How To Cook Bacon In The Air Fryer
Less mess, no need to watch over it or even flip it, and perfect for small batches. This post will teach you everything you need to know about how to cook bacon in the air fryer.
Want To Try Cooking Bacon In An Air Fryer?
With over a million page views, our Bacon In The Oven and Oven Turkey Bacon posts are among the most popular posts on this site. And they are certainly standbys for when we need a larger portion of our favorite breakfast meat.
But for smaller batches, we turn to our air fryer instead of the oven, time and time again. Just like our Turkey Bacon In Air Fryer post, this post will walk you through how to cook (pork!) bacon in an air fryer so that it turns out perfectly every single time.
Why You Will Love Bacon In Air Fryer
- Great for small batches where you just need a few slices.
- No need to watch over it – the air fryer will do all the work so you can do other stuff while it cooks.
- Less mess, oil and grease compared to pan frying. No splatter on your backsplash!
What You’ll Need For Cooking Bacon In Air Fryer
- bacon slices – 4 ounces for 2 servings, or as many as desired. We prefer applewood smoked bacon, but this is up to you.
- parchment paper liner – for lining the bottom of the air fryer basket for easy cleanup, if you want, but it’s not required.
- paper towel – for blotting the bacon when it’s finished cooking.
- plate – that you’ll line with the paper towel.
- tongs – for handling the cooked bacon, because it will be hot.
How To Cook Bacon In The Air Fryer
1. PREP. Arrange the strips of bacon in a single layer in the air fryer basket. If you want to use a parchment paper liner for the bottom of the basket you can, but it’s not required. The most important thing is arranging the slices in a single layer, with no overlapping slices.
2. COOK. Air fry at 350 degrees F until the slices of bacon reach your desired level of crispiness. You do not need to flip them as they cook, but you should drain off some of the rendered bacon fat about halfway through cooking, for the crispiest bacon. Use tongs to transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate to blot excess grease, then serve immediately.
How Long To Cook Bacon In Air Fryer
We’ve found that when the bacon is cold (right out of the fridge), and the air fryer also starts out cold, 7 minutes at 350 degrees is just right for most brands from the grocery store.
If the bacon has been sitting out at bit, or if the air fryer has already been in use for previous batches, the cook time may need to be reduced by a minute or two.
However, every brand of this appliance cooks a little differently, so you may need to adjust the cooking time. If this is your first time making bacon in the air fryer, start with 5 minutes and then add time in one minute increments from there until you reach the desired doneness. Make a note of the timing for next time!
Home Chef Tips To Cook Bacon In Air Fryer
- Don’t overcrowd the basket. Air fryers come in all different shapes and sizes, so the number of slices you can fit in yours may vary from what is shown here. Arrange the bacon in a single layer with a bit of space between slices to ensure proper air circulation and even crisping. Cook in multiple batches if necessary.
- Thinner sliced bacon may need less time, while thicker bacon may require an extra minute or two.
- Bacon can go from perfectly crispy to overcooked pretty quickly, so keep a close eye on it towards the end of the cooking time for the best bacon.
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How To Serve Air Fryer Bacon
Use air fried bacon for anything you’d use regular crispy bacon for! Make it into BLT sandwiches or crumble it over pasta. Serve it alongside Croissant Breakfast Casserole, Roasted Breakfast Potatoes and Vegetarian Quiche for an epic Brunch Buffet.
Or, crumble air fryer bacon over Potato Soup With Chicken Broth or Chicken Spinach Salad.
How To Make Bacon In Air Fryer FAQs
We’ve done many tests and come to the conclusion that the bacon really doesn’t need to flipped during cooking. You can if you want to, but it’s really not necessary.
We haven’t had much trouble with bacon sticking the basket at all, but if you experience this, you can use parchment paper liners specifically made for the bottom of air fryer baskets, or simply coat the bottom of the basket with cooking spray.
While adding water to the bottom of an air fryer can be beneficial for some dishes, it is not necessary for cooking bacon.
Using foil in an air fryer is not recommended. Foil can interfere with the air circulation in the fryer.
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Bacon In Air Fryer
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Ingredients
- 4 ounces bacon
Instructions
- Arrange bacon in single layer in air fryer basket.
- Transfer to air fryer and cook at 350 degrees F for 6 to 8 minutes or until bacon reaches your desired level of crispness.
- Use tongs to transfer bacon to paper-towel lined plate to blot excess grease, then serve immediately.
