How to Cook Turkey Bacon In The Oven
Learn how to cook turkey bacon in the oven for crispy, evenly cooked strips with zero splatter. This hands-off method takes just minutes and makes cleanup easy.
“I never thought of cooking turkey bacon in the oven, but it worked out great! Now I can pop it in the oven to cook vs. babysitting it on the stove top.”
—Monica
Turkey Bacon In The Oven (The Best Way To Cook It)
With over a million page views, our culinary-school-tested bacon tutorials – Bacon In The Oven, Bacon In Air Fryer and Turkey Bacon In The Air Fryer have helped home cooks master the art of perfectly crisp, mess-free bacon. These methods are proven, reliable, and some of the most popular posts on this site for a reason.
If you’ve been wondering how to make turkey bacon, baking it in the oven is hands-down the easiest and most consistent method. Whether you’re choosing turkey bacon for dietary reasons or just love its leaner, savory flavor, this post will walk you through exactly how to cook turkey bacon in the oven – with one flip, no splatter, and reliably crisp results.
Backed by rigorous kitchen testing and clear step-by-step photos, this guide is the ultimate resource for making turkey bacon in oven. If you’ve struggled with limp strips or uneven cooking in the past, you’re in the right place. Consider this simple recipe your go-to method for turkey bacon that actually tastes as good as it looks.
Why You Will Love Turkey Bacon In Oven
- Hands-off cooking. Skip the stovetop skillet babysitting. Let the oven do the work while you prep the rest of breakfast or brunch.
- Less mess. No greasy splatter all over your kitchen like with pan-frying.
- Great for meal prep. Cook once, enjoy all week – oven turkey bacon reheats well and adds flavor to sandwiches, salads, and more.
Is Turkey Bacon Already Cooked?
This really depends on the brand, but most national brands of turkey bacon are smoked or cured, but NOT cooked, so you will need to cook the turkey bacon before you eat it.
Unless the package specifically says that the turkey bacon is fully cooked and ready to eat, you should cook it.
What You’ll Need For Oven Turkey Bacon
A full recipe card, including exact ingredient amounts, appears at the bottom of this post.
- turkey bacon slices – 12 ounces for 6 servings, or as many as desired. We prefer uncured bacon, but any kind works.
- rimmed baking pan(s) – use multiple sheet pans if you are cooking a large amount of bacon.
- parchment paper – for lining the baking pan(s). Foil works, too!
- 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 Turkey Bacon In The Oven
- PREP. Line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. We love using pre-cut parchment paper sheets for cooking turkey bacon in the oven. Please make sure the pan is rimmed, or you’re going to have some turkey bacon mess on your hands.
- ARRANGE. Lay your strips of bacon out on this baking sheet in a single layer. You might need two pans. They can be a little closer than shown here, but just make sure the turkey bacon pieces aren’t overlapping or anything.
- BAKE. Cook at 400 degrees F for 15 to 18 minutes or until it reaches your desired level of crispiness, flipping it once halfway through cooking.
- SERVE. When the oven-baked turkey bacon is fully cooked, use tongs to transfer it to a paper-towel lined plate to blot some of the extra grease before serving.
How Do You Know When Turkey Bacon Is Done?
Turkey bacon is done when it’s browned, firm, and has reached your preferred crispness. Some cues to look out for:
- Looks browned and slightly crisp around the edges.
- Deepened color (it’ll go from light pink to a reddish-brown)
- Feels firmer when lifted with tongs.
Home Chef Tips For The Best Way To Cook Turkey Bacon
- Watch closely at the end. Turkey bacon can go from perfectly crisp to overdone pretty quickly, so keep a close eye on it during the final minutes.
- Adjust for thickness. Not all brands are the same. Thicker cuts may need a few extra minutes, while thinner ones cook faster.
- Let it rest briefly. Allowing the turkey bacon strips to cool for 1 to 2 minutes on a paper towel-lined plate helps them firm up for the ultimate crispy texture.
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Best Temp To Cook Turkey Bacon
Don’t stress out about oven temperature too much. You have some flexibility here. If the only thing we’re making in the oven is the turkey bacon, then we like a 400 degree oven for baked turkey bacon.
However, if you have another item in the oven at the same time (say, a Veggie Quiche), and that requires a slightly different temperature (like 375 or 425), don’t worry about it.
Just put your turkey bacon in the oven, and adjust the cooking time up or down by a few minutes based on the temperature. It may only need 10 to 12 minutes at 425 degrees, or up to 15 to 18 minutes at 375 degrees.
As long as you check it semi-frequently and take it out as soon as it’s done, it will turn out just fine.
Do I Need To Flip Crispy Turkey Bacon In Oven?
While we do NOT flip traditional pork bacon as it cooks in the oven, we’ve done many tests and figured out that when you cook turkey bacon in oven, it comes out a little better and more evenly browned if you flip it once halfway through cooking.
However, if you forget to flip it, it’s not really a big deal, and your oven turkey bacon will still turn out perfectly delicious and crispy!
Storage And Reheating
- Refrigerate: If you have leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
- Reheat: In the microwave or air fryer until warmed through and crisp again.
- Freeze: Chill and then freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
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Turkey Bacon In Oven
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Ingredients
- 12 ounces turkey bacon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line rimmed baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Arrange bacon over parchment or foil in single layer.
- Transfer to oven and cook 15 to 18 minutes or until bacon reaches your desired level of crispness, turning once halfway through. Use tongs to transfer bacon to paper-towel lined plate to blot excess grease, then serve immediately.
Notes
- Looks browned and slightly crisp around the edges.
- Deepened color (it’ll go from light pink to a reddish-brown)
- Feels firmer when lifted with tongs.
Please clarify – At the top of the recipe it says “no flipping,” then within the recipe it says “turning once halfway.” Is there a difference between flipping and turning? I’m not much of a cook, so that may be a silly question. Thanks!
Hi Terri – Thanks so much for pointing that out! That was my mistake – the bacon does turn out a bit better if you flip it halfway through (although it’s not the end of the world if you forget, either). I’ll update the post so everything matches. Thanks for catching it!
At the beginning of the recipe it says “no flipping” but in the recipe you say to flip halfway through. What’s up with that?
Hi Meara – Thanks so much for pointing that out! That was my mistake – the bacon does turn out a bit better if you flip it halfway through (although it’s not the end of the world if you forget, either). I’ll update the post so everything matches. Thanks for catching it!
I never thought of cooking turkey bacon in the oven, but it worked out great! Now I can pop it in the oven to cook vs. baby sitting it on the stove top 🙂
Next time I just need to watch the time as 7 min., flip (14 min total) was a bit too long for my Apple Gate Farms turkey bacon.
Hi Monica! So glad this method will work out for you. I’ll make a note about Applegate and get it added to the post. It must be cut a bit thinner than some other brands. I think their pork bacon is the same way.