This is how to cook turkey bacon in oven at 400 to crispy or tender. A high protein low fat side dish with eggs, like our Bacon in the Oven with Aluminum Foil but a way healthy version you’ll love too.
Baking turkey bacon is as easy as pork bacon but healthier. Just put it in the oven on your baking rack and in about a 15 minutes cook time you have yourself a delicious crispy piece of meat to enjoy with your family on the weekends.
How Long to Cook Turkey Bacon in Oven
10 minutes is average for this. You may have made our Pork Belly Bites in the Oven and fell in love. BUT now it is a new year and we are all still in the mode of watching our weight (hopefully that lasts). Did you know you could get that same great crispy texture but with strips that have less saturated fat? Ok, not exactly the same but a decent alternative. 😉
In the oven you can cook the perfect duo for a crowd this way with sausage patties in oven too. Instead of trying to use a pan for this and another for that, in multiple batches you can cook a bunch all at once. Fill one with these and make Frozen Hashbrowns in Oven at the same time too!! We will share how to add a dish of eggs too below.
How Long to Cook Frozen Turkey Bacon in Oven
In the past we already discussed How to Cook Frozen Bacon, you could use this same timing which increases below by 2-3 minutes, that is all. This time we are using defrosted. Which do I prefer? I mean thawed is always best with meats for sure but I get that you don’t always have time to do so before your kids get super hangry.
You can cook Frozen Bacon in Air Fryer this way too. A great alternative if you are in a rush and trying to get all the things done. We are focusing on baking all in one device though here. The biggest thing you want to remember is to lay in a single layer and not overlap your slices. That is the best way to get an even crisp.
What is the trick to cooking turkey bacon crispy?
It definitely doesn’t have the same texture as it’s pork counterpart. Since there is very little fat this style will remain softer no matter what you do but you can crisp it a bit. The trick is to add a bit of fat, just a spray will do it. I usually use olive oil spray the last minute to crisp AND cooking strips on a cooling rack on top of the sheet pan will help too. This will allow the hot air to rotate around the whole piece vs. sitting on the pan.
Can you candy turkey bacon?
You could. All you need to do to make it sweet and bake on is to brush with some maple syrup and sprinkle with some brown sugar. Alternatives to this would be agave syrup to make sticky and sugar-free sugars should work fine too.
Tips
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Placing a wire rack on top of the baking sheet allows the heat to circulate around the bacon, promoting even cooking and crispiness. Lay the slices in a single layer on the wire rack. Make sure the slices aren’t overlapping, as this can prevent them from crisping up evenly.
You will find several brands of turkey bacon out there, some stores have one of their own. I wouldn’t say one is much different or better than the other in this case.
This definitely does not take as long as it does for Smoked Bacon, but that is quite wonderful too to get an altogether different flavor to each piece. You are looking at about 15 minutes or so depending on the texture you desire at the end. Stiffer will take longer than keeping it tender.
Turkey Bacon in Oven Recipe
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 package turkey bacon
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes, for spicy, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.
- Crispy turkey bacon – if you want yours very crispy, set a wire rack on top of the sheet pan and spray lightly with non stick spray. Arrange slices on rack in a single layer. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until as crispy as you'd like.
- Tender turkey bacon – if you want to cook but keep pieces more tender, spray aluminum on pan lightly with non stick spray and lay pieces in a single layer on the pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes this way or until as crispy as you'd like.
- ** if you want to make it spicy, sprinkle red pepper flakes over the slices when they are uncooked
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
