Air fryers are an excellent way to make crispy bacon

If you’ve ever been hit by splattering grease, you know what a pain frying bacon can be. Cooking it in the oven eliminates that risk but still leaves you with a big mess to clean up. Fortunately, your air fryer can make super crisp bacon without all the grease and mess — and best of all, it often cooks faster than other methods, too. 

If you’ve never made bacon in your air fryer before, it couldn’t be easier. Once you know the right temperature to air-fry it, you can enjoy the crispiest bacon whenever you want it. 

Step 1: Prepare bacon

To get bacon as crispy as possible in your air fryer, the pieces must lay flat, so the air can circulate around it freely for even cooking. Basket-style air fryers usually aren’t large enough to lay the strips out straight, though. Instead, cut the bacon in half using a knife or kitchen shears, so you can arrange the pieces in a single layer. 

After cutting your bacon, you can use tongs to lift the strips into the air-fryer basket and spread them out. Avoid having the strips overlap if possible — if the bacon strips are piled on top of one another, they won’t get as crispy. 

Step 2: Cook at 350 degrees

If you want crisp bacon that doesn’t burn, 350 degrees is the best temperature for air-frying. However, the best cooking time depends on your air fryer and the type of bacon you’re cooking. Regular thin-cut bacon usually takes five to nine minutes, while thick-cut bacon can take nine to 12 minutes. 

Your desired level of crispiness also plays a role. If you like your bacon with a slight chew to it, it won’t need to air-fry as long. On the other hand, extra-crisp bacon usually requires more cooking time to get it just right. 

Step 3: Remove grease and repeat

After your first batch of bacon is finished, remove it from the air fryer, setting it on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb any excess grease. Pull out the drawer or drip tray from your air fryer, and remove any grease that’s dripped off. Getting rid of the bacon fat can help prevent your air fryer from smoking when the next batch of bacon cooks. Add more bacon to the air-fryer basket, and repeat the process.

If you want to reduce the mess you have to clean after air-frying your bacon, place a parchment paper liner in the bottom of your air fryer. You can use parchment paper from a roll, but premade air fryer liners are perforated with holes to ensure air can still flow around the bacon and crisp it evenly. 

FAQ

Q. Which air fryer is best to cook bacon in?

A. You can make delicious bacon in any air fryer, but depending on your needs, some models may be better than others. Basket air fryers often have shorter cooking times because they’re smaller and have less interior space to heat. The compact design also makes them easier to clean.

But air fryer ovens have more cooking space, so you can air-fry more bacon in a single batch. If you have a large family or regularly cook for large groups, you’ll appreciate being able to cook more pieces at once. 

Q. Do I need to flip the bacon?

A. There’s no need to flip bacon in an air fryer. Because the convection fan circulates air around the bacon, it cooks both sides at the same time, air-frying it evenly without any extra effort from you. 

Q. Should I use foil or parchment paper?

A. Lining your air fryer with foil or parchment paper makes cleanup easier after air-frying bacon. However, check your air fryer’s manual to ensure it’s safe to use a liner. Some models advise against using foil inside the air fryer because it restricts airflow and prevents your bacon from cooking evenly. 

Q. Do I need to add oil to the bacon?

A. In general, air fryers don’t need much, if any, oil to cook food. In the case of bacon, it’s especially unnecessary to add oil because bacon has its own natural fat that’s released as it cooks. 

Q. Can I air-fry turkey bacon?

A. You can air-fry any type of bacon, including turkey bacon. Follow the same steps for regular bacon, and you’ll wind up with crisp, flavorful turkey bacon from your air fryer. 

How to prevent an air fryer from smoking when cooking bacon

Bacon grease has a smoke point of 325 to 375 degrees, so air-frying it at 350 degrees can help minimize smoking. You can also reduce the risk of smoke by emptying the grease from your air fryer after each batch of bacon you cook.

Air fryer bacon: Final thoughts

Bacon may be a breakfast classic, but you can use it in sandwiches, salads, pasta dishes and more. And if you’re tired of the mess and hassle of frying your bacon on the stove — or how long it takes to cook in the oven — the air fryer is a perfect solution. 

Not only can it make crispy bacon in less than 10 minutes in most cases, but the finished product isn’t as greasy as fried or baked bacon, either. Best of all, you’ll spend less time cleaning up, especially if you line your air fryer with parchment paper. 

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Jennifer Blair writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.

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