My kid's love bacon! I on the other hand don't particularly enjoy cooking it. The clean up isn't always the easiest. But now you can make air fryer bacon without all the grease! Surely, you have five minutes to whip this up in the morning!
There is a reason that the saying doesn’t go, “wake up and smell the whole wheat toast.” Bacon is a beloved breakfast food, and for many, an all day long treat. It can also be an ingredient in many other dishes. It makes a great topping for salads, potato soup, cheesy bread, pizza, mac and cheese, an ingredient for sandwiches or breakfast sandwiches. If you are a bacon lover, or if any of the recipe ideas above called out to you, then you may already be thinking about cooking your bacon as extra time in your morning routine, or as one more step on a recipe. If you are as busy as I am, you may be turned off by the idea of extra steps or extra time – not to mention the extra time spent cleaning up from what can be a bit of a messy thing to cook. But fear not, because I have your answer to these concerns – air fryer bacon! Bacon cooked in the air fryer is quick, easy, and requires minimal clean up. Plus, it produces perfectly crispy bacon every time! It makes cooking bacon a breeze!
Why You'll Love This Air Fryer Bacon
- Less Mess – I absolutely love how simple it is to clean up after making air fryer bacon. Your air fryer catches the grease for you, and the only thing you will need to wash is your air fryer basket. And unlike with stovetop cooking, you don’t have to worry about grease splattering or dripping on the range and counter.
- Crispy in a Crunch – If you love bacon in the mornings, but tend to be crunched for time, this is an awesome choice for you. Unlike ovens, most fryers don’t require preheating, and unlike stovetops, air fryers don’t require a lot of babysitting, so you can throw your bacon into the air fryer while you are getting ready for your day! It is a great way to save time on dinner as well. If you are cooking a recipe with bacon in it, shave a little time off it by making your air fryer in the bacon while you work on other steps.
Ingredients For Air Fryer Bacon
- Bacon – Any kind of bacon will work. Most air fryers will make about 5 or 6 strips of bacon at a time, which is usually about half a pack.
How to Make Bacon in Air Fryer
- Place your bacon in the fryer basket in a single layer. A little bit of overlapping is okay, but avoid overcrowding, so that your bacon will crisp properly.
- Cook your bacon at 400F for 5 minutes.
- Check the basket to make sure your bacon isn’t overlapping too much. Rearrange the bacon if needed
- Continue cooking for 5 more minutes, or until bacon reaches desired crispiness.
Step by Step Instructions For Bacon In the Air Fryer
Start by arranging your bacon in the air fryer basket. You can fit about 5-6 slices of bacon in most air fryers, which is around half a package of bacon. If you want to cook more than that, simply work in batches.
Make sure that your bacon is not overlapping completely. You only want one single layer of bacon cooking at a time. It is okay if the edges overlap some. Cook your bacon at 400F for 5 minutes.
Check on the bacon to see if needs to be rearranged. Cook for about 5 more minutes, or until bacon is cooked to desired crispiness. Note that thicker cuts of bacon may take a minute or two longer than thinner cuts of bacon. If it is your first time making bacon in a fryer, or if you prefer it on the chewier side, it may be a good idea to check on your bacon at around 8 minutes. Place bacon on a paper towel lined plate to cool off.
Enjoy warm!
Cook's Tips
- One great thing about the air fryer is that it is safer for kids to get more active in the kitchen. If you have kids who are old enough to operate the air fryer, you can give them a little more responsibility by allowing them to prepare bacon in the mornings! Just make sure you teach them which parts of the fryer get hot for precaution.
- Tongs are great to have on hand for removing the cooked bacon from the air fryer basket.
- Save your bacon grease in the refrigerator or make ice cubes out of it and store in the freezer for later use. Use leftover bacon grease to pop popcorn, in place of oil for frying or roasting your favorite meats or veggies or even grilled cheese sandwiches. It's even great substitution of butter in baked goods, or incorporate it into gravies or sauces. You can also use it to make baked or refried beans. The possibilities are practically endless!
FAQ
Cook your bacon in the air fryer on 400F for about 10 minutes.
It is safe to cook bacon in the air fryer. It can be less risky and less messy than using a stovetop or oven to cook it!
Avoid cooking anything that is very wet in the air fryer. This includes things with a wet batter, or leafy greens. Avoid using it to cook anything that would melt in the air fryer, like any frozen meals that include a sauce or cheese. Don’t try to use the air fryer to cook anything that requires water for cooking, such as raw pasta or grains.
Unfortunately, no. The air fryer definitely helps make some recipes healthier by reducing the need for added oil. Since bacon is already cooked without any oil, using the air fryer won’t really do much else to make it healthier. Keep in mind that the longer you cook bacon, the more fat cooks off. Crispier bacon will be lower in fat than chewy bacon. This is about the only way one can make bacon healthier.
Looking for more Air Fryer Recipes? Try These:
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Air Fryer Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 package of bacon
Instructions
- Place your bacon in the air fryer basket in a single layer. A little bit of overlapping is okay, but avoid overcrowding, so that your bacon will crisp properly.
- Cook your bacon at 400F for 5 minutes.
- Check the basket to make sure your bacon isn’t overlapping too much. Rearrange the bacon if needed.
- Continue cooking for 5 more minutes, or until bacon reaches desired crispiness.
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