Crispy Air Fryer Bacon
Making Air Fryer Bacon is so EASY! Enjoy crisp and evenly cooked bacon in under 10 minutes with the easiest cleanup.
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Air Fryer Bacon
We love Air Fryer Recipes like Air Fryer Chicken Wings, not only because they cook faster, but they turn out extra crispy with little to no extra oil. If you crave crispy bacon, then this recipe is for you!
The air fryer method is so much easier to make than stovetop or baking in the oven because it’s quick, less messy and there’s no need to pre-heat the oven. You can make that epic BLT Sandwich in half the time.
How Long to Cook Bacon in the Air Fryer
The cook time for this recipe can vary depending on the doneness of your bacon, the thickness of the bacon, and the style of your air fryer. Also, we do not preheat the air fryer for bacon.
- Regular Cut Bacon – for softer bacon, air fry at 350˚F for 7 minutes, and for crispy bacon, cook 8 to 9 minutes
- Thick-Cut Bacon – for softer bacon, air fry at 350˚F for 9-10 minutes, and for crispy bacon, cook 10-12 minutes.
Which Air Fryer is Best?
We have 2 air fryers so we can thoroughly test air fryer recipes, but it depends on your needs. Not all air fryers are created equal so get to know your air fryer, peek in on your food to check progress, and adjust recipe timings as needed.
- Basket Style Air Fryer – we have the 5.8 Qt Cosori Air Fryer which takes up slightly less counter space, works well for our family of 4, and has the easiest cleanup because the air fryer basket and liner are dishwasher-safe.
- Toaster Oven Style Air Fryer – takes up a little more space, but is great for bigger families and you can cook most recipes in one batch. Depending on your particular model, it can cook faster. I cooked the bacon in the toaster oven style for 8 minutes, while it took 9 minutes in the basket style.
Common Questions
Yes, if you want to use turkey bacon, this recipe works great. Just cook the turkey bacon as you would regular bacon with no changes.
This depends on your air fryer. Some air fryers recommend preheating, but it is not necessary for bacon.
The bacon will release grease so you don’t need to spray the bacon or tray of the air fryer for cooking.
Since the smoke point of bacon fat is 400˚F, we air fry at 350˚F to avoid any smokiness while cooking bacon. Also, if cooking in batches, be sure to drain the drip pan of any oil and wipe clean with a paper towel.
You only have to try cooking bacon in the Air Fryer once for it to become your new favorite way to cook bacon. It’s perfectly crisp every time and since the air circulates, there’s no need to flip the bacon halfway.
Use Cooked Bacon for
- Deviled Eggs – make the best Deviled Eggs with Bacon
- Sandwiches – air fryer bacon is perfect for a BLT Sandwich
- Omelets – so satisfying in our Egg White Omelete
- Wraps – adds great flavor to a Chicken Wrap
- Salad – a great addition to the Pasta Caesar salad
Crispy Air Fryer Bacon
Making Air Fryer Bacon is so EASY! Have this ready for breakfast in under 10 minutes. The bacon air-fried is crispy and crunchy and the cleanup is so easy.
Instructions
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Place the bacon strips in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Cut strips in half if needed to fit more.
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Air fry regular cut bacon at 350˚F for 7-9 minutes, or until bacon is browned and reaches desired crispiness. Air fry thick-cut bacon for 10-12 minutes.
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Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate then serve. If cooking bacon in batches, be sure to discard any oil in the drip pan before repeating the process.
Recipe Notes
The nutrition label is per slice of bacon so you can easily calculate depending on how many slices you eat.
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Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Made you air fryer bacon in. Kalorik Max … In 2 layers basket and it was INDESCRIBABLY DELICIOUS!!!!
I just watched the baskets toward the end of the time for thick slice bacon. My husband and I couldn’t be happier!!!
Yay, that’s awesome! I’m happy that you loved it.
Just curious if you can use a rack to stack bacon letting you cook more at one time
Hi Mark! I personally haven’t tried that myself, I imagine it may work If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi and right off let me shout out a great big “Thank You”! I wanted an Air Fryer for ever ~ My sweet daughter surprised me ~ We tired it right out! Were totally disappointed in the results! After two years of “it” just sitting hidden~ we are gonna try it again!! Can’t wait to taste the result! Thanks to all!
Sounds like a good plan, Helen. I hope you love all the recipes that you will try with it!
You say crispy air fry bacon is easy to clean up after, but don’t say how to do it. When I cook bacon in the microwave, it splatters all over, but is a pretty easy wipe down. The toaster oven air fryer has exposed heat tubes running through it. I don’t see how cleanup can be easy, or even achievable. Please explain.
Hi Judy, when we use the toaster oven-style air fryer, I line the basket with foil and that catches the oil drips. In the basket style air fryer, we just put the components into the dishwasher.
This worked really well but some of my bacon (normal thickness) curled too, and inside the curl, it was not cooked quite as much as the rest of the strip. Not a big deal as I cook my bacon really crispy anyway. Next time I will try the old trick of rinsing the bacon strips under cold water before frying and see if that makes a difference in the curls. In any case, tThank you from a recent air fryer convert!u!
Hi Terry, I haven’t heard about rinsing bacon. That’s interesting.
Actually, I read a tip somewhere that sounded silly at first, but water works as a great starter for frying bacon on the stove. The idea is that the bacon soaks up some of the water. Let the water evaporate while the bacon cooks on medium, and then when it’s done, it’s still crispy without being brittle or too hard.
How do you keep the bacon from curling up, mine did not look like your pictures
Hi Madeline, it can curl up moe if the bacon is very thinly sliced. Also, flipping the bacon halfway helps but it’s not really necessary for it to cook properly.
Hi Madeline, I haven’t had that experience, but we also don’t do anything special besides laying the bacon down flat and following the recipe tips. I would make sure your temperature isn’t set higher than called for so it’s not cooking too fast. I hope it works better for you next time!
Try snipping the outside edge in a few places. Even though there is no rind it helps.
38 calories?!? I need to find this magical bacon!! 😁 I actually want to thank you for putting up the nutrition facts on your recipes. It really helps arrange our day, in terms of spending calories. Although, this one seems a little off target 🎯
Can you cook two racks of bacon at the same time?
Hi Pete, if your Air Fryer allows for that, you can try it out! I hope you love this recipe!
Thank you soooo much for this recipe. It is the best! In the past I have avoided cooking bacon on th stove or in the oven because of the greasy mess. After trying your recipe in my air frier, as you stated, I will be cooking bacon this way from now on. It is so quick and easy. As for messiness…there was NO MESS! I followed your recipe to the letter. The only thing I basically needed to clean was my air frier. I drained the grease after ever batch so all I had to do was put the washable basket unit in the sink with soap and hot water. Rinse, let dry and Done! GREAT!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Sheila!
Great recipes I don’t use mine much
I hope you use it more with our recipes, Lynne!
What air fryer is recommended fr a family of 2?
Quality important not price
Hi Rita, for a family of 2, I would go with the basket-style air fryer.
I recommend Ninja XL grill … LOVE IT!!! Only for 2 of us!
I really wanted to love this bacon but it just isn’t the same or as good as even microwaved bacon. It was crispy but chewy too which was weird .. and it wasn’t thick cut bacon, and that’s exactly why I don’t buy thick sliced bacon.
I wonder if you over-fried it? I haven’t had that experience with it being chewy. Maybe it was a certain type of bacon? Also, keep an eye on it since not all air fryers are created equal. You can always open and check on it and keep cooking if needed.
i had this isse too. I think it was because i put too much thick sliced baccon in basket. will try again with fewer slices and see what happens.
My oven has an air fryer mode so is it the same?
Hi Marlene, I would recommend checking your owner manual to see if any adjustments need to be made, but I bet that could work similarly!
I tried it out the first time in the air fryer and it came out perfect. Thanks Natasha.
You are very welcome, Rosemarie. Glad you loved it!
Can you do the trending wool roll bread
Hi Hana, thanks for your suggestion. I’ll try to add that to the list.
Natasha, I just read your air fryer bacon experience. My question, was it really a very easy clean up, no mess on the machine? What about inside?
We love bacon, I hate the mess of grease, everywhere, especially in the oven when I have cooked it in the oven.
Also, I just love all your recipes and your videos. Thank you for sharing your cooking passion.
Thank you so much for your good comments and appreciation. Yes, it was very easy and not messy compared to other methods that I have tried. You should give it a try!
I’ve seen posts where people put a slice of bread under the basket to soak up the fat. Personally speaking I save the fat for cooking (roasted veggies/potatoes, yorkshire’s, fried eggs, etc.)k. I will definitely give AF bacon a try now. Thanks so much for all your great recipes and cooking tips and videos Natasha.
You’re Welcome, Sue!
For greasy things like this, I line the inside/bottom of the air fryer with foil to collect the grease and stay clean. Not the basket, but under the basket, so air still flows properly. With Bacon, I even save the fat from the foil to use in my pan when frying eggs. I used to bake bacon in the oven, and even then, foil is your best friend. But of course, if you are worried about cleaning, and don’t use foil, just wash while its still warm before the grease hardens, like with any other non-stick pan. No worries!
Heaven on earth!! We go through a lot of bacon. I usually hate making it, since it can take forever & grease gets everywhere, but not this way! It was perfect! Easy clean up & so much quicker!
Yay! What a wonderful comment and review, thank you for sharing that with us. Glad you loved this recipe, Kristyn!
I think this is the best way to cook bacon! Quick & so crispy! I have found my new way!
That’s just awesome, Natalie!
Ah, I’m going to try the basket and see how it turns out! Thanks for the tips.
You’re welcome, Kim! I hope you enjoy this recipe!