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.
Jflowerh29 says
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.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am so happy you enjoyed it!
Kay says
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
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed it, Kay!💖
Charlie Trotter says
I really like this recipe. Do you have any fried chicken recipe? I want to cook fried chicken in my air fryer.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am so glad you enjoyed it! Not yet, but I will be working on something similar to fried chicken.
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.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yum, Ross! Sounds so good.
Lori says
Yum..thank you
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).
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Sounds delicious!
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!!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
No worries. It is a good idea! Enjoy that shiny new air fryer, Libby!💖🙌🏻
Libby Rust says
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.
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.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yum!
Jet says
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!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay, Jet! I am so glad you enjoyed it.😎🙌🏻
Guidem says
This is really helpful tips for healthy food who are on diet. Thank you very much for sharing this awesome article.