Helpful tips for the best way to cook turkey bacon and how to make it crispy. Learn how to bake turkey bacon so it turns out perfectly every time!
Baking is the best way to cook turkey bacon for several reasons
- Easy, hands-off cooking method
- Very little mess. No grease splatters!
- The best method for cooking a lot of bacon at once
- Crispy bacon!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Once you learn how to cook turkey bacon in the oven, you'll never cook it any other way!
Step 1: Pat the bacon dry
Step 2: Lay the bacon out on a sheet-pan. Setting it on a rack is optional, but it allows air to circulate around the strips so they cook evenly and are perfectly crispy without burning.
Step 3: A typical cooking time is between 15 to 18 minutes, but start checking the bacon after 12 minutes.
Step 4: Take the bacon out and serve!
Helpful Tips
Baking turkey bacon is an easy and fool-proof cooking method, if you follow these helpful tips.
- Cooking Time: 15 to 18 minutes is a good range. The exact timing will vary, and different brands will need slightly different cooking times, especially if the bacon is thicker. Also, if turkey bacon is cooked on a rack it will cook slower than if it's cooked directly on a sheet-pan. I usually start checking turkey bacon after 12 minutes in the oven.
- Convection oven: Using the convection bake setting on your oven doesn't make much of a difference when baking turkey bacon. The turkey bacon might cook slightly faster but that's the only reason to use it.
- Turning turkey bacon: In all of the batches I've baked, i've never noticed that turning the turkey bacon makes any difference. It's not worth the hassle.
- Using foil or parchment: Unlike regular pork bacon, hardly any fat renders from turkey bacon while it cooks. The sheet-pan stays pretty darn clean. The only reason to line the sheet-pan with foil or parchment is to make clean-up faster, but it's hardly worth it.
- Using a rack: I like putting a cooking rack on the sheet-pan because the turkey bacon cooks more evenly. Hot air circulates around the strips, and the resulting texture will be crispy with just a little bit of chewiness. This is the best way to make turkey bacon crispy, without burning it.
However, it's not absolutely necessary to use a rack. The bacon will still get crispy if you cook it directly on the sheet-pan. Keep a closer eye on the baking time though, as the strips will cook faster and are more likely to burn when they're setting directly on a hot sheet-pan.
Serving Suggestions
Oven baked turkey bacon can be eaten and served exactly the same way as regular pork bacon.
- For breakfast, with eggs and toast or pancakes
- In a breakfast sandwich, like a turkey bacon sandwich with egg whites and cheddar
- In a club sandwich, BLT or any other type of sandwich
- Crumbled over salads or pasta
- Crumbled over soup or chowder
- Crumbled over baked potatoes
Turkey Bacon FAQ
You can still cook turkey bacon in the oven, whether you're cooking an entire package or just a few slices. However, if you don't want to heat up the oven for a few slices you can use a skillet or the microwave. You can also use an air fryer to cook turkey bacon.
If you're only cooking a few slices (about 5 or less) the microwave is a quick option. Be careful though, as it's really easy to overcook turkey bacon in a microwave.
Place the bacon in a single layer on a microwave safe plate and set a paper towel on top (the bacon will sizzle and splatter). The cooking time depends on how many slices you're cooking and how thick the slices are. If you're cooking only 1 slice of thin bacon, it will be very crispy in just one minute.
No matter how many slices you're cooking, start with 1 minute, then check the bacon and add on more time as necessary. It shouldn't take more than 2 or 3 minutes total.
Yes, this method can work well if you're cooking a small batch. A cast iron skillet usually works best. Start the bacon in a single layer in a cold skillet. A cold skillet insures that the bacon heats up slowly and evenly and slowly renders out fat, which will make the bacon crispier. Turn the heat to medium and cook the bacon for a total of about 6 minutes, turning the slices several times, until they are as crispy as you want.
Most types of turkey bacon should be heated and cooked thoroughly before consuming, even if the meat is cured. If the packaging says "fully cooked" then presumably you can eat it raw, but it's always safest to heat turkey bacon before eating it.
Once a packaged has been opened, the raw bacon should be used within 5 to 7 days.
You can refrigerate cooked turkey bacon for up to 1 week. You can also freeze cooked bacon, for up to 3 months.
The easiest way to reheat cooked bacon is in the microwave. Start at 10 seconds, then microwave longer if necessary. One caveat: the texture will be chewy after reheating in the microwave. Pantryandlarder.com has a good guide for reheating bacon using several different methods.
More Cooking Tips
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📖 Recipe
How to Bake Turkey Bacon
This recipe and the blog post above have helpful tips for the best way to cook turkey bacon - in the oven! Learn how to cook crispy, perfectly cooked turkey bacon in the oven, plus tips for using the microwave, stove and air fryer.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Chicken and turkey
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 package of turkey bacon*
*You can also bake less than a whole package, or cook more than one package. For more than one package, use an additional sheet-pan so that the slices are evenly spaced in one layer.
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 F.
- Use a paper towel to pat the turkey bacon dry.
- Lay the turkey bacon out evenly on a sheet-pan. I like putting a cooking rack on the sheet-pan because the turkey bacon cooks more evenly. Hot air circulates around the strips, and the resulting texture will be crispy with just a little bit of chewiness. This is the best way to make turkey bacon crispy, without burning it.
- Most turkey bacon will bake between 15 to 18 minutes, depending on the brand and how thick the strips are. I start checking the bacon after 12 minutes.
- The bacon is done when it has reached your desired crispiness.
Notes
Unlike regular pork bacon, hardly any fat renders from turkey bacon while it bakes. The sheet-pan stays pretty darn clean. The only reason to line the sheet-pan with foil or parchment is to make clean-up faster, but it's hardly worth it.
Many recipe instructions include flipping the strips of turkey bacon halfway through the cooking time. Personally, I don't think it's worth the hassle. In all of the batches I've baked, i've never noticed that turning the turkey bacon makes any difference, especially if the bacon is setting on a rack.
Food Storage: You can refrigerate cooked turkey bacon for up to 1 week. You can also freeze cooked bacon, for up to 3 months. It can be reheated in the microwave in only about 10 seconds, but will lose its crispy texture.
More Cooking Methods
Microwave: The microwave is quick and convenient, but it's really easy to overcook turkey bacon in a microwave. Place the bacon in a single layer on a microwave safe plate and set a paper towel on top (the bacon will sizzle and splatter). The cooking time depends on how many slices you're cooking and how thick the slices are. If you're cooking only 1 slice of thin bacon, it will be very crispy in just one minute.
No matter how many slices you're cooking, start with 1 minute, then check the bacon and add on more time as necessary. It shouldn't take more than 2 or 3 minutes total.
Skillet: A cast iron skillet usually works best. Start the bacon in a single layer in a cold skillet. A cold skillet insures that the bacon heats up slowly and evenly and slowly renders out fat, which will make the bacon crispier. Turn the heat to medium and cook the bacon for a total of about 6 minutes, turning the slices several times, until they are as crispy as you want.
Air Fryer: I don't own an air fryer, but you can check out this recipe for how use an air fryer to cook turkey baconhttps://foolproofliving.com/turkey-bacon-air-fryer/ on foolproofliving.com
Keywords: How to Bake Turkey Bacon, baked turkey bacon, The best way to cook turkey bacon, turkey bacon crispy
Jenny
Baking is definitely the easiest way to cook bacon!
★★★★★