Air-frying bacon is a simple three-step process in an air fryer. All it takes is 7 to 12 minutes (depending on the type of bacon, air fryer, and how you like your bacon) to get the desired results!
I would have laughed if someone had told me a few years ago that you could make something as unhealthy as bacon healthy. Fast forward to today, and fantastic air fryers make this possible.
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Cooking Bacon In An Air Fryer
This brilliant contraption magically converts all unhealthy fried, cooked foods, such as potato chips, meat, and even pastries, into healthy options—think fried chicken minus the guilt!
Instead of oil or a frying liquid, air fryers use hot air and minimal amounts of oil (15 millilitres or less) to achieve the perfectly crispy and crunchy coating that defines fried food. Lowering calories and fat in usually high-calorie, high-fat foods, without any compromise on the taste, makes air fryers the go-to for the health conscious.
Returning to bacon—air-fryer bacon is a thing, folks, and it’s here to stay! An air fryer can give you perfectly crisp, evenly cooked, delicious bacon in as little as ten minutes.
If you’re a fellow crispy bacon fan or are looking for healthy ways to cook your favourite food, here’s what you need to know about how to cook bacon in an air fryer.
Air fryers produce delicious, healthy results in half the time traditional stoves and ovens take. It’s also less messy, and there’s no hassle of pre-heating.
A simple three-step process can have your bacon cooked and ready to devour!
What Type Of Air Fryer Should You Use?
There are two types of air fryers that I experimented with for this process—a toaster-oven-style fryer and a basket-style fryer.
The basket-style fryer takes up less counter space, is ideal for cooking food for four people, and is super-easy to clean as it’s dishwasher-safe (both the basket and the liner).
The toaster-oven-style fryer is slightly bulkier but great when cooking for a big party. It may also cook faster by a minute or two.
However, I recommend looking at the instructions with your fryers to determine the features and cooking time.
Accordingly, you can adjust your process based on the results you’re looking for since some air fryer models may require preheating or work at higher temperatures and with shorter cook times to give you results.
Types Of Bacon You Can Air Fry
The cooking process applies to more or less all types of bacon. Whether your favourite type of bacon is the classic—American bacon, or even if it’s rashers or Irish bacon closer to home, you can pretty much air fry any bacon. Other bacon you could try air frying are pancetta, lardons or gipsy bacon.
You can follow the same recipe and get excellent results even if you substitute regular bacon (pork) with turkey or duck bacon. You don’t have to tweak the recipe at all.
FAQs
What If the Bacon Starts Smoking?
Firstly, bacon starts to smoke only around 205℃, so as long as you’re cooking it at the lower temperature mentioned above, your bacon should be fine. Secondly, this is why it’s essential to drain your drip pan of any fat and oil and wipe it clean before frying the next batch.
Should You Use Oil To Cook The Bacon?
Bacon already has fat in it that’s released when it cooks. This negates the need for any additional oil spray, to spray on the tray or the bacon itself.
Can You Put Foil In An Air Fryer?
Since air fryers use hot air to cook, foil can be safely used in most air fryers. Neither the foil nor the food will be ruined by this. However, I suggest checking with the manufacturer or the instruction manual to see if your air fryer allows this.
Is Air-Frying Bacon Healthier?
Definitely! The excess fat in the bacon gets rendered during the cooking process, making it much healthier than the traditional version that cooks in its own grease and/or oil and drips both once cooked.
Air Fryer Bacon Recipe
Equipment
- Paper towel
- Plate
- Tongs or a fork.
Ingredients
- 6 Bacon slices around 6 ounces of regular bacon or 8-12 ounces, if the bacon is thick-cut
Method
- Lay the strips of bacon in the air fryer basket. Ensure that the bacon is laid out in a single layer and is not overlapping. If necessary, cut the strips in half to fit all of them in the basket (bear in mind that the bacon will shrink during the cooking process).
- Air fry the bacon for seven to nine minutes, if regular, at around 176-177℃. Alternatively, you could eyeball it and cook the bacon until it’s brown and as crispy as you want it.
- If the bacon is thick cut, increase the cooking time to 10 or 12 minutes, or as needed until brown and crispy.
- While the bacon cooks, line your plate with the paper towel.
- Once the bacon is cooked, transfer it to the plate using your tongs or fork—the bacon is now ready to eat, whether you want to put it in your sandwich, salad, omelette, eat as is, or even add to your ice cream! The paper towel will suck up any excess fat.
- In case you’re cooking more than one batch of bacon in your air fryer, make sure that you clean the basket and fryer off any excess oil or fat; you could discard them in the drip pan. Repeat the cooking process after this.
- The cooking time will vary depending on how well done you like your bacon, its thickness, and the make of your air fryer as well. For soft, regular-cut bacon, 176-177℃ for 7 minutes will do; if you want it crispier, increase the cooking time to 8 or 9 minutes. If the bacon is thick-cut and you want it soft, cook it at the same temperature as above for 9 or 10 minutes, and if you want it crispier, cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
- No pre-heating of the air fryer is required for this recipe.
- I highly recommend looking at your food and judging it, at least the first few times you’re cooking it. You eat with your eyes first, after all—your eyes are the best judge of whether the food is perfectly cooked. As you get used to your air fryer, your trust in and knowledge of the machine will grow, allowing you to just let it do its thing without constant check-ins.
How To Cook Bacon In An Air Fryer: The Bottom Line
Once I’d experienced how nearly effortless it is to cook bacon in an air fryer, returning to the oven or stove seemed pointless. I mean, I had perfectly cooked, tasty bacon every single time and nearly 90% less washing up to do! Give air-frying bacon a try; I’d be surprised if you didn’t join the bandwagon.
