Why You Can Trust CNET Yes, You Can Make Perfect Bacon in an Air Fryer. Here's How
Crispy air fryer bacon takes about 8 minutes from start to finish with very little mess to clean up after.
Air fryer bacon is easy and the results speak for themselves.
Air fryers make many staple recipes well -- and fast. We've cooked cheeseburgers, whole chicken and, of course, plenty of wings, fries and frozen snacks in the popular countertop appliance. That got us wondering, can you make crispy bacon in an air fryer? Oh, heck yes you can.
Bacon is always high on our list of foods to have at the ready for breakfast, brunch or a quick BLT and these powerful convection ovens are well-suited to handle it. Making bacon in the air fryer might be the fastest, easiest way to get those heavenly slabs of pork fat crisped up without having to clean a splattered stovetop afterward.
Making bacon in the air fryer is super simple, takes almost no skill, very little time and no special equipment other than your air fryer. If there's one drawback, it's that air fryers have limited capacity so you might not be able to cook an entire package in your air fryer depending on its size. But air fryer bacon cooks so fast, that making it in batches is no big hassle.
For more cooking tips, find out how to make bacon in the oven and how using your air fryer can actually save you money.
A small air fryer can handle a burger patty and two slabs of bacon.
How to cook bacon in an air fryer
You can make bacon in your air fryer, according to TikTok chef Skyler Paladino, aka @cookswithskye. You just have to make sure the machine is cleaned thoroughly and that you haven't set the temperature too high.
Paladino, who has nearly 180,000 followers, says bacon made in an air fryer tastes the same as it would in a frying pan.
Don't let your strips of bacon overlap in the air fryer.
"The air fryer just makes it easier to cook, allowing for more even cooking and control," he told CNET.
Fill the bottom with water to help avoid smoking.
How to make bacon in the air fryer
- Place your bacon in the air fryer. Lay the strips next to each other, careful not to overlap them. You may have to make your bacon in batches or cut strips into smaller pieces if they're too long.
- Fill the bottom with water to cut down on smoke. If your air fryer doesn't have a bottom, Paladino said, be sure to clean the drip tray between each batch and keep a close eye on your fryer while it cooks.
- Set the temperature on your air fryer. There's some wiggle room depending on how thick your bacon is, what kind of machine you have and how you like your bacon done.
- Cook for 7 to 9 minutes on air fry and that's it
How long should you cook bacon in the air fryer
Paladino -- who likes his crispy -- recommends air frying your bacon for 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. (The smoke point for bacon is 400 degrees Fahrenheit, so you'll want to keep it under that.)
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Food blogger Natasha Kravchuk, who has more than 3 million YouTube followers, suggests 7 minutes for softer bacon and 8 to 9 minutes if you like it crunchy.
If you have thick-cut bacon, according to Kravchuk, cook it a bit longer: 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 9 to 10 minutes for tender strips, and 10 to 12 for crispy.