How to Cook Bacon on a Stove

Learn How to Cook Bacon on a Stove like a pro with our fool-proof method! Grab your skillet and tongs to make perfectly crispy bacon with minimal effort.

What's better than a crispy piece of bacon to accompany your breakfast? We love it in our bacon and egg breakfast rice bowl, but it is also great in baked goodies like our bacon and cheese biscuits or as a topping for our hasselback potatoes, shirred eggs, and Cobb salad.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love Stovetop Bacon
• Key Ingredients
• Substitutions and Variations
• Instructions
• Cooking Tips
• Stovetop Bacon FAQs
• Related Recipes
• Did You Like This Recipe?
• 📖 Recipe

Why You'll Love Stovetop Bacon

• Taste - Bacon is savory, flavor-packed meat.
• Texture - We will show you how to cook the bacon until perfectly crispy. No soggy bacon here!
• Effort - Cooking bacon on the stovetop is easy! Just add it to the pan, let it cook, then let it cool and drain on a paper towel.

Key Ingredients

• Bacon - We buy our bacon from common grocery stores, like Trader Joe's. We like thick-cut applewood smoked uncured bacon. If we are feeling fancy, we get it from the butcher for an even thicker, higher-quality slice.

See recipe card for quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

• Oven-baked Bacon - You can also make bacon in the oven if you don't have a skillet or need to use the stove for something else.
• Seasoning - In the last few minutes of cooking, Add a sprinkle of black pepper or garlic powder to add a pungent umami flavor.
• Herbs - Add rosemary or thyme to make it herbaceous.
• Baked brown sugar bacon - If you want to make the bacon extra decadent, check out our brown sugar bacon recipe.
• Chop it - If adding bacon to a scramble, fried rice, or salad, follow our recipe steps, allow it to cool, then use a sharp knife to chop the bacon into pieces or bits.

Instructions

• Prepare the skillet and bacon - Place the skillet on the stovetop. Then lay the bacon slices in a single layer within the cold skillet. Avoid overcrowding so the bacon cooks evenly.
• Heat and cook - Turn the heat to medium. Cook the bacon, flipping it frequently with tongs or a spatula, to ensure even browning.
• Monitor and Adjust - Cook for 8-15 minutes, depending on your preferred level of crispiness.
• Drain - Once cooked to your desired doneness, remove the bacon from the skillet and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess grease.
• Enjoy - Enjoy the cooked bacon immediately, or use it as an ingredient in other dishes.

Pro Tip - Cooking the bacon on a cold pan allows the bacon to render its fat gradually and cook evenly without curling.