Air Fryer Bacon is so quick and easy to make and it is healthier too because you don't need lots of oil. No oil splatter to clean up either and you get perfectly cooked bacon every time. You can use your favourite bacon for this hands-off cooking method and it takes just 8 minutes.
Perfectly crispy bacon, all done in the air fryer. If your family loves bacon for breakfast, then making bacon in the air fryer is going to make your life so much easier! No standing over the frying pan, minimal clean up and you can use any bacon.
If you are looking for other ways to use your air fryer, then why not try our Air Fryer Tortilla Chips, Air Fryer Sausages, Air Fryer Roast Potatoes, Air Fryer Broccoli or The BEST Air Fryer Chips?
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Ingredients needed
- Bacon - We used streaky smoked pork bacon for this, however that is just our preference. If you use different bacon, then you may need to adjust how many slices you cook at a time, depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Spray oil - This is to stop the bacon sticking to the air fryer.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make Air Fryer bacon - Step by step
One: Spray the inside of the air fryer basket and place the bacon in a single layer. You may need to cut the bacon rashers to make it fit.
Two: Set your air fryer to cook at 180°C for 8 minutes.
Three: After 4 minutes, open the air fryer and turn the bacon. Cook for the remaining 4 minutes.
Why should you try it?
- Healthier - Unlike frying, you don't need to use loads of oil to cook bacon in the air fryer. This recipe is a much lighter option.
- Quick - This bacon is ready in just 8 minutes, which is the same time as frying it, but much quicker than cooking it in the oven.
- Easy - You don't have to stand over the pan, turning them every couple of minutes to stop them burning. You just turn them once and you have perfectly cooked bacon.
- Minimal clean up - No oily pan and oil splattered walls to clean up. Just the air fryer and that's super easy.
What is an air fryer?
Our air fryer is one of our favourite kitchen appliances, because it cooks our favourite meals quicker and healthier. They work by cooking food by rapidly circulating hot air around. It gives (most foods) a crispy texture with much less oil than frying or roasting. By cooking this way, the air circulation cooks food evenly and nothing sticks. See below in the FAQs for our recommendation of which air fryer is the best.
Why use an air fryer?
- Air fryers are a healthier way to cook food. You can get crispy food, like chips, bacon and sausages with much less oil than frying or baking.
- They are quick and easy to turn on and they heat up quickly, so you don't have to wait for an oven to heat up.
- Air fryers usually cook food in less time than it would take to roast it. This bacon would take around 20 minutes in the oven, but it cooks in the air fryer in just 8 minutes. You can fry it in the same amount of time, but there is more chance of burning it and you have to use more oil.
- They might take up a fair amount of space on your countertop, but they are so versatile that you will use them over and over again. They are very easy to clean too.
- There is nothing worse than using your oven on a hot day, and heating up the whole kitchen. Using the air fryer stops this from happening.
- Using an air fryer means more space in the oven. This is especially important if you’re cooking a big meal like Christmas dinner and need your oven space for the meat and potatoes.
Health Benefits
We all know that bacon isn't the healthiest food out there and it's definitely one that we like to limit, but we still do very much enjoy it. However, cooking bacon in the air fryer does have some benefits. It has less calories and fat compared to frying it in oil in a pan.
You can also use this method to cook turkey bacon. The cooking time will be less, as it is leaner.
Variations
The only ingredient is the bacon, so there isn't much that you can change up. However, you can cook any bacon you want to in the air fryer, band you can cook it to varying degrees of crispiness. Here is our time guide for bacon:
Cooked bacon: 7 minutes
Crispy: 8 minutes
Very crispy: 9-10 minutes
What to serve with air fryer bacon
Bacon and eggs are the perfect match. Why not try our Microwave Fried Eggs, Microwave Scrambled Eggs, Microwave Poached Eggs or Oven Baked Eggs?
Some kind of bread is a must goes well with bacon! We love serving this with our Homemade Easy Bagels. Or if you want to try making your own loaf of bread, then why not try our Easy White Loaf Recipe? You could also fold it up in our Homemade Flatbreads with some beans, eggs, salsa and guacamole for a breakfast wrap/burrito.
We are a big fan of a classic BLT sandwich though!
If you are looking for some recipes that use bacon, then why not try our Easy Bacon Pasta, Chopped Blue Cheese Salad or Butterbean Soup?
Storage
Store: You can store cooked bacon in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freeze: Once it is fully cooled, you can wrap them up in paper towel and put them in a freezer bag and they will keep for up to a month.
Defrost: Defrost in the fridge overnight.
Reheat: You can reheat them in the air fryer too. Put them in at 180°C for about 2 minutes until they are heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
We can't rate highly enough the Power Air Fryer XL. The 5 litre capacity is big enough for cooking for the whole family and it can fry, grill, bake, sauté, roast and steam. There are simple touch screen controls and it heats up quickly and can cook your food up to 70% faster than a conventional oven. Also, it's dishwasher safe.
No, there is no need to preheat the air fryer for this recipe. If you want super crispy bacon, then you could preheat it for 5 minutes first.
It is safe to cook raw bacon in the air fryer, but you need to make sure that you use the proper temperature and that your air fryer is clean before you begin.
Yes, you can use turkey bacon with no changes needed.
This will depend on how you like your bacon cooked. We have given a guide above for how long to cook bacon for depending on how you like it.
You can, but only if your air fryer is big enough for more to fit in a single layer.
If you have problems with your air fryer smoking when cooking bacon, then the temperature is too high. You want to cook it at 180C/350F. Also make sure that there is no leftover grease in the air fryer before cooking the bacon.
Extra tips
- This recipe is based on the air fryer we have used and mentioned above. Using a different air fryer may mean that cooking times vary. It is best to check the bacon after after 4 minutes.
- We cut our bacon slices in half to be able to fit them and cooked it in batches. You could curl/fold them up a little, but make sure they are in single layers and not overlapping.
- Turn the bacon half way through. This makes sure that it doesn't get stuck to the basket and they are cooked evenly.
- You don't have to add any oil to the air fryer, but we do find that it stops the bacon from sticking. This is important if you are using very lean bacon.
- Make sure the bacon is in a single layer in the air fryer.
- Transfer the bacon on to paper towel after cooking to blot off any excess oil.
- Empty out any grease from your air fryer before cooking another batch.
- Thick cut bacon will take longer to cook.
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Recipe
Air Fryer Bacon
Ingredients
- 10 sprays spray oil
- 6 rasher streaky bacon
Instructions
- Spray the inside of the air fryer basket and place the bacon in a single layer. You may need to cut the bacon rashers to make it fit.
- Set your air fryer to cook at 180°C for 8 minutes.
- After 4 minutes, open the air fryer and turn the bacon. Cook for the remaining 4 minutes.
Notes
- This recipe is based on the air fryer we have used and mentioned above. Using a different air fryer may mean that cooking times vary. It is best to check the bacon after after 4 minutes.
- We cut our bacon slices in half to be able to fit them and cooked it in batches. You could curl/fold them up a little, but make sure they are in single layers and not overlapping.
- Turn the bacon half way through. This makes sure that it doesn't get stuck to the basket and they are cooked evenly.
- You don't have to add any oil to the air fryer, but we do find that it stops the bacon from sticking. This is important if you are using very lean bacon.
- Make sure the bacon is in a single layer in the air fryer.
- Transfer the bacon on to paper towel after cooking to blot off any excess oil.
- Empty out any grease from your air fryer before cooking another batch.
- Thick cut bacon will take longer to cook.
Iryna Bychkiv
This bacon looks perfectly crispy. I bet it's yummy when crumbled in a salad or pizza.
Anjali
I had no idea it was so easy to make bacon in the air fryer!! It was so much easier than the oven and turned out perfectly crispy!
Hailey
Brilliant! I love oven bacon, but this takes less time and is just as crispy. Thanks for sharing.
Jess
This is life-changing!! Way better than any other method of cooking bacon.
Cara
I'll never go back to cooking bacon any other way! Thanks so much for this insight!
Emily
Bacon in 8 minutes!? I received an air fryer for Christmas and know this recipe will become a regular in our house!
Eliza
Bacon cooked in the air fryer is such a great idea! I love that it's a bit healthier than regular fried bacon, and appreciate your recipe suggestions, too. Another winner from Hungry Healthy Happy!
Hayley Dhanecha
What a great recipe. Absolutely loving my air fryer, a very handy machine in my kitchen.
Jacqueline Meldrum
I recently got an air fryer too and I have to say I am loving it. Super handy in the kitchen.
Carrie Robinson
I had never thought to make bacon in my air fryer before! Totally going to try this soon. :)
Michelle
I had to try this and it turned out great! So crisp and perfect!
Ieva
Great tips! I am a novice at cooking in an air-fryer as only had one since last Christmas, but this turned out great. Very crispy and ridiculously quick to make!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
This was amazing and such a treat! Thank you!