Make crispy crunchy bacon in minutes with my easy Air Fryer Bacon recipe. All you need is non-stick cooking spray, bacon, and an Air Fryer to make this recipe.
Bacon is delicious to eat on its own, but you can also use it to top on baked potatoes, mix into salads, or even enjoy tossed in vegetables. Since really digging deep and learning all about the Air Fryer I have started testing all sorts of new ways to cook food. For years, I have baked my bacon in the oven, that is until I received an Air Fryer. Just like the simplicity of baking bacon in the oven, the air fryer makes it just as easy to yield crispy full size slices of bacon in minutes!
My Air Fryer Bacon is my go-to when I need to make a small batch for a quick breakfast or topping on potatoes. I also will use this method for making an entire package of bacon, just know that you will need more hands on time for this method if you are making more then 4-5 strips at once.
Table of contents
Ingredients
- Non-stick Cooking Spray – You will only need a tiny spray of this at the very beginning for your first batch of bacon.
- Bacon – You can use any type of bacon for this recipe; thick cut bacon, Maple bacon, or even turkey bacon. Just know cooking times may vary.
How to Cook Bacon in Air Fryer
Preheat Air Fryer. This is something that will vary depending on your Air Fryer that you own. Note: I used both the Instant Vortex (basket) and the Power AirFryer Pro to test this recipe. Preheat the Air Fryer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until Air Fryer tells you to place food on tray.
Spray the wire racks with non-stick cooking spray. Layer bacon (typically 4 slices) so it’s evenly spaced out on tray. Cook for 11 minutes turning half way through.
PRO TIP: If you are using wire racks and find the slices aren’t fitting all the way on the rack. Feel free to cut the strips in half like pictured above.
Flip the bacon half way through the cooking process.
Carefully, remove bacon from Air Fryer and place on a paper lined plate. Then, repeat until all bacon is cooked. Enjoy.
FAQs
Here are all the frequently asked questions readers have asked when making this recipe.
Depending on the air fryer you own will depend on the cooking time for bacon. I have found with both basket and oven style air fryers that it needs at least 10 minutes for thick cut bacon. However, if you have thinner bacon you may only need as little as 6 minutes.
It’s always best to flip the bacon over while cooking in an Air Fryer since once side will only be exposed to the heating coil. Always best to flip at the half way point of cooking.
Preheating your air fryer all depends on the make and model of your air fryer. The three air fryers I own; Instant Vortex (basket), Instant Omni Pro (oven), and the Power XL AirFryer Pro (oven) all require preheating.
Yes, it is safe to cook bacon in the air fryer as long as you cook at a lower temperature. Bacon is naturally a fatty food, which means that it could smoke and/or catch on fire if cooked at a high temperature. The smoke point of bacon is 400 degrees Fahrenheit. I recommend cooking bacon at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Tips & Tricks
Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks I’ve learned when making this recipe.
- Testing – I tested this recipe using both the Instant Vortex (basket) and the Power XL AirFryer Pro (oven). I found that the method of cooking bacon worked better in the basket then in the oven style. My cooking time was a little longer with the oven style since I had multiple racks cooking at once. I also found the oil in the oven was much messier and splattered more.
- Spacing – Whenever cooking in an Air Fryer you will want to ensure that your food has room to breathe. This means, do not crowd your basket. I cook 4 slices at a time. My typical thick cut bacon package has 12 slices which means you will need to do 3 batches.
- Storage – If you happen to have leftover bacon you can store in an airtight container or plastic Ziplock bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Crispy Bacon – If you like crispier bacon, add 2-3 more minutes onto the cooking time (depending on the thickness of your bacon).
- How to dispose bacon grease – Do not pour the bacon grease down the kitchen sink drain. It will clog your pipes. Instead pour into a used can or jar and let cool until congealed. Then dispose in the trash can. Do not pour hot bacon grease into a trash can. It could start a fire.
- Bacon Fat – Instead of throwing away the bacon fat/grease. You can pour into a clean mason jar and store in the refrigerator.
- How to use leftover bacon fat – Then add 1-2 tablespoons to recipes to intensify flavors. I love to sue bacon fat in my green beans, breakfast potatoes, and more.
Bacon Recipes
If you are looking to use up some of your leftover bacon. Here are a few of my favorite bacon recipes.
- Bacon and Chive Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Horseradish and Bacon Deviled Eggs
- Spicy Bacon Bloody Mary’s
- Bacon Cheddar Fries
Air Fryer Recipes
Looking for more air fryer recipes? Try these…
If you make this Air Fryer Bacon recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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Air Fryer Bacon
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- Non-Stick Cooking Spray
- 16 ounces Bacon
Instructions
- Preheat the Air Fryer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until Air Fryer tells you to place food on tray.
- Spray the tray with non-stick cooking spray. Layer bacon (typically 4 slices) so it's evenly spaced out on tray. Cook for 11 minutes, turning half way through the cooking process.
- Carefully, remove bacon from Air Fryer and place on a paper lined plate. Then, repeat until all bacon is cooked. Enjoy.
Notes
- Testing – I tested this recipe using both the Instant Vortex (basket) and the Power XL AirFryer Pro (oven). I found that the method of cooking bacon worked better in the basket then in the oven style. My cooking time was a little longer with the oven style since I had multiple racks cooking at once. I also found the oil in the oven was much messier and splattered more.
- Spacing – Whenever cooking in an Air Fryer you will want to ensure that your food has room to breathe. This means, do not crowd your basket. I cook 4 slices at a time. My typical thick cut bacon package has 12 slices which means you will need to do 3 batches.
- Storage – If you happen to have leftover bacon you can store in an airtight container or plastic Ziplock bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Crispy Bacon – If you like crispier bacon, add 2-3 more minutes onto the cooking time (depending on the thickness of your bacon).
- How to dispose bacon grease – Do not pour the bacon grease down the kitchen sink drain. It will clog your pipes. Instead pour into a used can or jar and let cool until congealed. Then dispose in the trash can. Do not pour hot bacon grease into a trash can. It could start a fire.
- Bacon Fat – Instead of throwing away the bacon fat/grease. You can pour into a clean mason jar and store in the refrigerator.
- How to use leftover bacon fat – Then add 1-2 tablespoons to recipes to intensify flavors. I love to sue bacon fat in my green beans, breakfast potatoes, and more.
Nutrition
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Sandy Stephens
Air Fryer Bacon is the ONLY way to cook it! I save the bacon grease in mason jars all the time. I use it to season my cornbread as well as my iron skillet to cook it in. Green Beans, soup beans, just about anything. My dad told me NOT to cook his bacon any other way but the air fryer!! He loved it! Also not near as greasy too as it drips down into the bottom and I dump it into a Pyrex glass measuring cup to cool then into my mason jar.
Katie
Sandy, we sound like peas in a pod! I also save ALL my bacon fat for cooking–it adds so much flavor. Thank you for taking the time to leave a 5 star review!