Crispy Air Fryer Bacon
Once you make bacon in the air fryer, you’ll never want to make it any other way! This Air Fryer Bacon is so quick and easy. It cooks up perfectly crispy in a matter of minutes and clean up is a breeze!
I’ve loved my air fryer since Day 1, and things are only getting better. I truly believe that there’s nothing this appliance can’t do.
Some of my other air fryer recipes include salmon and chicken wings, and they turn out perfectly crisp and juicy every single time. This Air Fryer Bacon is my favorite thing to make in it so far.
I love bacon, but I’ve never liked making it. Frying it in a pan on the stove top results in messy grease splatters all over the kitchen, and the microwave method is tedious dealing with grease soaked paper towels and a super hot plate!
This method has changed everything for me, so I make bacon a lot more often. It’s so quick and easy, and I’ll never make it any other way. 🙂
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- There’s no preheating necessary so you can get cooking faster.
- Clean up is minimal as there’s no messy splatter all over the kitchen or microwave.
- There’s no need to flip the bacon as the air circulates evenly in the air fryer.
- Make a small amount or a few batches easily with no added clean up.
Recipe ingredients
There’s only one ingredient necessary for this recipe — bacon!
Ingredient notes
- For this recipe, I used thicker cut sugar-free bacon as shown in the photo above. You can use your favorite brand and cut, just keep in mind that the cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your bacon.
How to make bacon in the air fryer
This recipe is so quick and easy that you’ll never make bacon any other way. Use this recipe as a rule of thumb as cooking time depends on the thickness of your bacon, and air fryer temperatures do vary.
Pro tip: Keep a close eye on the bacon the first time you cook it in your air fryer. Thin cut bacon will be crispy after about 4 minutes, and thick cut will be crispy in about 6 minutes.
See the recipe card below for full instructions.
- Place the bacon on the rack in the air fryer in a single layer. It’s ok to overlap the slices slightly as they do shrink up.
- Air fry at 400 degrees for about 6 minutes, pausing the air fryer every 2-3 minutes to readjust the bacon and check for the desired level of doneness.
FAQs
Absolutely! You don’t need anything fancy or added oil or fat….simply place slices of bacon in a single layer directly on the rack. If using the toaster oven style, place the bacon on the metal rack fitted on top of the roasting pan to catch the grease.
Cooking times vary based on the thickness of your bacon and the model of air fryer that you own. A good rule of thumb for crispy bacon is to air fry it at 400 degrees for about 4 minutes for thin cut bacon, and about 6 minutes for thick cut bacon.
I cook bacon at a temperature of 400 degrees, but if you encounter smoking, try reducing the temperature to 350 degrees.
For best results, do not stack the bacon as it will not cook evenly. Place the slices in a single layer — it’s ok to overlap them slightly as the slices shrink up significantly.
Bacon fat will render in the bottom of your air fryer as it cooks, which may cause some smoking. I haven’t encountered a lot with mine, but if you do, reduce the temperature to about 350 degrees and be sure to drain the grease in between batches if you’re making more than one batch.
You can also try placing a piece of bread or a bit of water below the air fryer basket to catch the grease and keep it from smoking.
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: Cooking time will vary depending on your air fryer and the thickness of your bacon. If it’s thinner cut, check for doneness after 4 minutes, and if it’s thick cut it take up to 8-10 minutes to cook.
- If you have a toaster oven style air fryer, you can cook all 8 slices of bacon at once instead of in 2 batches as it’s larger.
- If making batches in a basket style air fryer, be sure to drain the grease in between batches to eliminate smoking. If you do encounter smoking, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees.
- Store unused bacon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
More air fryer recipes you’ll love:
- Air fryer baked potatoes
- Air fryer broccoli
- Air fryer brussels sprouts
- Air fryer chicken breast
- Air fryer corn on the cob
- Air fryer jalapeño poppers by I Wash You Dry
- Air fryer meatballs
- Air fryer potato skins
- Air fryer potatoes
- Air fryer pork chops
- Air fryer shrimp
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Air Fryer Bacon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon I used Applegate Farms no sugar organic bacon, which is medium thicknes
Instructions
- Place half of package of bacon (4 slices) in the air fryer, overlapping them and turning the ends up. They will shrink down!8 slices bacon
- Cook the bacon at 400 degrees for about 6 minutes, pausing the air fryer half way through the cooking time to readjust the bacon as it does shift.
- Remove the bacon from the air fryer and place on a paper towel lined plate, then drain the grease from the air fryer into a heatproof bowl. Repeat the process with the other half of the bacon. Enjoy!
Notes
- Pro tip: Cooking time will vary depending on your air fryer and the thickness of your bacon. If it’s thinner cut, check for doneness after 4 minutes, and if it’s thick cut it take up to 8-10 minutes to cook.
- If you have a toaster oven style air fryer, you can cook all 8 slices of bacon at once instead of in 2 batches as it’s larger.
- If making batches in a basket style air fryer, be sure to drain the grease in between batches to eliminate smoking. If you do encounter smoking, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees.
- Store unused bacon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
