Air Fryer Bacon

Bacon in the Air Fryer

Cooking bacon in the air fryer is an easy way to enjoy bacon in the morning as it is easy to make and only requires minimal clean up after. The benefit of following these instructions for cooking bacon in the air fryer is that you will get minimal smoke. We fry the bacon at a lower temperature in order to avoid going over the smoke point of bacon grease. The great thing about a Keto diet is that you don’t have to cut out bacon from your meals! In fact, crispy bacon is actually encouraged on a keto diet as it is zero carbs and high in fat.

This air fryer bacon makes for the perfect breakfast, but it can also be served for other meals or even as a snack on its own if you wish! You can also serve eggs with this air fryer bacon to make an extremely satisfying meal! You can easily make this for the whole family on a weekend, as who’s going to say no to bacon for breakfast? This air fryer bacon can also be used in salads, soups and with lower carb sides such as roasted mushrooms, green beans and mixed grilled vegetables. These can all quickly be made while the bacon is cooking in the air fryer, so you would have a full meal ready in less than 15 minutes! Air fried bacon will only take around 10 minutes to cook. However, thick cut bacon will take a few minutes longer. With our method, the bacon becomes perfectly crispy all over, yet still juicy!

Cooking bacon in the air fryer has become very popular as air fryers seem to be the latest kitchen trend and it’s a very common air fryer recipe. They are very easy to use and a lot of recipes can be made just by using an air fryer! They are also a lot less messy than if you were to do fried bacon on a hob, in a microwave or even in the oven.

How to Cook Bacon in the Air Fryer

Cooking bacon in the air fryer is very simple and quick. All you need to do is place your bacon in the air fryer tray or basket and set it to 365 degrees for 6-10 minutes. You might need to place the cooked bacon pieces on a paper towel after and blot them to drain off any excess grease.

Prevent Air Fryer Smoking

Since bacon has a high-fat content, it can cause smoke. However, there are a few easy ways to prevent this from happening. We recommend lowering the temperature. If your temperature is set too high, your air fryer will start to produce white smoke. Be sure to also remove the fat that is collected in the tray at the bottom of the air fryer after each batch so that the fat does not oxidize and starts to produce smoke. It would also be best if you have proper ventilation in your kitchen. To do this you only need to either open a window or turn on an exhaust fan.

How Long to Cook Bacon in the Air Fryer?

Bacon in the air fryer should be cooked for around 6-10 minutes. If you prefer the bacon to be more done, you may want to leave it a bit longer than this. The brand and thickness of the bacon you’re using may also make a difference to the time so only use the 6 minute mark as a starter, and check whether your bacon is done every few minutes.

Thicker slices of bacon might need more than 10 minutes. You can overlap a few slices of bacon but try to arrange them well and to not overfill the tray or basket as they might take longer to cook and they might cook unevenly. The best way to fit in more slices of bacon is to cut the width of the strips in half.

What Temperature to Cook Bacon In the Air Fryer?

The best temperature to cook Bacon in the Air Fryer is 360 F. This low temperature prevents smoking and makes the bacon crispy! If you use a temperature over 374 F, the bacon will start smoking, so better to keep this in mind while setting the temperature.

Cleaning Your Air Fryer After Cooking

Cleaning your air fryer after cooking bacon is actually easier than you would think. The best way to clean your air fryer is by getting bacon grease splatter out of your air fryer and out of the bottom catch tray. You can either discard of this or save to use for another time when you are cooking. This is best done before the bacon grease cools down as it is much easier to clean that way. Once the air fryer cools down completely, wipe the sides down with a damp paper towel. This will prevent any grease going down your drain. You can then clean your tray or basket as you normally would, either by hand washing or by placing in the dish washer. Most trays and baskets are dishwasher safe, but check if yours is before placing in the dishwasher, just to be safe.

Tips for Perfectly Cooked Bacon

1. Cook your bacon longer for thicker cut bacon or if you want it extra crispy
2. Cut your bacon into smaller pieces in order to fit more bacon in the air fryer.
3. Cook at a lower temperature like 360 degrees to prevent smoking.
4. Each air fryer is different. Consult your manual to see suggestions specifically for your air fryer. They can all vary when it comes to cooking temperatures and times.
5. Watch you bacon cook the first time and adjust as needed.

Is Bacon Keto?

Yes, bacon is Keto friendly! Bacon is high in fat and protein, while being low in carbs, making it the perfect food to be eating on a Keto diet. We suggest you always check the labels when buying packaged bacon as some can be cured in sugar, but for the majority, bacon is very low in carbs. It’s best to stick with uncured bacon. Typically bacon has zero carbs. For the same amount of 2 medium slices of bacon, they will typically contain around 6.7g of Fat and 5.9g of Protein.