The exact cook time can vary. Read below for our tips!
Air fryer bacon is much better than bacon in the frying pan (in our opinion, at least). With an air fryer and an attentive eye, you can make delicious bacon cooked to your desired crisp level.
Bacon in the air fryer makes a nice side as part of a classic breakfast spread. It’s also a good way to make a few pieces to be added as an ingredient to a sandwich, wrap, or salad!
How to air fry bacon is a popular question because bacon is one of those tricky things to cook. It can either turn out really well or it can be ruined in a flash due to high heat and/or a lack of attention.
Recipe Tips & Considerations
When cooking air fryer bacon, be sure to follow these recipe tips so that you achieve the best results!
- There is no extra oil necessary – the natural bacon fat is more than enough.
- Our cooking times are a guideline since air fryers are different and the thickness of the cut of bacon is going to change the cooking time.
- Speaking of variations, you can also make turkey bacon in the air fryer if you want a leaner breakfast meat. You might even try air fryer carrot bacon for a vegetarian alternative!
- Personal preference for whether you like crispy bacon or softer, meatier bacon is also going to change the cooking time. Use 10 minutes as a guideline for regular cut bacon with average crispiness and adjust your cook time accordingly.
- Overall, our best tip is to keep a close eye on your bacon. If it starts to smoke, stop cooking immediately.
- When you are done, remove the bacon from the tray and carefully pour out the heated bacon grease into a bowl or mug. Getting it out of the air fryer tray when it’s a liquid will make cleaning the air fryer noticeably easier later!
Step by Step Instructions
If you’d like visuals for how to cook bacon in the air fryer, you can have a look at the recipe process photos in this section.
If your bacon has a lot of moisture on it, gently pat it dry with a paper towel.
This can slightly reduce the risk of the air fryer starting to smoke.
Line the slices of bacon in an even layer on the tray. A tiny bit of overlap is fine but try to not place whole strips on top of each other – they won’t cook evenly.
There is no need to preheat the air fryer first.
Air fry the bacon at 380 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 10 minutes. Check after around 8 minutes to see how it is doing.
Make sure that you start counting from the time the bacon goes in the air fryer not from when it starts counting down the time after it is done preheating (just in case yours automatically preheats as ours does).
Reduce or add time depending on your preferred level of crispiness and the thickness of the bacon cut. In our air fryer regular cut bacon takes 10 minutes and is crispy but not extra crispy.
Since every air fryer is different, cook time might vary for you.
Storage Tips
You can store any leftover pieces of bacon in the fridge in tin foil or in a sealed container (as you would with bacon you made in the oven or the frying pan).
You can then use it cold as an ingredient in another dish (see below) or rewarm it in the air fryer, oven, or microwave. We generally don’t have too much left over, though.
What to Serve Air Fryer Bacon With
Bacon made in the air fryer is pretty versatile. You can chop it up small and add it as ingredient in salads or with a dish (like air fryer brussels sprouts). You can also use it on a lunch dish like a classic BLT sandwich.
Of course, you can eat bacon as part of a traditional breakfast with eggs, toast, hash browns, or breakfast potatoes, etc. We usually only eat bacon on weekends. With just two people this amount of bacon in the air fryer is perfect!
Related Recipes
For more great air fryer recipes, check out these classic dishes, snacks, or finger foods:
Air Fryer Bacon
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon, regular cut
Instructions
- If your bacon has a lot of moisture on it, gently pat it dry with a paper towel. This can slightly reduce the risk of the air fryer starting to smoke.
- Line the slices of bacon in an even layer in the air fryer. There is no need to preheat the air fryer first.
- Air fry the bacon at 380 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 10 minutes – check after around 8 minutes to see how it is doing. Start counting from the time the bacon goes in the air fryer, not from when it starts counting down the time after it is done preheating (if yours automatically preheats as ours does). Reduce or add time depending on your preferred level of crispiness and the thickness of the bacon cut. In our air fryer, the bacon is done after 10 minutes. Since every air fryer is different, the cook time might vary for you.
Notes
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer tray. We have a 6-quart capacity air fryer so if yours is smaller, you might not be able to fit six strips of bacon and will need to do it in two batches.
- Also, bacon thickness will change the cooking time. Ours was a regular (which can be quite thin) but thick-cut bacon will take longer to cook!
- We’ve never had a problem with our air fryer starting to smoke when making bacon in it, but others have had issues before so please make sure to not leave your air fryer unattended when making bacon in it (especially for the first time).
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
