Air Fryer Bacon is SO easy to make and results in perfectly cooked bacon every.single.time. You’re going to love this quick and easy method for making perfect bacon! (Don’t have an air fryer? No problem! Let me show you how to bake bacon in the oven!)
More breakfast favorites to try: Buttermilk Pancakes, my favorite biscuit recipe, and this easy Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole!
Almost a decade ago I posted a tutorial on how to bake bacon in the oven. It’s been pinned over a million times and is still one of my most popular recipes. We bake our bacon almost exclusively and had no plans to change until this last Christmas when my husband bought me my first air fryer.
We’ve had fun air frying up all the usual stuff and have even come up with tasty recipes like bacon wrapped asparagus and air fryer garlic Parmesan Brussels sprouts (coming soon!) but probably the recipe we find ourself making the most is this easy air fryer bacon.
Bacon is the Perfect Breakfast Side
We’re serving up a side of bacon with these breakfast favorites:
- Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
- Stuffed French Toast
- Lemon Blueberry Scones
- Buttermilk Pancakes
- Perfect Biscuit Recipe
Can You Cook Bacon in An Air Fryer?
That was my initial question. Bacon in air fryer? Was it even possible to cook bacon in an air fryer? Trust me when I say you will be thrilled with the results.
Not only can you cook bacon in your air fryer, but the bacon cooks faster this way than on the stove top or in the oven and gets really crispy. The limiting factor is the size of your air fryer. Larger baskets can hold more strips of bacon.
If you have a smaller family, you may only need to do one batch of bacon but for larger families, be prepared to do two or more batches.
How To Cook Bacon In The Air Fryer
Bacon comes in all shapes and sizes so you will need to keep a close eye on the bacon the first time around until you get a feel for how quickly your bacon will cook. The thicker the bacon, the longer you’ll need. Cooking bacon in the air fryer is so simple and takes just about 15 minutes.
- Preheat the air fryer to 350F.
I recommend starting with 350F on the first go around and adjusting up or down as needed. You may like your bacon a little crispier and might find that a higher temperature like 375F or 400F works better for you.
- Pour water into the bottom of your air fryer to minimize smoke.
- Place bacon in a single layer into the preheated air fryer basket. Feel free to cut bacon in half to make it fit better.
- Cook for 8 to 10 minutes for thinner bacon and 12 to 15 minutes for thicker cut bacon.
How Do I Keep My Air Fryer From Smoking When Cooking Bacon?
I go into this issue briefly in my tips and tricks section but wanted to address this issue separately as well.
Bacon has a lot of fat that drips off while it is cooking. It lands in the basket and heats to a temperature that causes it to smoke. There are two methods that you can try and see which works best for you:
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Method 1: Water
- Place a small amount of water in the drawer of the air fryer that the basket sits in. You don’t need a lot, so start with about 1/4 cup. You don’t want the water to be touching the bacon at all. Every air fryer is different so you may need to play around to find the amount of water that works with your air fryer.
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Method 2: Bread
- Place a piece of bread (or two if needed) in the drawer of the air fryer that the basket sits in. The bread will absorb the bacon grease and eliminate the smoking.
Tips and Tricks
- A common question is how long to cook bacon in air fryer? General rule of thumb, the thicker the bacon, the longer it will need. Thin bacon cooks incredibly fast, about 8 minutes, while thicker cut bacon can take up to 12 to 15 minutes depending on just how thick it is.
- For even cooking, place only a single layer of bacon in your air fryer basket. When you overlap bacon or just pile it in there, it won’t cook evenly at all.
- To keep smoke at bay, place some water in the bottom of the air fryer. You can also place a piece of bread down there which oddly works as well.
- Cut bacon strips in half to fit more in and to make the bacon fit easier in smaller air fryers.
- Pay close attention to your bacon the first few times you cook it. Check often to make sure your bacon is getting too crispy. Once you have dialed in the length of time it takes to cook the bacon to your liking, you won’t have to check on it while it cooks.
How To Enjoy Bacon In The Air Fryer
Bacon is not only a tasty side dish that’s perfect for breakfast but it’s delicious in so many other ways:
- add to salads
- perfect for BLTs and other sandwiches
- take your burger to the next level with a few slices of perfectly cooked bacon
- add to casseroles
- top your baked potatoes or baked sweet potato with some sour cream and bacon bits
Bacon Recipes
- How To Bake Bacon
- Green Beans with Bacon
- Baked Bacon Cheese Dip
- Cheesy Bacon Ranch Bread
- Bacon Jalapeño Popper Bites
- Broccoli Salad with Bacon
How To Make Air Fryer Bacon
Air Fryer Bacon
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bacon about 8 strips
- water
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer at 350F for about 5 minutes.
- Pour ¼ cup of water into the bottom of the air fryer to minimize smoke. Make sure the water is not touching the basket or bacon. (You can also place a layer of bread in the bottom of the air fryer.)
- Place bacon in a single layer into the preheated air fryer basket. Feel free to cut bacon strips in half or even in thirds to make it fit nicely.
- Cook for 8 to 10 minutes for thinner bacon and 12 to 15 minutes for thicker cut bacon.
Dr. Frederick Howard PhD says
Great recipe!! I had worked out my recipe prior to reading yours. It’s almost a perfect match. I cook @390 F for 8-10 minutes. I check at 8:00 minutes. Sometimes the bacon is ready, sometimes not until 10:00 minutes. I use thick cut, but this last batch had a few thinner slices thus finishing at the 8:00 minute mark. I have the Vortex Pro with the dual tray capability. However I only cook one tray at a time on the middle level. My second tray is already setup waiting in the refrigerator, seems to turn out better if cold and not at room temp. Sure it takes longer, but I’m never in a hurry when I get great results. So again, great work!!