon, you may never do it any other way. It’s a total game-changer, people. 🙌🏻

Why? It is so much easier and less messy than stovetop, microwave or baking in the oven. It is simple, mostly hands off, plus the grease effortlessly falls off into the lower reservoir.

And you can wash the pair fryer parts in the dish washer if you want to.💁🏼‍♀️ Double check your model for that dishwasher bit. But my Avalon Bay Air Fryer (Amazon affiliate link) is dish washer approved.✅ I got that one because it has consistently great reviews, plus it wasn’t too pricey. I have been pleased!

But back to cooking bacon in the air fryer!

How to Cook Bacon in the Air Fryer

I was able to do a twelve ounce package from Trader Joe’s in two batches.

Package of Trader Joe's bacon next to air fryer basket

It is a twelve ounce package, and it had eleven slices, FYI. Just arrange them in the basket. A few folds are okay, but try not to overcrowd the pan.

Raw bacon arranged in the air fryer

And then ten minutes on 400 degrees will do the trick. I did take a peek half way through to see if anything needed to be re-spaced. Tongs are helpful for this. True to form, bacon shrinks down quite a bit when cooking.

Cooked bacon in the air fryer basket

Check it after ten minutes, and see if you want it any more done. I like mine pretty well-done, so I went an extra minute and a half. It was perfect y’all!👌🏻

I use the tongs to place the cooked pieces on paper towels, where I blot and drain off any remaining grease.

Air fryer bacon on paper towels

Crunchy outside, chewy inside, dark around the edges…just perfect!!!😍👌🏻

Heads up: I did empty out the grease prior to cooking my second batch. Just for the record, I may never make bacon any other way again.

And if you are a big bacon eater, I think cooking bacon alone would justify an air fryer purchase.😎👌🏻 Just sayin’! 🤷🏼‍♀️😉

By the way, this has inspired me to explore more cooking with my air fryer. So stay tuned for more of those recipes. Also, if you love your air fryer, leave me a comment with your favorite things to make in it. OR, a wish list of foods you wish you knew how to make in the air fryer.

How to prevent air fryer from smoking

Update: after a few people have experienced smoke issues with this recipe, I wanted to share a few tips that will help prevent this smoking issue.

  • Perhaps the easiest solution is to add a little water to the lower pan
  • Alternatively, you can add a piece of bread to the lower pan to soak up the grease
  • One reader mentioned he adds rock salt (not regular salt), like you use to make ice cream. The pieces are big enough that they won’t blow around from the air blowing in your air fryer, and they will soak up the grease.
  • Use parchment paper to line your fryer basket. There are a few types of parchment paper that are made specifically for the air fryer. (Amazon affiliate) They are made specifically for air frying and have little holes in them to allow for air circulation. Check your specific model for the correct dimensions, as these can vary in size. There are several sizes of parchment paper available.

Recipes with Bacon

Here are some other recipes you may enjoy where I use bacon.

Here are a few of my favorite breakfast recipes that pair well with bacon as a side.👌🏻

Air Fryer Bacon Recipe

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Air fryer bacon with hand grabbing a piece
4.77 from 30 votes
Print

Air Fryer Bacon

I will show you exactly how to cook bacon in the air fryer. You may never make it any other way again because it is seriously the best!

Course Basics, Breakfast
Cuisine American
Keyword air fryer bacon, how to cook bacon in the air fryer
Cook Time 11 minutes
Total Time 11 minutes
Servings 11 slices
Calories 91 kcal
Author Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy

Ingredients

  • 11 slices bacon (I am using Trader Joe's, and it is a thick cut)

Instructions

  1. Divide the bacon in half, and place the first half in the air fryer.

  2. Set the temperature at 400 degrees, and set the timer to 10 minutes (possibly less time for thinner bacon).

  3. Check it halfway through to see if anything needs to be rearranged (tongs are helpful!).

  4. Cook remainder of the time. Check for desired doneness. I like mine extra crispy so I did about 1.5 minutes extra for a total of 11.5 minutes, and mine was perfect. 👌🏻 

Recipe Notes

If you are doing more than one batch, be sure and empty the grease from the lower basket before cooking the second batch.

I liked thicker bacon for this recipe. If you are using thinner cuts, watch closely because you may need less time.

Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Bacon
Amount Per Serving
Calories 91 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 14mg5%
Sodium 145mg6%
Potassium 43mg1%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 10IU0%
Calcium 1mg0%
Iron 0.1mg1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jflowerh29 says

    5 stars
    Hi, turned out perfect at 8 minutes with sliced breads at the bottom…thank you my kids and husband love bacon! I just don’t like the oil mess when done on top of stove. Now, be making more bacon for the family. Thank you for being on here, plus less grease going into their bodies is a plus.

    Reply

  2. Kay says

    5 stars
    Thank u so much
    We live full time in an RV
    Difficult to fry bacon without a mess
    This is perfect and yes the bacon came out just right!!
    I couldn’t get this to let me rate is but I give it six stars

    Reply

  4. Ross says

    I put frozen green beans on the tray, then bacon on top. The dripping grease coated the beans with just enough flavor, but not enough to be too sticky, before collecting below the tray. Cooked about 12 mins. Seasoned with garlic salt and black pepper. Was perfect.

    Reply

  5. Darrell says

    We took a bone-in center cut pork chop about 1-1/2” thick and seasoned to taste with salt, pepper, onion powder and what ever else strikes your fancy. I butterflyed the chop and seasoned inside (sausage could be used to stuff it). I coated the inside and outside with ranch dressing (bacon ranch could be used for a different flavor). Cooking temp – 350 deg F , 20 minutes; turn it over cook for another 10 minutes. Check if done (may need to adjust cook times).

    Reply

  6. Libby Rust says

    Ok, so I searched and everyone has already been doing this. No surprise! I just got my air fryer last night so forgive me.
    Just a good idea before you decide to throw away those tortillas going out of date!!

    Reply

  7. Libby Rust says

    5 stars
    Being from the south, I stuck a flour tortilla in the bottom to soak up the bacon grease. It did the job by soaking up the grease (not completely) and there was no smoking. It gave me the idea to try and fry corn and flour tortilla strips in it for chips! Haven’t tried it yet so I can’t tell you if it works or how long it takes.

    Reply

  8. Jai Rodrigue says

    First I’ll preface this by saying, I prefer to have my egg yolks cooked through.
    Crack open an egg and drop into the basket below the tray. Replace the tray and place bacon as normal(I use 2 strips cut in half) cook. Had to peel the egg off the bottom but that was not an issue, did not break apart. The whole egg came right up. Perfection.

    note: I cooked at 380⁰ the yolk broke when I dropped which might have played a part in its doneness.

    Reply

  9. Jet says

    5 stars
    I was reluctant to use the air fryer for cooking bacon due to several sites saying it produced lots of smoke and a fire hazard. Adding a couple slices of wheat bread in the collection pan did the trick. NO smoke, minimal grease in the collection pan. House doesn’t smell too much like bacon, less stove greasy mess and fire detectors did not go off. Just delicious, crispy bacon!

    Reply

  12. Marlene says

    I tried the tip of putting a couple of slices of bread in the bottom to keep it from smoking and it worked like a charm! Thanks for the tip!

    Reply

  13. Carol says

    3 stars
    Thank you for he info. I have only 1 complaint, all the ds you haqve on your site makes it extremely difficult to get to the information about the directions and hints. It makes me not want to visit sites that won’t load due to ds.

    Reply

  15. Jenna says

    5 stars
    My husband was at best buy one day, called and asked, “hey do you want an air fryer?”…. Having no idea what I was getting into, I said yes. (because I love to cook, and love inviting people over for my “experiments”. I haven’t turned my oven on in a month now, this thing is AMAZING! Bacon, being my second love, I stumbled across your method…. And I agree with everyone else! This is hands down the best way and I’ll never go back! Thank you!

    Reply

  16. Kristi says

    5 stars
    OMG!!! You are not kidding!!! You will never cook bacon any other way again!!! This was truly amazing!
    I put 3 slices of bread in the bottom of my fryer and cooked both thick and thin bacon and it was more than perfect! Just like you said, crispy edges and tender center. The bread soaked up the grease and I have hardly any grease in the bottom of my fryer. Thank you so much!! This is awesome!

    Reply

  17. pnwaubiepride says

    5 stars
    Oh heavens, Marjorie, this is absolutely the best way to cook bacon. I used thick cut bacon and we had blt sandwiches with one of our last garden tomatoes. Thanks for the instructions!

    Reply

  20. Vera Odam says

    How can there be no greasy mess on the inside top of air fryer. I would imagine it is harder to clean off than stove top. There woud be grease splatter ALL ove the inside. I don’t want to find out the hard way. Please?

    Reply

  21. Linda Barkey says

    5 stars
    I only do sausage links in my air fryer now. Perfectly browned and cooked through in minutes. No constant attention and turning. Also a good reason to buy an air Fryer!

    Reply

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