Did you know that air fryer bacon is a thing? I will show you exactly how to cook bacon in the air fryer.
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 because it makes the crispiest bacon. After you try this method for cooking bacon, it may become your new favorite way.
It’s a total game-changer, people. 🙌🏻
Why? It is so much easier and less messy than making it the more traditional way: stove top, microwave or baking in the oven. It is simple, mostly hands off, plus the bacon grease effortlessly falls off into the bottom of the basket. It is the king of easy recipes. You get the best bacon for the least effort.
Note: This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. See my full affiliate disclosure policy here.
Note: If you want to make turkey bacon instead, check out my air fryer turkey bacon here.
And you can wash the pair fryer parts in the dish washer if you want to, making clean up even easier.💁🏼♀️ 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
Here is how to cook bacon in the air fryer. Note: I was able to do a twelve ounce package from Trader Joe’s in two batches.
It is a twelve ounce package, and it had eleven slices, FYI. And heads up: be sure and pay attention to the type of bacon (i.e., thickness of your bacon) you are using because it can significantly affect cook time. These slices were more of a thick-cut bacon. Thinner slices of bacon will likely need less cooking time.
The cooking process is very simple. First, arrange the bacon slices in the air fryer basket in a single layer. A few folds are okay, but try not to overcrowd the pan.
Next, it’s time to air fry the bacon!
Air fryer bacon cook time and temperature
How long do you air fry bacon? Ten minutes on 400 degrees F will do the trick. I did take a peek half way through to see if anything needed to be re-spaced.
Tongs are extremely helpful for this. True to form, bacon shrinks down quite a bit when cooking.
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 air-fried bacon strips on paper towels, where I blot and drain off any excess grease.
Crunchy outside, chewy inside, dark around the edges…just perfect!!!😍👌🏻
Heads up: I did empty out the bacon 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.
👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻And if you love air fryer recipes, check out my entire Air Fryer recipe archive here. 👈🏻👈🏻👈🏻
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 cup of water to the lower pan
- Alternatively, you can add a slice of bread to the lower pan to soak up the bacon 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 air 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.
How long is leftover bacon good for?
So how long is cooked bacon good in the fridge? 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator or one month in the freezer.
Recipes with Bacon
Here are some other recipes you may enjoy where I use bacon.
- Chicken BLT salad with avocado
- Classic club sandwich (pictured above)
- Cobb salad
- Irish potato leek soup
- Chicken corn chowder
Here are a few of my favorite breakfast recipes that pair well with bacon as a side.👌🏻
- Egg muffins
- Banana bread
- Breakfast veggie scramble
- Breakfast casserole
- Whole wheat pumpkin spice muffins
- Instant Pot hardboiled eggs
- Blueberry oat muffins
- Strawberry muffins
- Irish corned beef hash
- Double chocolate mocha muffins
- Pumpkin spice bread
- Tomato basil frittata
Crispy Air Fryer Bacon Recipe
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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!
Ingredients
- 11 slices bacon (I am using Trader Joe's, and it is a thick-cut bacon)
Instructions
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Divide the bacon strips in half, and place the first half in the air fryer in a single layer.
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Set the temperature at 400 degrees, and set the timer to 10 minutes (possibly less time for thinner bacon).
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Check it halfway through to see if anything needs to be rearranged (tongs are helpful!).
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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. 👌🏻
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Use tongs to place finished cooked bacon on paper towels to drain excess grease.
Recipe Notes
If you are doing more than one batch, be sure and empty the bacon grease from the lower portion of the air fryer basket before cooking the second batch.
I liked using thick-cut bacon for this recipe. If you are using thinner cuts, watch closely because you may need less time.
Hillary says
I lined the drip tray with pages torn out from the bible. The grease was like drips of bacon sins.
Nicole Johnson says
Oh no! lol
Faye Marsh says
I used wax paper and bread slice. My bacon turned out beautiful and the clean up was so easy. My new fav way to do bacon!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay!🙌🏻
Lilli says
Do you cover the bacon with parchment or wax paper?
Howard says
Huh? Wax paper melts. Did the wax taste good?
Jeanny says
I haven’t made this yet, so I can’t rate it. I do have a question.
Do you preheat for a few minutes and then cook for 11 minutes, or is it 11 minutes from start to finish?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I did not preheat. Just be aware that the first batch may take longer than the subsequent batches. So keep an eye on those to prevent overcooking.👌🏻
Kenny says
I think this is the best way to cook bacon! Quick & so crispy! I have found my new way!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay!💖 I am glad you enjoyed it, Kenny.
Bri says
I used an Instant Vortex 6qt air fryer. The bacon came out nice and crispy! Since it was thin it only took 4 minutes. My air fryer did have some coming out despite my putting water in the bottom. Next time I’ll try the bread method.
Bri says
Smoke* my air fryer had some smoke coming out.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Glad you enjoyed the bacon, Bri! Yes, the bread method seems to work really well for most people in preventing smoke issues.👍🏻
Air fry says
400 burns the fat and oils making them smoke. Air fry bacon at 350 f to prevent reaching the bacons oils smoke point.
Niamh says
Perfect bacon!! My 17yo son loves it!! Thank you!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.💖
Gretchen says
Just got an air frier as a gift. Thought I’d try it out so I tried the bacon recipe. It came out perfect! Looking forward to trying other recipes with it. Thank you for the post
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Glad to hear you enjoyed it Gretchen!
Linda Riker says
Just tried the bacon in my air fryer followed your instructions and it came out perfect
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay Linda!💖
Sylvia says
Hello new to air frying! Did the cinnamon rolls and bacon both turned out fine! Utilizing your suggestions and working with my model and ingredients clean up was a snap (no need for anything additional ) cooked refrigerator temperature bacon 4 or 5 slices at a time 400 degrees about minutes (I at 4 and turned them) totally think from prior comments it depends on the design of your fryer and bacon placement. Also no recipe is matter fact always tweak. Thank you for a wonderful kick start!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Jennifer Terwilliger says
First time using air fryer loved it. I used bread on bottom of basket cooked for 8 minutes . From now on this is how I will cook it. Family loved it. I checked on bacon every 5 minutes to make sure it didn’t burn it.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay, Jennifer!
Eli says
The bacon didn’t really come out better than in the oven, but it did make a mess. I used bread to sop up the grease and it still got under the drip tray and even leaked out of the air fryer and onto my counters. Not to mention the inside of air fryer was completely covered in grease. To be fair, the air fryer I used is also a toaster and convection oven so it may not have a great design for cooking bacon. For me personally, I will stick to the oven method which produces the same end result with way less mess.
Violet says
This sounds like a problem with your particular air fryer and as you said, a convection toaster oven, rather than the recipe. I love using the air fryer for bacon because the grease is contained and easier to clean up than with a pan on a rack in the oven. If you use a bucket type air fryer with a basket in a bowl type, it’s a much better experience for bacon.