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I’m going to warn you: only read this post if you want to simplify the process of cooking bacon… and if you want to learn how to cook bacon in an air fryer (which is the only no-mess bacon cooking method that I have ever found!). This might be life-changing. Proceed with caution. (And an appetite…)
I’m going to cut right to the chase: I freaking HATE cooking bacon. I mean, I hate cooking bacon so much, my hate for the mess usually trumps my love for bacon. And let me be frank: I love bacon. But cooking it? UGH! The grease, the popping, the inevitable burns, the smell that permeates my house and lingers for DAYS.. it’s just a lot of hassle. It can also be rather time consuming. And if there is one thing that I am ALWAYS running short on – it’s time.
If you are following the keto diet, you might be eating bacon more often as a way to increase your fat macros.
Several years ago I tried baking bacon in an oven. And in the moment, I was pretty happy with the results. The bacon tasted good and I didn’t have to tend to it on a stove top or endure the flying hot grease. I did not enjoy, however, all of the grease in the baking pan that threatened to spill out all over my floor when I moved the tray from oven to counter.
There HAD to be a better way.
Why is EVERYONE obsessing over air fryers?! (Because they rock!)
So yes, last year we finally broke down and bought an air fryer. And yes, we were totally skeptical. We didn’t really want to give up precious counter space for yet another appliance. We were also using our Instant Pot multiple times a week and doubted that any other appliance could replace it. But that’s exactly what ended up happening.
We are now completely obsessed with our air fryer. In fact, the only thing we don’t like about our air fryer is that it’s too small. HA!
Make sure you check out the other air fryer recipes we have written:
15+ Incredible Game Day Air Fryer Recipes
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How to Cook Kale Chips in an Air Fryer
Lemon Dill Salmon Air Fryer Recipe
How to Cook Frozen Pigs in a Blanket in Air Fryer
How to Cook Frozen Potstickers in Air Fryer
How to Cook Frozen Tator Tots in Air Fryer
How to Cook Frozen Pierogies in Air Fryer
Easy Air Fryer Roasted Eggplant
How to Cook Frozen Chicken Nuggets in the Air Fryer
So can you cook bacon in the air fryer? HECK YES, you can!
One day on a whim, I was getting ready to cook some bacon for dinner. As I already mentioned above, this is far from my favorite thing to do. I grabbed the pack of bacon out of the fridge and cautiously eyed up the air fryer. It was worth a shot, right?
That was months ago. Since then, I have made bacon in the air fryer DOZENS of times, as has Bob. The thing about the air fryer is that this machine is SO flippin’ consistent. Use the same settings, cooktime, and your food comes out perfect every. single. time. There is no second guessing, just perfection.
How to Cook Bacon in an Air Fryer
Let’s get to the cooking! One thing I want you to be aware of is that your cook time might vary slightly depending on how thick your cut of bacon is. For this post, we are using what I consider a medium thickness (ie not super thin, not terribly thick). This is pork bacon.
You can cook turkey bacon in the air fryer as well, though perhaps start at a lower temp since turkey bacon tends to be thinner. I would also use a non-stick cooking spray if using turkey bacon. I skip the spray for pork bacon – it’s greasy enough on its own and I have never had an issue with it sticking to the basket.
Air Fryer Bacon
Ingredients
- 4 slices pork bacon
Instructions
- Lay bacon in a single layer in air fryer basket. Don't worry if the basket is to short to lay then bacon completely flat.
- Cook bacon for 7 minutes at 400 degrees. Note: This will give your bacon a medium crisp. If you like crispier bacon, add 2-3 minutes to cook time.
- Remove bacon from air fryer. Place on top of a paper towel on a plate and pat down to remove excess grease. Enjoy!
Notes
That’s it!
Can you believe how easy that was? I love how much this method of cooking bacon cuts down on the grease mess in my kitchen. All of the bacon grease is contained to the bottom of the air fryer basket. I also love the convenience of being able to cook bacon that tastes like it just came off a skillet, but that requires absolutely no babysitting or flipping over. The air fryer gives the bacon an even cook on both sides.
If you give this a try, definitely let me know how it worked out for you. My entire family loves bacon and now that I can cook it this easily, I am more inclined to indulge them from time to time. We also love adding bacon to some of the salads we make (like these BBQ Ranch mason jar salads!) and the air fryer is a quick and easy way to prep some bacon for the week ahead.
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