Cooking Bacon In An Air Fryer

I love finding new and exciting ways to use my Air Fryer and this is my favorite trick yet. This air fryer bacon is finished in under 10 minutes (even with thick cut bacon), and no greasy mess all over the stove! I give tricks for insuring there is no smoke while making bacon in the air fryer and tips on cleaning the air fryer when finished cooking the bacon! This recipe is perfect for cooking a small amount of bacon. If you want to feed a crowd, I recommend cooking your bacon in the oven.

crispy bacon in an air fryer

Like most people, I am a lover of bacon. I have tried different ways to make bacon over the years and I think I have found this Air Fryer Bacon to be my favorite!

Also check out my bacon wrapped asparagus for another bacon treat in the air fryer.

When cooking bacon in a skillet it splatters all over the stove. When cooking bacon in the oven, it splatters all over the oven. I have been covering it lately with parchment paper, but then it takes about 20-25 minutes to get crispy.

Cooking bacon in the air fryer is such a cinch! I have a 6 quart air fryer and I can cook up to 7 pieces of thick cut bacon at a time.

This method also works with cooking turkey bacon.

The trick for fitting more bacon in your air fryer is to cut the strips in half, widthwise. This also helps the bacon cook quicker!

bacon in the air fryer

How long do you cook bacon in an air fryer?

For this Air Fryer bacon, I set the temperature to 350F, and the time to 9 minutes. This is with thick cut bacon, so if your bacon is thinner, start with 5 minutes. You can check on the bacon and add more time if you need to.

We cook the bacon in the air fryer at 350F because bacon has a smoke point of 374F. This is the temperature at which bacon fat starts to oxidize and smoke. This is how we avoid smoke while cooking bacon!

If you want to cook a second batch of bacon immediately after the first, you need to drain any grease from the basket and wipe it out so the fat doesn't oxidize.

Is it safe to cook bacon in an air fryer?

It is important that you follow the directions of your particular air fryer. I have a Nuwave Brio 6 quart air fryer and their instructions do not prohibit the cooking of greasy foods.

Bacon smoking?

If you are cooking bacon in your air fryer and it starts to produce white smoke, that is the grease oxidizing. This is probably because your air fryer is set on too high of a temperature, or it could mean you need to wipe out the inside of your air fryer (when it is cold) to remove any splattered grease from the burner. 350F is the perfect temperature to cook the bacon because bacon fat has a smoke point (the temperature at which the fat starts to smoke) of 374F.

Is cooking bacon in the air fryer healthier?

No, there is nothing different about cooking bacon in the air fryer than in the oven or in a skillet (if you drain your bacon on paper towels). The air fryer is essentially a mini convection oven. What would make bacon "healthier" as in less calories, is to make it as crispy as possible which would render as much fat from the bacon as possible. If you cook your bacon to where it is not very crispy, it will have more fat, which means more calories.

How to clean an air fryer after cooking bacon:

Cleaning the air fryer after cooking bacon is actually quite easy.

Before the bacon grease cools, you want to pour the grease out of the air fryer and discard, or save for later cooking!

Now, let the air fryer cool completely and wipe it out with damp paper towels, even the burner. You never want any grease going down your drain so make sure you wipe it good!

Now you can wash the air fryer as you normally would.

Some other air fryer recipes that I have developed:

Air fryer crispy Brussels sprouts
Chicken wings in the air fryer
chicken breast in the air fryer
Air Fryer pork chops

air fryer bacon

3-7 Pieces Bacon, cut in half widthwise

Lay the bacon in the Air fryer basket in a single layer
Cook the bacon at 350F for 9 minutes (thick cut bacon) or shorter for thinner bacon. Check the bacon throughout the cooking time to make sure it isn't overcooking.

If you want to cook a second batch of bacon immediately after the first, you need to drain any grease from the basket and wipe it out.
After cooking and the air fryer is cool, take a damp paper towel and wipe any grease that has splattered onto the inside of the air fryer...especially the burner at the top. This will keep the bacon from smoking next time.
Bacon smoking?: The smoke point of bacon fat is 374F. Since we are cooking this bacon at 350F, there should be no smoke. If there is smoke, that would be from leftover grease on the inside of the air fryer that has oxidized. When your air fryer is cool, wipe the inside with a damp cloth.