Air Fryer Bacon is the easiest way to make crispy and delicious bacon without the mess. Whether you’re serving your bacon as a breakfast side, a sandwich ingredient or anything in between, the air fryer will cook it perfectly and doesn’t heat up your house on a hot summer day!
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Updated July 2021
Crispy Air Fried Bacon
Are you looking for the simplest and most fool-proof way to cook bacon? After you use the Air Fryer, it will forever change the way you cook bacon. It’s super easy and saves you the mess and splatter from cooking it in a pan!
Even my husband says that air fried bacon is a total game changer and he will never cook it any other way. Plus, perfectly crispy bacon makes everything better and even fits into a healthy lifestyle. It’s gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, low-carb, keto friendly, and you can find Whole30 compliant brands, too!
Why Cook Bacon in the Air Fryer?
While many people love bacon, most of us don’t love making it in a skillet – it can be quite messy and cumbersome. There’s always grease splattering about and it requires a hyper-watchful eye. By contrast, cooking your bacon in the Air Fryer frees up your hands and keeps the stovetop clean and grease-free and is especially perfect on a hot summer day when you don’t feel like heating up the house.
Not only does the Air Fryer cook up super crispy bacon, but it also cooks it more evenly than the stovetop. This is thanks to the Air Fryer’s handy convection technology, which cooks food with constantly circulating hot air. Bacon cooked on the stove is less crispy in the areas where the meat is not in contact with the skillet.
Once you start cooking bacon in the air fryer, you will never go back to the skillet again. And it’s totally fail-proof but if you don’t have an air fryer, be sure to check out how to cook bacon in the oven post.
Recipe Ingredients
While some people like to season their bacon, this recipe focuses on the meat itself. So all you need are 12 slices of your favorite bacon! Then, of course, you can season it as desired or enjoy it as is.
If you’re on the Whole30 diet, make sure the bacon you use is compliant with your dietary needs. My favorite options are ButcherBox or Applegate No Sugar Uncured bacon.
How to Make Air Fryer Bacon
This is seriously the easiest recipe ever! Here’s how to cook perfectly crispy bacon in the Air Fryer every time:
- Arrange Bacon: Place the bacon in a single layer in your Air Fryer basket. Make sure your bacon slices don’t overlap. You may have to work in batches, depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Bake: Set the Air Fryer to 375°F and cook the bacon for 5 minutes. Use tongs to flip the slices and cook again for another 4-6 minutes, depending on your preference.
- Drain: Use tongs to transfer your bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. This will absorb any excess grease. Your bacon will continue to crisp up as it cools.
Tips for Success
It doesn’t matter how easy a recipe is – you know I always have a few tricks up my sleeve! Check out these helpful tips and suggestions.
- What Kind of Bacon Should I Use? If you like chewier bacon, choose a thicker cut. The thinner your bacon is, the crispier it will get, so keep that in mind when making a decision.
- Keep it Nitrate-Free: For the best results, stick with high-quality, nitrate-free bacon. Our favorite brands include ButcherBox, AppleGate and TruLocal.
- Don’t Crowd the Air Fryer: You’ll want to arrange your bacon in a single layer in the Air Fryer basket, making sure the pieces do not overlap. This will allow everything to cook evenly.
- Use Tongs: Avoid sticking your hand into the hot Air Fryer basket when flipping your bacon – it won’t be fun. Play it safe and use tongs instead.
- Keep the Grease: I highly recommend saving your leftover bacon grease (bacon drippings) for cooking. We call that pure gold and usually refrigerate the leftover fat in a glass jar to add extra flavor!
Ways to Use Cooked Bacon
Want some different ideas for how to serve your crispy bacon? We’ve got you covered!
- Add it to an omelette
- Put it in a sandwich
- Use it in waffle or pancake batter
- Bake it into a breakfast muffin
- Add it to macaroni and cheese
- Put it on a baked potato
- Use it in guacamole
- Add it to a Cobb Salad
Storage and reheating tips
How to Store: Leftover cooked bacon can be refrigerated for up to 1 week in an airtight container or resealable bag.
How to reheat:
- Thaw it out in the fridge overnight before using/reheating.
- To reheat it, we put it on low in a skillet for Bacon and Eggs or simply use it at room temperature in a salad. Check out the list above for more ideas! If you want to heat it up and eat it plain, gently warm it in the microwave (don’t worry, it’ll still be crispy!).
Can I Freeze Extras?
You sure can. Cooked bacon can be frozen for up to 3 months. Just thaw it out in the fridge overnight before using/reheating.
- To freeze, place bacon on a large baking sheet in a single layer.
- Place the pan in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Transfer bacon to a large resealable bag or airtight container.
What Temperature Makes the Best Bacon in the Air Fryer
I’ve found that 375°F is the best temperature for cooking bacon in the air fryer. At 375F, bacon cooks relatively quickly and also develops my ideal level of crispness. If you’d like to use a lower temperature, you’ll also want to increase the cook time.
Best Air Fryer Models
A few of our favorite air fryers we tested to cook bacon:
- Ninja Foodie Air Fryer
- Kalorik Air Fryer
- Power Air Fryer
- Philips Air Fryer
- NuWave Air Fryer
- Cuisinart Air Fryer
More Air Fryer Recipes
There are countless dishes I love to cook with my Air Fryer. Here are just a few faves!
- Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs
- How to Bake Potatoes in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
- Crispy Air Fryer Falafel
Air Fryer Bacon is the easiest way to make crispy and delicious bacon without the mess. Whether you're serving your bacon as a breakfast side, a sandwich ingredient or anything in between, the Air Fryer will cook it perfectly!
- 12 slices bacon ,Use Whole30 compliant bacon as needed - we use ButcherBox, Applegate No Sugar Uncured bacon or Trader Joe's No Sugar Dry Rubbed Uncured Bacon
Arrange bacon in a single layer in the Air Fryer basket, making sure not to overlap. You may need to work in batches depending on the size of your Air Fryer.
Set the Air Fryer to 375°F and cook for 5 minutes. Use tongs to flip the slices.
Cook again for another 4-6 minutes, depending on your preference.
Drain bacon grease between batches and use tongs to transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess grease. Bacon will crisp up as it cools.
Recipe Video
How to store leftovers:
Leftover cooked bacon can be refrigerated for up to 1 week in an airtight container or resealable bag.
How to freeze:
Cooked bacon can be frozen for up to 3 months. Place on a large baking sheet in a single layer and place the pan in the freezer for 20 minutes. Transfer bacon to a large resealable bag or airtight container.
How to Reheat Leftover Bacon
Thaw it out in the fridge overnight before using/reheating. To reheat precooked bacon, cook on low in a skillet or air fry at 350 F for 2-3 minutes, or until warm.
Felix -
Wow, so easy and delicious. Very good option for my breakfast 🙂
Riley -
Wow, the crispiest bacon ever and no mess! This is a new staple, thank you!!!
Veronica -
This came out perfect! My new favorite way to cook bacon, thank you!