When it comes to making bacon, you have a number of ways to cook it up– traditional frying pan or even in the oven. If you are like me and want the least fussy to make and the easiest to clean up, go ahead and grab your air fryer so we can get cooking air fryer bacon.
Why You’ll Love This Air Fryer Bacon
Want to learn how to make bacon in the air fryer? You’ll love how easy it is, and here are a few reasons why!
- Less mess – Tired of bacon grease splattering all over the place? The air fryer contains it all for less mess in the kitchen.
- Leaves room on the stove top and oven – Air fryer recipes allow there to be room in the oven and the stove for making other favorite dishes.
- Gets super crispy – The air fryer is a great way to get crispy bacon really quickly. Less time than in the oven too.
Cooking Bacon
I hate to admit it, but I will sometimes avoid cooking bacon simply because of the pain associated with getting it from the fridge to the plate. To be clear, it is not because I dislike it in any way. In fact, I have a love affair with bacon.
I tend to use it in recipes more than just eat it plain, so it usually a step in the cooking process instead of being a step all alone.
When I got my air fryer, I was playing around and started thinking through my staples and wondering if they could easily be cooked in there. When my brain stopped on bacon, I thought, “What if?” I can safely say my bacon-filled dreams came true and I never looked back.
What is an Air Fryer?
For the uninitiated, an air fryer is an appliance that can replicate the results of a deep fryer in a flash. And despite, its name, it functions as a little tabletop oven with convection.
This means the air inside the cooking chamber is constantly circulating around whatever you are cooking – above, on the sides, and below. As I am sure you have guessed, circulating food “in air” tends to be a bit healthier than cooking it in oil.
Bacon in the Air Fryer
Cooking bacon in there means it is fully enclosed. Any spits or spatter that might come from it cooking are not ending up on your counter, the floor, or you. The fat rendering off falls away into the reservoir below.
When I am cooking for a big crowd, I will cook my bacon in the oven just because I can cook a lot at once. But if I am cooking it for the regular bunch, I reach for the air fryer instead of the frying pan. It is the path of least resistance and I am certain you will add it to your routine as well.
Types of Bacon
So know you know what to do, but you might be asking what kind of bacon should you purchase. You might have your favorites, but if not, here is a nifty guide to some of the varieties in the store:
- Side bacon is the most common type of bacon. It is very fatty with long layers of fat running parallel to the rind. This can be cured or uncured and smoked or unsmoked.
- Slab bacon typically has a medium-to-high ratio of meat to fat. It is made from the belly and side cuts, and from fatback.
- Center-cut bacon is nothing more than regular bacon with the fatty ends cut off.
No matter what bacon you are cooking up, you will love how it turns out in your air fryer.
How to Air Fry Bacon
After you see how easy it is to make bacon in the air fryer, it’s going to be your new favorite way to make bacon.
- Prepare air fryer. Preheat the air fryer. No need to coat the air fryer basket with cooking spray- the bacon creates it’s own grease.
- Add single layer of bacon. Arrange the bacon in the fryer basket in a single layer and put it in the air fryer. cook until desired crispness. This will give you a chewy center and crisp edges.
- Check and flip. Bacon tends to shrink and move a bit as it cooks. Check it halfway through to the cook to see if any strips need flipping. Allow it to finish cooking.
- Remove to a plate and serve. I like to move the cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate to allow the grease to drain off.
How to Serve Air Fryer Bacon
There are endless ways you can use this crispy air fryer bacon recipe. The most obvious way to to serve with with eggs and toast for breakfast.
You can add some bacon between two pieces of bread with lettuce and tomato for the best BLT sandwich.
Crumble it up to add some bacon bits to the top of your favorite salad. The options really are endless.
Tips for Air Fryer Bacon
Please remember that all Air Fryers will be slightly different. I use a medium sized air fryer with a basket, as opposed to the type that looks like a toaster oven. Mine is a Corsi and I love it!
- Remove grease between batches. If you are going to cook more than one batch of bacon, be sure to empty the bacon fat in the reservoir before starting the next batch.
- Extra thick cut bacon will need an additional 1-2 minutes. This recipe is based on an average slice of bacon.
- Thin cut bacon strips. Alternatively, skinny bacon pieces will take 1-2 minutes less. If you don’t know the size of your bacon, shoot me a picture and I’ll be happy to judge it for you 🙂
- Single layer. Bacon needs to be in a single layer. Depending on the size of your basket, you can do more or less at one time.
Storage and Freezing
How to Store Leftover Bacon
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will stay for up to five days.
Can I Freeze Cooked Bacon?
Yes you sure can. Store cooked bacon in the freezer in an airtight container or plastic freezer bag.
Frequently Asked Questions
The answer really depends on how crispy you like your bacon. But as a rule, it takes about 10-13 minutes.
This is totally based on personal preference. The air fryer is quicker and saves oven space for something else, so I tend to prefer the air fryer.
All air fryers are made a little differently. You can certainly use those parchment paper liners to help with clean up.
Recipes That Use Bacon
Bacon is that magical ingredient that makes everything better, right? Here are some of our favorite ways to use bacon.
Homemade Sloppy Joe Recipe
Twice Baked Breakfast Potatoes
Guacamole Grilled Cheese
How to Make Bacon in the Air Fryer
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400F.
- Arrange the bacon in the fryer basket in a single layer and put it in the air fryer. For thin bacon, set the timer for 10 minutes. For thick bacon, set the timer for 13 minutes. This will give you a chewy center and crisp edges.
- Bacon tends to shrink and move a bit as it cooks. Check it halfway through to the cook to see if any strips need to be rearranged. Allow it to finish cooking.
- Remove to a plate and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This is perfect! My daughter loves bacon and I don’t always like using my stove. Making ASAP
Crispy and perfect! So easy!
This is the only way I will ever make bacon again. It was so crispy and I didn’t have grease splatter all over my RV kitchen!
Perfectly crispy, without any burnt ends. This is the way to make bacon!
The bacon came out perfectly crispy and evenly cooked. Plus, it was so much quicker and less messy than frying it on the stovetop. I’m definitely making it this way from now on!
This is the best way to make bacon!
I love how crispy the bacon comes out using the air fryer! So good!