Why Make Bacon In The Air Fryer
And using the air fryer to cook bacon is so much healthier too. Heres how it works. By circulating heat all around the food, air fryers allow you to fry foods using the smallest amount of oil. Or in this case, using absolutely no oil at all.
Since the bacon is cooked in a raised basket, the drippings end up in the tray below. When your bacon isnt sitting in oil and drippings during the cooking process, it contains less fat and calories overall.
The circulating heat also gives you consistent results compared to cooking on the stovetop. Yeap, you will have evenly cooked, super crispy bacon every time. And bonus points for no grease splattering all over you whilst frying.
Why I Love Bacon
My family and I have had a longstanding love affair with bacon. A few years ago F and I were fortunate enough to go on an amazing cruise, where we started each day indulging in a delightful all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet.
The buffet included everything you could possibly imagine, but we were most impressed by the fact that there were two different types of bacon to choose from .
Were talking heaping silver trays full of bacon. We were all so enamored with that daily bacon offering the trip went on to be officially known as the Two-Bacon Cruise.
Is Bacon Healthier In Air Fryer
You may be wondering, is it healthier to cook bacon in air fryer?
Though air frying bacon wont make the bacon healthy per se, its somewhat healthier than cooking on a pan or in the oven.
Why?
Because when you air fry bacon, all the oil and excess fat falls to the tray automatically so youre eating less of those.
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Can You Cook Bacon In An Air Fryer
You can, but there are better ways to cook bacon than in an air fryer.
The air fryer is beloved by home cooks for its ability to give you that crisp, fried-food taste without all the added oil. But how does the air fryer fare with foods that don’t require oil to cook due to their high-fat content, like say, bacon? Spoiler alert: It doesn’t fare super well.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the air fryer as much as the next person, but here I’ll argue that there are simply better methods for cooking bacon. Still want to know how to cook bacon in the air fryer? You’ll find our best tips for avoiding disaster when cooking bacon in the air fryer.
Best Bacon To Buy Online
I love Butcher Box. Its worth the extra cost because its thick cut, from heritage pork and it doesnt shrink as much as other bacon.
Current Special: Sign up as a new Butcher Box customer and get 1 pack of free bacon in every order for the life of your membership and save $20 off each box for your first 5 months of membership !
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Tips From The Pillsbury Kitchens
- tip 1 Air fryer temperature control settings vary according to brand and model. If your air fryer does not have the exact temperature setting called for in the recipe, consult your manual for suggested temperature settings.
- tip 2 Our recipes do not call for preheating your air fryer. Just set the temperature, and start.
- tip 3 Be sure to wipe down the air fryer basket and base with paper towels between batches to remove grease. If grease accumulates in the base, it can create large amounts of smoke.
- tip 4 We used regular bacon in this recipe. For thick-cut bacon, add 1 to 2 minutes to cook time.
How To Prevent Your Air Fryer From Smoking
When bacon grease drips down below the basket and burns, that can cause white smoke to pour out of your air fryer. Fortunately, there are several ways to avoid this:
- Air fry at a lower temperature: The smoke point of bacon fat is around 400 degrees Fahrenheit, so you can play it safe by decreasing the temperature and increasing the cooking time to compensate. If your model tends to smoke easily, Mumford recommends air frying bacon for five minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit, wiping out the grease that’s collected at the bottom, and then air frying for another two minutes at 375 degrees.
- Work in smaller batches: This translates to less grease in the tray.
- Add water: A ¼ cup of water in the drawer below the basket prevents the grease from getting too hot, says Mumford. Make sure the water is not touching the bacon at all, or it may turn out soggy rather than crispy.
- Catch the grease with bread. Place a piece of sandwich bread in the lower pan to absorb the grease before it hits the metal pan and burns.
- Wash all parts thoroughly. Always clean any leftover grease out of the bottom of the air fryer once it’s cooled down. Wash all parts with soapy water between uses. This prevents residue from building up over time that can burn.
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Cooking Bacon In Air Fryer
This is so much easier in my opinion because you dont have to stand there and watch it. A BIGGER plus is there is NO splattering on your hands!
- This is the brand and style I picked up at the store. I personally do not like thick slices because I like it to get really really crispy and that style stays softer.
- The BEST bacon Ive ever eaten I actually got from ButcherBox . It is uncured with an amazing flavor.
If you can get uncured meat of any kind in the store Id recommend it because theres TONS of flavor.
Cleaning Your Air Fryer After Cooking
Cleaning your air fryer after cooking bacon is actually easier than you would think.
The best way to clean your air fryer is by getting bacon grease splatter out of your air fryer and out of the bottom catch tray. You can either discard of this or save to use for another time when you are cooking. This is best done before the bacon grease cools down as it is much easier to clean that way.
Once the air fryer cools down completely, wipe the sides down with a damp paper towel. This will prevent any grease going down your drain. You can then clean your tray or basket as you normally would, either by hand washing or by placing in the dish washer.
Most trays and baskets are dishwasher safe, but check if yours is before placing in the dishwasher, just to be safe.
Also Check: Jimmy Deans Turkey Sausage Breakfast Sandwich
How To Use Air Fryer Bacon
Once you have your crispy bacon, you can use it anyway you like!
What pieces you dont devour immediately are perfect for:
- Sandwiches. Use leftover bacon to make this scrumptious BLT Grilled Cheese or Chicken Caesar Sandwich with Bacon.
- Pasta. Take your pasta dishes up a notch with some crumbled bacon.
- Pizza. You wont regret topping your pizza with crispy bacon pieces .
- Eggs. Air fryer bacon and eggs are a match made in heaven! Add some to your Egg Muffins for an easy grab-and-go breakfast.
- Veggies. Bacon helps veggies shine . Its delicious in this Spaghetti Squash Carbonara or sprinkled on top of some Crock Pot Baked Potatoes.
- Soups. Take a note from Crockpot Potato Soup and Asparagus Soup, and top a bowl of your favorite soup with crumbled bacon.
How To Store Bacon Bits
Store your bacon bits in a glass jar with a lid or empty spice jar in the refrigerator. Once you cook bacon bits, they will stay good for up to a week. Bacon bits can also be frozen in a zip baggie!
TOP TIP: To keep bacon bits super fresh, you can place a small pieces of scrunched paper towels at the bottom of the jar to trap any oil.
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Best Crispy Bacon In The Air Fryer
My family loves bacon. Its not just breakfast food for us! I love adding bacon to all kinds of meals, from using it as a topping for salad and soup to serving it wrapped around steak or chicken. I even love it as breakfast for dinner.
But one thing that stops me from making bacon all of the time is how messy it can get and how long it can take to get the perfect crispy results, especially if you like making bacon in the oven like me.Ive been making a lot of food in the air fryer lately, so one of my kids asked mecan you air fry bacon?
As it turns out, yes, you can air fry bacon, and the air fryer solves both the problem of messiness and how long it takes to cook! It takes just 10 minutes to make the crispiest bacon you will ever eat and since its in the air fryer, the cleanup is so easy. I guarantee if you love bacon as much as my family and I do, you will obsess over this easy air fryer recipe.
Want To Try This Air Fryer Bacon Recipe
PIN IT to your air fryer recipes or bacon recipes board to save it for later!Find me on for more great recipes. Im always pinning!
Did you make this recipe? Post a photo on and tag me so I can see! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think, too!
- If you dont have a good pair of tongs to use with an air fryer, check these out they wont scratch the coating off your air fryer basket.
- If you are doing more than one batch, be sure and empty the grease from the lower basket before cooking the second batch.
- I prefer thick cut bacon, but you can use thin sliced bacon too. If you are using thinner cuts, watch closely because you may need less time.
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How To Make Air Fryer Bacon Bits
Crispy, crunch, non-greasy bacon bits are what you get when you make bacon bits in the air fryer. They are literally the best bacon bits I have ever tried.
As you cook your bacon, the fat drips to the bottom of the air fryer basket. Then you are left is perfectly crispy bacon that crumbles like a dream.
Want to figure out how to use it in tasty recipes? Here are a few ideas:
- Add it to a casserole – try creamy bacon cauliflower mac and cheese!
Can You Make Bacon In An Air Fryer
You can make bacon in an air fryer. But, it is always best to cook bacon in the oven. To make bacon in an air fryer, it is important to preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and empty both baskets before cooking the second batch of bacon. To ensure that no fat or grease splatters onto the appliances heating element, wipe down with a paper towel.
To cook bacon in an air fryer, you need to be careful. Youll want to make sure that your cooking time is accurate and the basket is easy for you to check on the progress of your bacon because its possible that some models are too small or have a larger than expected size.
Air Fryer Bacon is different because it can be made with the basket open. If youre concerned about your bacon burning, try using a paper towel to use as a barrier between the hot air and your frying pan or griddle. Its also important that there isnt too much grease on top of the bacon before cooking otherwise, this could lead to an explosion!
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Air Fryer Bacon Is The Easiest Method For Cooking Bacon Avoid The Greasy Mess And The Bacon Turns Out Deliciously Crispy And Perfect
Using the Air Fryer to make bacon is genius! Not only does it take a fraction of the time, but the cleanup is nearly effortless and the results extraordinary! If you dont have an air fryer already, this is reason enough to purchase one now! I will share my favorites with you further down in this post.
Not only can you make bacon in the air fryer, but you can make other delicious meals such as Air Fryer French Toast, Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls, and French Toast Sticks, Hot Dogs, Chicken Parmesan, and so much more!
Making the best bacon ever is SO easy in the air fryer! Setting it and forgetting it is totally a thing with this recipe! Heres how we do it!
Simple Directions On How To Make Bacon In The Air Fryer Which Is Very Quick Less Messy Than Traditional Frying And Super Crispy
Im a huge fan of baking bacon in the oven because you can make a large quantity at once, theres much less mess compared to frying it on the stove, and its a pop-it-in-and-forget it kind of thing. That being said, it takes a little longer than traditional frying.
When I want a small amount of bacon quickly, though, I have started frying my bacon in the air fryer, and it is awesome. The air fryer cooks the bacon up really quickly and nice and crisp. It also it much less messy than frying it on the stove top. And Ive found that air fryers are really easy to wipe or rinse clean and move on. I love air frying bacon.
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How Long To Cook Bacon
While the times in the recipe card work well for most people, the actual cook time you need to use will depend on the model and style of your air fryer. It will also depend on the thickness of your bacon. Even thick-cut bacon varies in thickness by package.
Ive used a few different air fryers and I find they all cook just a bit differently and at different speeds. The first time you make this recipe, just watch your bacon closely and youll quickly learn the best cook time for the model of your air fryer.
The best thing about air frying bacon in small batches is that if your first batch of bacon was a little overdone, reduce the cook time with the second batch. If it wasnt quite as crispy as you like, add an extra minute or two next time.
How Much Bacon Can You Cook At Once
How many pieces of bacon you can cook at once will depend on the size of your air fryer. The best air fryer for bacon, in my opinion, is the countertop convection oven style air fryers. It works great in basket-style air fryers as well, but you cant usually fit as much bacon in those.
I have both a PowerXL air fryer and an Instant Pot Vortex Air Fryer. Even though I cant fit as much in my Instant Pot Air Fryer, I prefer it over the PowerXL because it cooks things much faster and more consistently.
Also Check: How To Cook Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sandwich In Air Fryer
What If My Air Fryer Starts To Smoke
The higher amount of fat in your food, the more likely there is to be smoke coming from your air fryer. That said, you can take into account the smoke point of any food and simply stay below that.
The smoke point of bacon is 400 F. We cook at this temperature all the time though, and have never had an issue. Your air fryer will have its own requirements.
Tips For The Best Air Fryer Bacon
Follow these 6 tips for the best bacon in the air fryer!
- Use uniform pieces. You can cook bacon of any thickness in an air fryer, but its easiest to choose pieces that are all the same thickness, so that they are all done at the same time. If you have any thick or thin outliers, they may need to cook for more or less time than the rest.
- Arrange bacon in a single layer. A little overlapping is okay, as it will shrink, but not too much.
- Spread out the bacon pieces halfway through. If the bacon slices are initially touching or overlapping slightly, thats okay, but youll want to open the air fryer after 5-6 minutes to spread out the pieces once they start to shrink. This will allow all the edges to crisp up.
- Cut bacon in half for smaller air fryers. This is not required for the air fryer I use, but if you can arrange the bacon in the air fryer more efficiently in smaller pieces, this can help. Note that the bacon will air fry just a bit faster if the pieces are halved.
- Use an air fryer oven for larger batches. My regular air fryer is a decent size, but it still fits just 8 slices of bacon at a time. If you want to cook a whole package, or a bit more, get an air fryer oven so that you can use multiple racks. Rotate them halfway through cooking for best results.
- Let the bacon cool at the end. Like any other method, air fryer bacon will crisp up more as it cools.
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