Air Fryer Bacon Crispy And Perfect Wellplated Com

Tantalizingly crisp, dangerously easy to make, and smelling of the heavens, bacon in the air fryer is hands-down the best bacon I’ve ever cooked. I’ve long been a believer in baking bacon vs. cooking bacon in a skillet on the stovetop.

Each bacon slice turns out perfectly uniform.It saves me the grease splatters of stove top frying (which are both messy and dangerous).It cooks completely hands-free.

Since an air fryer is essentially a high-powered countertop convection oven, it has all of the benefits of cooking bacon in the oven…and more!

Air fryer bacon has classic wavy edges (more so than oven baked bacon), making it more reminiscent of traditional pan-fried bacon.The bacon cooks more quickly in the air fryer than in the oven.There is less grease with air fryer bacon.

In fact, when you are looking to cook faster, healthier versions of traditionally deep-fried foods, the air fryer is the appliance for the job. We’ve been loving our air fryer for Air Fryer French Fries, Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts, Air Fryer Potato Chips, and even Air Fryer Tofu.

How to Cook Bacon in the Air Fryer

Bacon is safe to cook 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.

The best bacon air fryer temperature is 350 degrees F. This will crisp the bacon without causing it to smoke or burn.Discard excess bacon grease in the drip tray between batches. This will prevent smoking.Different Types of Bacon Cook Differently. Typically air fryer bacon cook s in 5 to 9 minutes, depending upon if it is thick-cut bacon or thin-cut.Air Fryers Vary. Each air fryer model is a little different; this recipe has been tested in a Ninja air fryer and Philips air fryer. Check early to make sure your bacon doesn’t burn.

The Ingredients

Bacon. Since it is the only true ingredient here, using good-quality bacon is very important. It will have the best taste and texture, resulting in the best possible bacon experience (yes, please!). You can use thick-cut or thin-cut bacon for this recipe.

Black Pepper. For a twist, try adding a sprinkle of black pepper to your bacon.

The Directions

How to Use Air Fryer Bacon

I can’t think of any reason why you should never cook bacon in your air fryer, but in case you need more convincing, check out all these delicious ways to use your bacon:

The smoke point of bacon fat is 400 degrees F, so in theory temperatures lower than 400 degrees F should be fine.HOWEVER, the air fryer has an additional quirk that must be considered. At temperatures higher than 360 degrees F, bacon does splatter in an air fryer. The grease can splatter onto the heating element, which will cause smoke.If your air fryer starts smoking, likely there is some old grease or residue in the air fryer that is burning.

Personally, I have never had an issue with air fryer bacon smoke as long as I empty any excess grease out of the air fryer basket in between batches. If you do have problems with smoke when you air fry bacon, I read you can place a piece of bread in the air fryer basket to absorb extra bacon drippings. If your air fryer does start to smoke, do not continue cooking. Remove the food and finish cooking it on the stovetop or in your regular oven.

Salads. Enjoy your bacon on this Broccoli Cauliflower Salad or BLT Chopped Salad.Sandwiches. Use leftover bacon to make this scrumptious BLT Grilled Cheese or Chicken Caesar Wrap. Pasta. Take your pasta dishes (like this Cauliflower Pasta) up a notch with some crumbled bacon. Pizza. You won’t regret topping your pizza with crispy bacon pieces (especially if it’s this delicious Carbonara Pizza).Eggs. Air fryer bacon and eggs are a match made in heaven! Add some to your Egg Muffins for an easy grab-and-go breakfast. Veggies. Bacon helps veggies shine (and become appealing to veggie-skeptics). It’s delicious in this Spaghetti Squash Carbonara or sprinkled on top of some Crock Pot Baked Potatoes. Soups. Take a note from Crockpot Potato Soup and Asparagus Soup, and top a bowl of your favorite soup with crumbled bacon.

Storage Tips

To Store. Refrigerate bacon strips in an airtight container for up to 2 days. To Reheat. Recrisp leftovers in the air fryer at 350 degrees F. To Freeze. Freeze bacon strips in an airtight freezer-safe storage container or ziptop bag. Reheat from frozen as desired.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

Air Fryer. Prepare this delicious air fryer bacon recipe (or Air Fryer Pork Chops) anytime a craving strikes!Baking Sheet. Perfect if you plan to keep your bacon warm in the oven. Tongs. Ideal for transferring the slices to the air fryer.

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