If you have an air fryer and have been wondering "can you make bacon in the air fryer", the answer is a big fat YES!
Cooking crispy bacon in the air fryer might be my favorite use of the air fryer yet.
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There are several methods, times and temperatures out there but if you want the crispiest, most evenly cooked bacon, you'll want to use my method.
The biggest question is how long to cook bacon in the air fryer. It will depend on how crispy you like your bacon.
For me, I like it super crispy with almost no "chew" so I go 9 minutes. If you prefer more chew to your bacon, subtract a minute or two from the cook time.
What I love about air fryer bacon - The bacon is evenly cooked and super crispy. Because the rendered fat drips down into the bottom basket, the bacon is not cooking in its own grease.
Instructions
Place the bacon in the air fryer basket. My preference is to cut the bacon slice in half first. I find it fits best this way.
Question: Do I need to line the air fryer with foil when cooking bacon?
Answer: No. It is a personal preference. My older model of air fryer didn't clean up as easily as my new one so I would line the bottom with foil.
If your air fryer cleans up easily, like my COSORI model does then there is no need for foil. I tested both with foil and without and moving forward will opt to not waste the foil.
Cook bacon in air fryer at 370 degrees F for 9 minutes.
Let the bacon sit in the air fryer for one minute after timer goes off.
Use tongs to remove the bacon from the air fryer.
You will find that you probably don't even need to place on a paper towel before serving, as with oven cooked bacon or pan-fried bacon.
FAQ
No.
Yes, if you follow the temperature and time I recommend, you will not have smoke when cooking bacon in the air fryer.
Top Tip
If you are making back-to-back batches of bacon, be sure to wipe out the grease in between batches. Leaving the rendered grease in the air fryer can cause smoke and a lot of it.
Recipes using bacon
Printable Recipe Card
Air Fryer Bacon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon
Instructions
- Cut bacon slices in half and arrange in air fryer basket.
- Set temp to 370 °F and set time to 9 minutes. After 9 minutes is up, allow to sit for 1 minute more.
- Use tongs to remove bacon from air fryer and serve.
Mimi says
Interesting! So where does the grease go?
foodyschmoody says
It drips down to the outer basket. You can choose to line the basket w/ foil for super easy clean up.