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. 
First time doing bacon in the air fryer! I did your suggested 350 degrees for 9 minutes. At the ding, I checked and they had curled into balls 😂 As a result I had to put a couple of them in longer because the middle part of said bacon ball was not as cooked. Next time I shall try a tiny metal rack inside the air fryer to hold those babies down.
Came out perfect. Did thin sliced low sodium bacon on 350 for 9 minutes. I covered my pan w/ tinfoil, although it still sprayed all throughout the oven but much smaller mess to clean up and the bacon was the best ever. Question: can I layer trays to make more than 5 slices at a time? Or will it drip onto the lower bacon?
Hi Sonia! I’m not sure how the layering would work. If there is enough room for air to circulate between the trays I think that would be fine. Laying a piece of parchment paper on top of the bacon can help prevent some splatter.
I also love the air fryer bacon. However, the grease from the bacon gets all over the heating element of the fryer. I have no idea how to remove the heating element to clean it and I don’t want it to catch fire. Any suggestions?
Hi Katie! I do not, sorry. I would check with the manufacturer, (maybe their website) to see if they provide information on how to properly clean the product.
Perfect with a little tweaking. I have a Sur La Table air fryer that has trays. I cooked 4 thick slice bacon on top tray for 9 minutes at 350. Then blasted the bacon for 2 minutes on broil setting.
Mom said “this is how bacon is supposed to taste” crispy without being burned and dried out
Thank you for sharing, Cin!
Wow. I’m trying to use my air fryer more and was making a BLT. Found your recipe. It is so simple but was perfect. I lined my air fryer basket with aluminum foil and followed your recipe. My turkey bacon came out perfectly. Crispy in 9 minutes. It is perfect. Thank you.
That’s great. Thank you for sharing that with me.
I place bread slices in the bottom of my air fryer to soak up the drippings
Great idea. Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I just made my first batch! Delicious, but curled up in a ball! Help!!!!!
Hi Sharon, If you have particularly thin or fatty pieces of bacon, they curl up on you as the water evaporates from the meat and the belly fat renders. You can research ways to help keep their shape, like placing a wire rack on top while they cook.
Thank you for posting this method of preparing bacon. I followed your instructions and the bacon was so good. I then cooked it for an addtional minute at a time (I think three times) until it was crispy. And when I let it cool, it crumbled perfectly for a salad!
Hi Robert! I’m glad you loved it. Thanks for the feedback.
Easy to follow recipe. Bacon was cooked perfectly. I’ll be cooking Bacon this way from now on.
Yay, great to hear that this is going to be your new favorite way of making bacon!
Put 2 pieces of bread in the very bottom of the air fryer, underneath the tray, to soak up the grease and prevent smoking
Either my cheap azz air fryer is weak or ur temp and time is way off. I did first batch at 350° as recommended. 10 minutes was still a bit raw.. 15 I guess edible.. 20.. I’m finally eating. All I’m saying is it’s a great way to keep ur house cool (as we all know the oven method is best). But you just need to know your air fryer.
Hi Christopher, I took a look through the comments since I haven’t had that experience, I would double check your air fryer temperature recommendation, Air Fryer’s could vary in temperature, but we found it was perfectly cooked by the recipe time. I hope you give it another try soon.
Recipe was just simply delicious I love the air fried bacon not only was it healthy but it really did taste good I definitely recommend this five stars like literally five stars this is yummy.😋👍😋😋😋😋😋👍👍👍👍🤤🤤🤤🤤
Hi Darrell! Thank you for the wonderful feedback and review. I’m so glad you loved it.
Such a wide variety of experiences! I have an InstaPot Omni. First try with bacon:
3 slices (thick cut), 350 deg for 4 minutes, drip pan under the basket, air fry (not bake – no preheat needed). Perfect; no splatter, no curling, bacon light crispy.
Read the comments and decided to try 370 F for 10 minutes and turned out perfect!
I’m glad to hear that, Lisa!
Tried this today! Be sure to check the bacon halfway through. The air will blow it around and it’ll get all curled up together and some pieces wont cook thoroughly.
Tried 350F for 10 min = cooked bacon but just barely crispy and still floppy.
370F is wussup for perfectly crisped bacon.
A cast iron skillet is the only way for us southern boys. The air fryer method is a mess to clean up. In the south, we sav e the bacon grease for cornbread, also cooked in the same cast iron skillet.
Not at my house. I don’t cook nothing in my cornbread skillet but cornbread!
Just a little tip I learned for air frying bacon in a ‘basket’ style fryer. Put one or two slices of bread under the basket part. It absorbs the grease and less likely to smoke/catch fire. Works great!
Thank you for the tip, we appreciate it!
Hi Natasha,
Love all your recipes. I hace the silver basket on the right. Where does all the grease get soaked up? Thank you. Jo❤️
Hi Jo! If you’re using a toaster oven air fryer, it should come with a tray that you would put the basket on top of to catch all the grease drippings. You can apply foil to the tray for easy clean up.
I just got an email from Amazon that the Cosori Premium 5.8 Quart Air Fryer I purchased is being RECALLED due to danger of electrical fire.
Thank you for sharing that info with us, Bonnie.
HI Daivd, I save the grease from the air fryer. I just pour it into my jar…all good. And then the greasy mess from cooking the bacon on my stove is confined to a little basket that I can quickly clean with a little running hot water and some Dawn. I guess it just depends on how you want to spend the time.
Cosori replaced mine. I loved my first one – never any problems. But love the second one too. Be sure to ask for a replacement on their website. It is worth the trouble.