Making Air Fryer Bacon is so EASY! Enjoy crisp and evenly cooked bacon in under 10 minutes with the easiest cleanup. This is my family’s go-to method for cooking small batches of bacon.
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Air Fryer Bacon
We love Air Fryer Recipes like Air Fryer Chicken Wings and Air Fryer Baked Potatoes, 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.
Helpful Reader Reviews
“Oh my goodness! Thank you Natasha.Crisp and no greasy splatters all over the kitchen.Fantastic, just fantastic.” – Heather ★★★★★
“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…” – Sheila ★★★★★
How to Cook Bacon in Air Fryer
- Arrange bacon in a single layer without overlapping to ensure even airflow and crisping.
- Air Fry at 350˚F for 7-10 minutes, or to your desired crispness (see cooking time chart below). It varies depending on the thickness of your bacon.
- Drain – Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess fat and enjoy!
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.
Do I have to preheat the air fryer?
This depends on your air fryer. Some air fryers recommend preheating, but it is not necessary for bacon and I never preheat my air fryer for anything, to be very honest.
Can I use turkey bacon?
Yes, if you want to use turkey bacon, this recipe works great. Just cook the turkey bacon as you would regular bacon. Since turkey bacon is leaner and thinner, reduce the cooking time and air fry for 5-7 minutes
Does Bacon need to be flipped in the air fryer?
Since the air circulates, there’s no need to flip the bacon halfway. It will be perfectly crispy on both sides.
How to prevent bacon smoking?
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. Another tip that was shared by one of our readers is to put a thin slice of bread flat in the bottom of the air fryer (beneath the basket – this only works in the basket-style air fryer) to absorb grease, simplify cleaning, and reduce smoking.
You only have to try cooking bacon in the Air Fryer once for it to become your new favorite way to cook bacon.
Use Cooked Bacon for
- Sandwiches – BLT Sandwich, Breakfast Sandwich, or Eggs Benedict
- With Eggs – Omelettes, Scrambled Eggs, Poached Eggs, or Deviled Eggs
- Wraps – Tortilla Breakfast Wrap, or Chicken Wrap – Valentina’s Corner
- Salad – Pasta Caesar salad – Valentina’s Corner
- Topping for Pierogi, Zuppa Toscana, or Clam Chowder
Crispy Air Fryer Bacon
Ingredients
- 5 slices bacon , (6 oz regular bacon, or 8-12 oz thick-cut bacon)
Instructions
- Place the bacon strips in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Cut strips in half if needed to fit more.
- 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.
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
I have an oven with air fry. I did this recipe with the temperature on 350. After 7 minutes I opened the oven to check how it was cooking and the room was filled with smoke. Apparently the smoke level for bacon is much lower than 350. After cooking for 20 minutes the bacon was still uncooked. I gave up and finished frying it in the skillet. Maybe this recipe works in the small individual air fryers, but it does not work in an oven equiped with air fry.
Thanks for this recipe! Ended up doing thick cut bacon at 350F for 17 minutes (no preheat) and it comes out perfectly crisp!
Wow!!! Honestly i don’t have air fryer. Everytime i go shopping i dont see air fryers anywhere! Maybe perhaps i can try Amazon! I ‘m in love with your cookbook!!
Hi Teresa! Thank you. So glad you’re enjoying the cookbook. I linked the air fryer above. You can also select “shop” from the menu at the top of the page to see a few options linked in my amazon affiliate shop.
I just got the Instant Vortex Plus air fryer at Target last month and we are loving this thing! Even my kids are using it to cook their nuggets instead of using the darn microwave! So glad we bought it! Trying this bacon in the air fryer now.
Good morning beautiful, I got my air fryer on Temu for $40. I hope this helps you. I am just learning myself. I hope you have a blessed day. Michele
This is so good and easy for small batches…I put day old bread in bottom to soak up all the grease. Makes easy clean up.
Great recipes Natasha I got your cookbook for Christmas. You are a a amazing cook
I’m so glad you got the book!
My air fryer is built into my toaster oven, can I cook bacon in that? Nervous of the grease splatting.
Yes that would work too.
I don’t have an an air fryer. Can this be cooked on the stove
Hi Darlene, yes it can be done, but this recipe is specifically adapter for an air fryer since it is quicker and helps keep the mess/ smell.
Does this not make a mess of the heating element of the air fryer with all the grease splatter?
Hello! You can use parchment paper to help with the grease. This is so far less messyn compared to other methods.
I have limited counter space. Small Apt. Are there small air fryers ?
Hi Tom! I linked the air fryer in the post above so you could go see the dimensions listed in the details to see if it fits on your countertop.
Tom, yes there are small air fryers. Measure the space where you want to put one and take the measurements with you to shop. There will be at least one and probably many more you can choose from. Air fryers are GREAT!
Dash makes a really small one. I use it for my condo in Waikiki. They also come in several colors and are reasonably priced. Easy to clean as well.
So easy!
I used some thin, old bread slices in the drip pan after lining it with parchment paper.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Doris!
if the slices are old, they’re probably ready as bread crumbs too. I’ll try that with the papertowel
I love this method of cooking bacon! Thank u. I put a slice of bread in the bottom of my air fryer for even easier clean up!
So much easier! You’re very welcome, Erin!
This may be bc my air fryer requires a higher temp but I had to cook at 400 for like 15 mins :/ not ideal but again it could be my air fryer
I made this bacon and loved it. At the half way point I turned the bacon over and his stopped it from curling.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Gail. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Bacon was perfect at 9 mins. Crisp, no burn, not greasy this is now my goto method.