Bacon lovers, rejoice because you can now make bacon in the air fryer! If you’ve been searching for a hassle-free way to cook your favorite breakfast treat to crispy perfection, look no further than your trusty air fryer.
The air fryer has gained immense popularity in recent years due to its ability to cook food quickly and with less oil than traditional methods. When it comes to bacon, the air fryer offers several advantages:
Over the past couple of days, I've been trying many different methods for cooking bacon. There's baking bacon in the oven, cooking bacon on a stovetop, and even in your microwave to name a few different methods. If you have an air fryer you're going to love cooking homemade bacon in it.
🧡 Loved this recipe? Check out my Air Fryer Omelette with Parchment Paper, Crispy Air Fryer Walleye and Air Fryer Frozen Pizza Single Serving.
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Why Use an Air Fryer for Bacon?
- Even Cooking: The air fryer circulates hot air around the bacon, ensuring that it cooks evenly on all sides. No more worrying about burnt edges or undercooked centers.
- Less Mess: Cooking bacon on the stovetop can be a greasy affair. The air fryer contains the grease splatters, making cleanup a breeze.
- Healthier Option: While bacon will never be a health food, cooking it in the air fryer allows the excess grease to drain away, resulting in slightly less greasy bacon.
- Consistent Results: With the air fryer, you can achieve consistently crispy bacon every time, without the guesswork.
Ingredients Needed for Air Fryer Bacon
Bacon - The ingredient that makes every food tasty and 100 times better! Use thin or thick slices or different bacon
Note: If possible purchase bacon at a local butcher shop. It always tastes better than what you can get at a grocery store!
How to Make Air Fryer Bacon
Step 1: Place the bacon in the bottom of your air fryer basket. Use some tinfoil or parchment paper for easy clean up.
Step 2: Air Fry the bacon at 400 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes. Open up the air fryer and flip the bacon. Put the air fryer basket back in and cook for another 3 minutes or until however crispy you like your bacon.
Notes Place a wire rack or trivet over your bacon that came with air fryer. This is optional. If you don't have a wire rack that came with your air fryer, then you don't need one.
How to Prevent Smoke in the Air Fryer
Have you ever tried cooking bacon in the air fryer and your smoke detector goes off? This has even happened to me when I'm cooking bacon in my air fryer. The smoke or steam comes out of the air fryer and reaches the smoke detector.
1. Add a slice of bread under the basket or
2. Line the drip tray with foil or parchment
Tips for Perfect Air Fryer Bacon Every Time
To ensure your bacon turns out perfectly crispy every time, keep these tips in mind:
- Don’t overcrowd the basket — give the bacon space to breathe.
- Adjust time to your crispiness preference — softer? Pull early. Crunchy? Go a bit longer.
- Clean promptly — once cooled, grease is easier to wipe clean before it solidifies.
- Batch it — cook in batches and keep warm in the oven if feeding a crowd.
What to Serve with Air Fryer Bacon
Pair your crispy bacon with all your favorite breakfast or brunch classics:
- Scrambled, fried, or poached eggs
- Toast, bagels, or English muffins
- Cottage Cheese Pancakes (High Protein) or Air Fryer Frozen Waffles
- Air Fryer Avocado Toast
- Blackstone Breakfast Sandwich or burritos
- Air Fryer Hash Brown Patties Frozen or Super Crispy Hashbrowns on Blackstone or even tater tots (yes — in the air fryer too!)
Recipe FAQs
Yes you can! Air fry at 375°F for 5–7 minutes. It cooks quicker than pork bacon and needs less fat to crisp.
It’s not low-fat, but the grease drains away better than pan-frying, and there’s no added oil needed.
Yes! Carefully pour it into a heat-safe container and refrigerate to use for cooking veggies, eggs, or biscuits.
Air Fryer recipes
This youtube video shows you how to make Candied bacon but it basically is the same process. Just cook it for 8 minutes instead of 12 if not using any brown sugar. Check out my youtube channel.
If you tried this Air Fryer Bacon or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries
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Air Fryer Bacon
- Prep Time: 3 min
- Cook Time: 19 min
- Total Time: 13 min
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Side
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Description
Air Fryer Bacon - You'll never want to bake bacon in your oven again!
Ingredients
- 6 strips of bacon
Instructions
- Place the bacon in the bottom of your air fryer basket. I have a 3.5 quart air fryer and was able to get 6 strips of bacon on the bottom. Place the wire rack over your bacon that came with air fryer. This is optional. If you don't have a wire rack that came with your air fryer, then you don't need one.
- Cook at 400 for 8 to 10 minutes. Open up the air fryer and flip the bacon. Put the air fryer basket back in and cook for another 3 minutes or until however crispy you like your bacon.
Notes
myWW points Blue 5; Green 5; Purple 5
If possible purchase bacon at a local butcher shop. It always tastes better than what you can get at a grocery store!
Place a wire rack or trivet over your bacon that came with air fryer. This is optional. If you don't have a wire rack that came with your air fryer, then you don't need one.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 37
- Sugar: .1
- Saturated Fat: 2.8
- Carbohydrates: .1
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 2.7
John says
For all of you, it’s not steam coming out of you air fryer when you cook bacon. It’s smoke. Steam is from water vapor, and I’m assuming you don’t put water in your air fryers. The bacon grease starts to smoke because the temp has surpassed 374 F. This is called the smoke point, the grease starts to oxidize (breakdown). Smoke and steam are not the same thing. But you are right in one thing, cooking at 350 or just well below the smoke point should eliminate this problem. Lastly I don’t get how anyone could be going through air fryers that fast? They are meant to last years when used correctly.
Tanya says
I tried this tonight. It was my first time cooking bacon in an air fryer! The bacon turned out great. I did have to cook it a little longer but that was probably the kind of bacon I had. This recipe is awesome because you don’t have to fuss with the bacon or have it spitting in your face. I have a insta pot vortex air fryer so all the fat drained through the rack. Thanks for the recipe.
Jenna says
Unfortunately, I have that issue as well. Sometimes the steam from the air fryer even sets my smoke alarm off. 🙂
Jim says
How do you keep the grease from fouling the burners?
Steve says
Bacon can't stick if it does NOT touch and Even in the oven I cut in half ... I buy my bacon from a butcher and very lean ... I make a lot of can die bacon ... honey and bourbon ...
david adams says
It is EXCELLENT! i agree very quick
MMakeda Queen says
1st time user. It is EXCELLENT!
mitch says
This is the best way to make bacon
kathleen says
using the air fryer for bacon was a waste of time. took forever, the bacon all stuck together. for me the best way to do bacon is on a foil lined baking sheet in the oven.