How long to cook bacon in ninja air fryer

Air Fryer Bacon, or as it’s more appropriately known: “how to get everyone stampeding into the kitchen.” Use the air fryer to make crispy, evenly-cooked bacon, with less mess!

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Tantalizingly crisp, dangerously easy to make, and smelling of the heavens, bacon in the air fryer is hands-down the best bacon I’ve ever cooked.

I’ve long been a believer in baking bacon vs. cooking bacon in a skillet on the stovetop.

• Each bacon slice turns out perfectly uniform.
• It saves me the grease splatters of stove top frying (which are both messy and dangerous).
• It cooks completely hands-free.

Since an air fryer is essentially a high-powered countertop convection oven, it has all of the benefits of cooking bacon in the oven…and more!

• Air fryer bacon has classic wavy edges (more so than oven baked bacon), making it more reminiscent of traditional pan-fried bacon.
• The bacon cooks more quickly in the air fryer than in the oven.
• There is less grease with air fryer bacon.

In fact, when you are looking to cook faster, healthier versions of traditionally deep-fried foods, the air fryer is the appliance for the job.

We’ve been loving our air fryer for Air Fryer French Fries, Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts, Air Fryer Potato Chips, and even Air Fryer Tofu.

How to Cook Bacon in the Air Fryer

Bacon is safe to cook in the air fryer, but you need to make sure that you use the proper temperature and that your air fryer is clean before you begin.

• The best bacon air fryer temperature is 350 degrees F. This will crisp the bacon without causing it to smoke or burn.
• Discard excess bacon grease in the drip tray between batches. This will prevent smoking.
• Different Types of Bacon Cook Differently. Typically air fryer bacon cook s in 5 to 9 minutes, depending upon if it is thick-cut bacon or thin-cut.
• Air Fryers Vary. Each air fryer model is a little different; this recipe has been tested in a Ninja air fryer and Philips air fryer. Check early to make sure your bacon doesn’t burn.

Why is my Air Fryer Bacon Smoking?

If you’ve had an issue with air fryer bacon smoke in the past, either your bacon air fryer temperature was too high, or there is extra grease left in your air fryer that is getting caught in the heating element while the fan circulates air.

• The smoke point of bacon fat is 400 degrees F, so in theory temperatures lower than 400 degrees F should be fine.
• HOWEVER, the air fryer has an additional quirk that must be considered. At temperatures higher than 360 degrees F, bacon does splatter in an air fryer. The grease can splatter onto the heating element, which will cause smoke.
• If your air fryer starts smoking, likely there is some old grease or residue in the air fryer that is burning.

Personally, I have never had an issue with air fryer bacon smoke as long as I empty any excess grease out of the air fryer basket in between batches.

If you do have problems with smoke when you air fry bacon, I read you can place a piece of bread in the air fryer basket to absorb extra bacon drippings.

If your air fryer does start to smoke, do not continue cooking. Remove the food and finish cooking it on the stovetop or in your regular oven.

TIP!

For perfect bacon, cut the bacon slices in half crosswise before adding them to the air fryer. This helps them cook more evenly and fit in the air fryer basket more comfortably.

The Ingredients

• Bacon. Since it is the only true ingredient here, using good-quality bacon is very important. It will have the best taste and texture, resulting in the best possible bacon experience (yes, please!). You can use thick-cut or thin-cut bacon for this recipe.

Ingredient Tip

If possible, purchase your bacon slices directly from the grocery store’s butcher counter. It’s often the same price as what comes prepackaged, but it’s better quality.

• Black Pepper. For a twist, try adding a sprinkle of black pepper to your bacon.

The Directions

1. Cut each bacon slice in half then lay them in air fryer basket in a single layer (if you do multiple layers, it won’t be as crisp).

1. Air fry the bacon at 350 degrees F for 5 to 9 minutes depending upon the thickness of your bacon.

1. Use tongs to remove each slice of bacon and pace on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat steps with remaining batches. DIG IN!

How to Use Air Fryer Bacon

I can’t think of any reason why you should never cook bacon in your air fryer, but in case you need more convincing, check out all these delicious ways to use your bacon:

• Salads. Enjoy your bacon on this Broccoli Cauliflower Salad or BLT Chopped Salad.
• Sandwiches. Use leftover bacon to make this scrumptious BLT Grilled Cheese or Chicken Caesar Wrap.
• Pasta. Take your pasta dishes (like this Cauliflower Pasta) up a notch with some crumbled bacon.
• Pizza. You won’t regret topping your pizza with crispy bacon pieces (especially if it’s this delicious Carbonara Pizza).
• Eggs. Air fryer bacon and eggs are a match made in heaven! Add some to your Egg Muffins for an easy grab-and-go breakfast.
• Veggies. Bacon helps veggies shine (and become appealing to veggie-skeptics). It’s delicious in this Spaghetti Squash Carbonara or sprinkled on top of some Crock Pot Baked Potatoes.
• Soups. Take a note from Crockpot Potato Soup and Asparagus Soup, and top a bowl of your favorite soup with crumbled bacon.

Storage Tips

• To Store. Refrigerate bacon strips in an airtight container for up to 2 days. 
• To Reheat. Recrisp leftovers in the air fryer at 350 degrees F. 
• To Freeze. Freeze bacon strips in an airtight freezer-safe storage container or ziptop bag. Reheat from frozen as desired. 

Storage Tips

If you’re freezing a large quantity of bacon, freeze the strips in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Then, transfer the frozen strips to a freezer-safe ziptop bag or storage container.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

• Air Fryer. Prepare this delicious air fryer bacon recipe (or Air Fryer Pork Chops) anytime a craving strikes!
• Baking Sheet. Perfect if you plan to keep your bacon warm in the oven.
• Tongs. Ideal for transferring the slices to the air fryer.

The Best Air Fryer

An air fryer is wonderful for preparing quick, easy, and delicious crispy food in a healthier way. This is the model I own and love!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Put Raw Bacon in an Air Fryer?

Yes, you can put raw bacon in an air fryer. When you follow this recipe, the bacon will be cooked to a safe temperature.

Can I Make This Recipe Using Turkey Bacon?

While I haven’t tried making air fryer turkey bacon, I think it would work fine. I’d recommend checking it early and frequently to make sure it doesn’t burn, as the cook time for turkey bacon will be shorter.

Can I Use Other Seasonings for My Bacon?

Yes, you can swap (or add to) the black pepper in this recipe for another seasoning of your choice. Try cayenne pepper for spicy bacon, brown sugar or maple syrup for sweet bacon, or your favorite spice rub.

Are Pork Belly and Bacon the Same?

Bacon comes from the pork belly cut (at least most of the time) and is cured and sometimes smoked. The pork belly cut itself isn’t smoked or cured; it’s softer. Put another way, all bacon is pork belly, but not all pork belly is bacon.

ReviewSave to FavoritesPrint

Air Fryer Bacon

5 from 9 votes

Here's your guide to the BEST air fryer bacon! Tricks for how to cook it, avoid bacon smoke, and create the most perfect bacon you've ever had!

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 5 mins

Total: 10 mins

Servings: 2 servings (multiply as desired!)

ReviewSave to FavoritesPrint

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• 4 strips bacon thick or thin, cut in half crosswise
• Black pepper optional

Instructions 

• Wipe out your air fryer to avoid bacon smoking. Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees F. If you’d like to keep the bacon warm between batches, preheat your oven to 250 degrees F.

• Slide out your air fryer basket. With tongs, arrange the halved bacon slices in a single layer. Make sure they do not overlap (a little bit of touching at the edges is OK). If desired, sprinkle with black pepper. Depending upon the size of your basket and the number of strips you’d like to cook at once, you may need to cook the bacon in batches.

• Cook the bacon for 5 minutes (for thinner bacon) or up to 9 minutes (for thicker bacon), until it reaches your desired crispness. The bacon will curl as it crisps. Check the bacon’s progress frequently to make sure it doesn’t burn.

• Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and lightly blot. If desired, transfer the bacon to a baking sheet and keep in the oven.

• For further batches: Repeat with remaining bacon (no need to wipe out the air fryer in between unless it begins to smoke, in which case carefully pour out the grease and wipe it with a paper towel). Enjoy!

  How long does it take to air Fry bacon in an air fryer?

  Set the air fryer to 200C and cook streaky bacon rashers for 6-10 mins – just-cooked bacon will take 6 mins, but crispier bacon will take 9-10 mins.

  How do you cook bacon in a ninja digital air fryer?

  🔪 How To Make This Recipe.

  Preheat the air fryer to 360F..

  Arrange the bacon strips in a single layer in the ninja foodi air fryer..

  Air fry bacon for 5 minutes, then flip them using a pair of tongs..

  Air fryer for 3-4 more minutes..

  Serve and enjoy!.

  How long does it take to cook bacon in a ninja?

  Instructions.

  Place 5-6 slices of bacon in the air crisp basket..

  Close Air Crisp Lid and press Air Crisp..

  Set temp to 360 and time to 12 minutes..

  At 12 minutes check for desired crispness. Cook an additional 1-3 minutes if desired..

  How do you cook bacon in Ninja Foodi XL?

  Set to 350 degrees for 8-14 minutes based on your preferred bacon and crispiness..

  Regular Cut Bacon: Cook for 8-10 minutes..

  Thick Cut Bacon: Cook for 9-11 minutes..

  Extra Thick Cut Bacon: Cook for 11-14 minutes..