How to Cook Bacon: Oven, Air Fryer, Microwave

I cooked a lot of bacon over the holidays. Lol. So I thought I would share what I’ve found to be the best way to cook bacon.

Well, actually I’m going to share three methods and what I like (and don’t like) about each. If you are wanting to make crispy bacon, this is all you need to know!

I’m going to share how to bake bacon in the oven, how to air fry bacon, and the best way to cook bacon in the microwave. This is a series I’ve been working on, and if you want to read others, here they are:

Baked Potatoes: Oven, Air Fryer, Microwave and S’mores in the Oven, Air Fryer, or Microwave.

Personally, my favorite method for the texture and ease is cooking bacon in the air fryer. But, this method is best if you are making bacon for a small group (like 2-3 people).

So, if I am wanting to make bacon for a larger gathering, like a holiday brunch (which I just hosted), then baking bacon in the oven is the way to go.

How to bake crispy bacon in the oven:

One option is to lay bacon strips out on parchment paper on a baking sheet. If you do this, then bake at 400°F for 15-16 minutes.

The other option is to cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil and add a metal cooling rack. Then, lay the bacon strips on top of this. If you do this, then bake at 400°F for 17-18 minutes.

Both methods will produce crispy bacon, but the cooling rack method allows more of the bacon fat to drip off while baking. Both methods are pretty easy to clean up, too—either way, you have parchment paper or aluminum foil catching most of the drippings.

How to air fry bacon:

Lay the bacon strips in the air fryer basket(s) in one layer. You don’t want to the bacon to overlap, but it can touch a little, as it will get a bit smaller as it cooks. Air fry at 400°F for 7 minutes.

Air fryer bacon is so crispy, and the grate in the air fryer allows some of the bacon fat to drip off as it cooks. This method is also a littler faster than baking bacon in the oven.

The only downside to this method is unless you have a giant air fryer, you can’t cook more than a few servings at once. I have the Ninja two basket air fryer and I can only make 6-7 strips of bacon at a time.

How to microwave bacon:

The best way to microwave bacon is to use a silicone bacon maker. You simply fill each cavity with a strip of bacon and close it up. Place it on a plate with a paper towel and microwave on high for 4-5 minutes. Allow the bacon to cool in the microwave for 1 minute after.

This method is the quickest and also the easiest to clean up after (the silicone bacon maker can go in the dishwasher).

While the bacon will be crispy, it will also be more dry than the other methods. It’s still super tasty, but it reminds me more of bacon bits.

If you try any of these cooking methods for making crispy bacon, let us know in the comments how it went!