Easy Oven Baked Keto Bacon (Perfectly Crispy Like a Chip!)

Making bacon in the oven is life-changing. It ends up being crispier, there’s less of a mess/cleanup and you can cook an entire batch at one time without needing to flip it!

This oven baked bacon recipe and cooking method gives you perfectly crisp bacon every time without the splatter and makes the perfect keto-friendly bacon for breakfast, a snack or addition to a burger, wrap or on your favorite BLT.

4 Reasons Why Oven Baked Keto Bacon is Better

Why should you cook bacon in the oven vs. frying? Here are some key reasons why:

• You can cook other things while the bacon is in the oven. Now your hands are free to cook pancakes or waffles, whip up a smoothie, or fry some eggs.
• It’s splatter-free. When cooking bacon in the oven, you’re protected from any errant splatters. Minimize risk and clean-up.
• It cooks the bacon evenly and all at once. No need to fry your bacon in batches even if you’re cooking for a huge group.
• It’s really hard to get wrong. Even if you’re a newbie to cooking bacon in the oven, it’s an easy and straightforward process.

Which Pan is Best for Really Crispy Oven Baked Bacon? (Tip: Use a Rack!)

To get really crispy oven baked bacon, all you have to do is use a cooling rack. Yes, the same rack you would use for cooling cookies is the same one that helps turn out crispy bacon.

I like using a cooling rack because it has holes where the bacon fat can drip through, unlike laying the bacon strips flat on a baking sheet where they would just be soaking in their own fat.

How to Make Bacon in the Oven (Tips for Perfectly Cooked Bacon Every Time)

Now that you know which rack to use, here are some other tips to ensure your bacon comes out perfectly each time:

• Make sure your bacon slices are all the same sizes. Smaller pieces will finish cooking sooner than larger pieces, so make sure your bacon strips are all the same size for even cooking.
• Space your bacon strips apart. No overlapping so that all your bacon strips turn out crispy from edge to edge.
• Use the right temperature and cooking time. The sweet spot for crispy bacon is 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes. Too high a temperature might burn your bacon without the fat enough time to render. Too low a temperature and you’ll be waiting forever for soggy bacon.

What to Do with Bacon Grease (How Do I Get Rid of Bacon Grease Without Burning Myself?)

Once you’re done cooking your bacon, you can simply leave the bacon grease on the baking sheet in the oven until it cools. Once it cools, it will solidify and make it easier and safer to discard.

However, if you’d like to save the bacon grease for later (it’s excellent for making fried eggs!), you can store the bacon grease in a glass container. I like to use mason jars for this.

Simply drain the cooled (but not solid) bacon grease into your glass jar by tilting the baking sheet downwards on one corner. Wipe off the residual grease with a paper towel.

Do not discard the bacon grease in the kitchen sink as it could clog your drain.

Is All Bacon Keto-Friendly? (Ingredients/Additives to Avoid)

Even though bacon should be keto-friendly since its raw form is composed of only protein and fat, not all commercially available bacon is keto-friendly. That’s because some varieties contain certain ingredients and additives like high fructose corn syrup, refined sugar or honey that act as both flavoring and preservative.

Also, some types of bacon are cured with sodium nitrite, which can increase your risk of cancer because it produces nitrosamines. (1)

Monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer, is another common additive to bacon. When consumed in large amounts, it has been shown to cause headaches, nausea, muscle weakness and more. (2)

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P.S. Love bacon, but looking for more of a snack? Take a look at these crave-worthy (and homemade) keto bacon chips.