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Air Fryer Bacon (Best. Bacon. Ever!)

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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 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.

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

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.

Raw bacon arranged in the air fryer

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.

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 air-fried bacon strips on paper towels, where I blot and drain off any excess grease.

Air fryer bacon on paper towels

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.

Club sandwich closeup with turkey, ham, bacon, colby jack cheese, lettuce tomato and bacon

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

Crispy Air Fryer Bacon Recipe

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Air fryer bacon with hand grabbing a piece
4.71 from 109 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 bacon)

Instructions

  1. Divide the bacon strips in half, and place the first half in the air fryer in a single layer.

  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. 👌🏻 

  5. 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.

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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Related posts:

  1. Air Fryer Chicken Tenders (crispy! kid approved)
  2. Air Fryer Grilled Cheese

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Patsy Johnson says

    When using bread for bacon fat, I cube the bread put in plastic bag to freeze then use it to flavor stuffing, casserole, etc. ALL LIVES MATTER!

    Reply

  2. Alesia says

    I’ve been doing this for a long time… I just wanted to give you a tip….. bread under the rack catches the grease for easy clean up.. before you put second batch in you can just remove the toasted bread and all the grease is gone

    Reply

  4. Cindy Schmidt says

    3 stars
    Operators beware: cooking temps and times do vary! I had never air fried bacon so I wanted to start with the suggested temp and time. Nope. Burnt black! Dialed back to 350 for 8 minutes. Perfect bacon!!

    Reply

  5. Scott N. says

    I have been wanting to try thick cut bacon in the Air Fryer for several weeks now. Just got my chance to experiment using your suggestions. I should point out that almost every single time we have used this cooking method, no matter the foods, no matter the recipe metrics, everything seems to come out overly cooked. So this time I decided to dial back the time and temp and work forward in batches. Using bacon that is approximately 1/8″ in thickness, cut in two and laying side by side in the fryer basket using the following (1) 8 minutes at 375°, turning with 2 minutes left; (2) 9 minutes at 390°, turning with 2 minutes left; (3) 10 minutes at 400°, turning with 4 minutes left; and (4) 12 minutes at 400°, turning with 4 minutes left. Results: #1 was pliable and soft, very little char. Would be good chopped up and added to baked beans. #2 a bit less pliable but flavors are more robust. #3 came out perfect, the first time I have experienced that using a recommended time / temp setting. #4 crunchy with a little bit of chewy, but not much; borderline overdone. It was fun to experiment like that. At least there is something positive with this current stay-at-home directive!

    Reply

    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      Hahaha, you sound like me Scott! That is pretty much how I recipe test.😁 I am guessing the variations may be between air fryer types. Who knows?🤷🏼‍♀️ Sounds like you found your sweet spot in number 3.👍🏻

      Reply

  6. Christine B says

    5 stars
    this way was amazing, never going back to pan frying again! best bacon ive made in 30+ years, thank you for this!

    Reply

  7. Tiffany says

    Omg just tried it… so good!!!! I did 16 minutes and some of my edges got a little burnt, but it’s a learn as you go process 🙂

    Reply

  8. Tom says

    This is way too long! Ruined the first batch. 5 minutes on the second batch was Ok. I think I’m going back to pan frying.

    Reply

  10. Amanda says

    5 stars
    I used a dry stale biscuit in the bottom to soak up the grease. I cut my bacon slices in half so it was easier to arrange them on the crisper tray. After 19 minutes my thick cut bacon was perfect! Thank you so much for this!!!

    Reply

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