Easy air fryer breakfast recipes are necessary for busy mornings! If you are looking for more breakfast recipes to make in our favorite kitchen appliance, try this Air Fryer Frittata or Air Fryer Toast.
Easy Air Fryer Bacon
Oh, delicious bacon! This beloved salty meat has graced the breakfast table many a morning (or also anytime, whatever the time of day).
Bacon seems to be universally loved by people and for good reason. Whether you love it for its saltiness, smokiness, or texture, bacon is admittedly a guilty pleasure. It pairs perfectly with an egg scramble and air fryer crispy crowns with a tall glass of orange juice or between bread amongst slices of tomato and lettuce for a mouthwatering blt.
It isn’t always the easiest food to make, though, especially if it’s splattering on the stove top. So, I was thrilled to learn that you can easily make bacon or even turkey bacon in the air fryer. It’s my new favorite way and a total game-changer especially if I only need a few strips! The air fryer is here to save the day and help contain some of that splattered oil mess. Let me show you how to air fry bacon!
Air Fryer Bacon Ingredients
This one couldn’t be simpler. All you really need is bacon, but if you like to get fancy you can sprinkle some extra seasonings on for a different take on bacon flavor.
- Bacon: Get a good quality bacon for best taste results. You can use any type of bacon (regular cut bacon or thick cut bacon) but just keep in mind that the thickness of your bacon can make a difference in cooking time.
- Seasonings: Adding seasonings to bacon is completely optional. Some options we like are fresh cracked black pepper, a light sprinkle of brown sugar, maple syrup, or dried chipotle powder.
How to Make Air Fryer Bacon
These are the basic step by step instructions, for the full instructions check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Cooking Tips and Tricks
- Clean up – Use air fryer parchment paper (with the little holes) in the basket of the air fryer for easier clean up (may affect bacon crispiness). After cooking the bacon, let the air fryer cool completely then clean up any leftover grease with paper towels. Then wash as usual or cook another batch of bacon.
- Need more bacon – Cook in batches if you need more bacon.
- Keep in single layer – For best results avoid allowing the bacon to touch or from overlapping.
- Flip over bacon – Flipping the bacon over half way through cooking will help it be more crispy.
- Longer cook time – Thick-cut bacon may take longer to cook, just add a couple minutes.
- Check on bacon – Since all air fryers cook differently, check on the bacon throughout the cooking process to make sure it’s not burning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the air fryer start smoking while cooking bacon strips? The air fryer may create some smoke from the bacon grease when cooking bacon. To help fix this problem for a basket style air fryer, add a thin layer of water to the bottom of the basket or a slice of bread to absorb excess grease. For the oven style, try adding a piece of bread to the bottom of the air fryer. You also want to wipe down the air fryer with paper towels before cooking the second batch.
Can you cook frozen bacon in the air fryer? Yes, just add a couple minutes of cooking time and keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn.
How to Store & Reheat
How to store it? Let the bacon cool and put in an airtight container. It should last about 4-5 days in the fridge.
How do you reheat ? Pre-heat the air fryer to 350° F and reheat bacon for 2-3 minutes.
How to freeze? Let cool completely before putting into an air tight, freezer safe container. can be frozen for 3-6 months, just be sure to label with the recipe and date. Thaw frozen cooked on a plate in the refrigerator overnight until defrosted.
Try these other breakfast recipes!
- Strawberry Muffins
- Simple French Toast
- High Protein Egg Scramble
- Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
- Air Fryer Turkey Bacon
If you’ve tried this air fryer bacon recipe, don’t forget to give me a star rating and leave me a comment below in the comment section. I love to hear from people who have made my recipes.
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Air Fryer Bacon
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 360°F for 5 minutes.
- Carefully lay bacon in the air fryer since it is hot. For regular bacon cook 8-10 minutes for tender bacon and 10-12 minutes for crispy bacon. For thick-cut bacon, cook for 10-12 minutes for tender bacon and 14-16 minutes for crunchy bacon.
- Flip the bacon over halfway through cooking time with tongs.
- Transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Then enjoy or use in your favorite recipe.
Recipe Notes
- Clean up – Use air fryer parchment paper (with the little holes) in the basket of the air fryer for easier clean up (may affect bacon crispiness). After cooking the bacon, let the air fryer cool completely then clean up any leftover grease with paper towels. Then wash as usual or cook another batch of bacon.
- Need more bacon – Cook in batches if you need more bacon.
- Keep in single layer – For best results avoid allowing the bacon to touch or from overlapping.
- Check on bacon – Since all air fryers cook differently, check on the bacon throughout the cooking process to make sure it’s not burning.
Nutrition Information
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Please let me know how it turned out
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