Cooking bacon in the oven is splatter-free and hands off! If you are a bacon lover but tired of the bacon mess, this recipe will show you how to cook crispy oven baked bacon, the easy way.

Are you a bacon lover but dread cooking it? I use to avoid making bacon because of the mess and splatter that stove top bacon would produce. It wasn’t until I discovered this oven baked method that has made cooking bacon super easy with minimal cleanup.

Cooking Bacon in the Oven is Better (5 Reasons Why!)

Splatter-Free: No more splatter and spit of grease on your stove, counters, cabinets, appliances or your clothes.
Safer: Hot oil can splatter unto your skin and face, causing burns and sometimes serious injuries. Not to mention, it is not safe when kids are around.
Cooks Evenly: Baked bacon cooks more evenly than on a stove top that has hot and cold spots. Oven cooked bacon means more control over how you like your bacon cooked, chewy or crispy.
Bigger Batches: Cook larger servings of bacon faster and easier in the oven.
Easy Cleanup: Baked bacon is cooked in a baking sheet and parchment paper. Simply dispose of the parchment paper and rinse the baking sheet.

What You Need for Splatter-Free Bacon

To make the perfect oven baked bacon, all you need is the following:

Bacon – if possible, buy sugar-free, nitrate-free. I recommend average thickness bacon if you like it crispy. Thick cut bacon is harder to crisp up.
Baking sheet – aluminum sheet pan, ceramic or stainless steel.
Parchment paper – I do not recommend aluminum foil because it does splatter and spit grease in the oven, resulting in smoking and possibly setting your fire alarms off. Using aluminum foil can also cause your bacon to stick to the foil.

This is a mess- free, splatter-free bacon recipe, choose parchment paper instead. The bacon will get crispy because it is cooked in its own grease, while the parchment paper does not cause splatter.

Pieces of crispy oven baked bacon on baking sheet

Here’s How to Make Baked Bacon & How Long to Cook

Preheat your oven at 400F.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Evenly place bacon strips on baking sheet in a single layer. It is ok if the bacon pieces touch, just don’t layer bacon on top of one another.
Bake for 12-17 minutes. Start checking the bacon for your preferred doneness (chewy or crispy) at 12 minutes. Thick cut bacon cooks for 17-20 mins.
Remove bacon and place on paper towel, if desired.
Serve & Enjoy

Cooked crispy oven baked bacon on baking sheet

Pro Tips & Tricks

Don’t use aluminum foil.

Don’t use a baking rack. Bacon will stick.

Preheat oven – more predictable and evenly cooked.