Air Fryer Bacon Tips

Do you want to collect the bacon grease for cooking? Allow the excess grease to drain through the basket and collect in the bottom. Then, when fully cooled, you can collect the extra grease and place it in an airtight container.

Do you have thick-cut bacon? The thickness of your bacon can change the total cook time. Thicker slices will need a few minutes longer than regular-cut bacon.

Do you have a smaller air fryer? Chances are, the bacon strips won’t fit lengthwise. You’ll need to cut them in half in order to get them to fit. You don’t want the strips to overlap, so cutting them will do the trick.

Does your air fryer have a wire rack? We suggest using the middle rack. If using more than one rack, turn the racks halfway through cooking and switch their positions.

Do you want to make cleanup easier? Line the bottommost air fryer basket with aluminum foil. This will catch all the grease. When it’s fully cooked, you can simply remove the foil and save the grease or toss the whole thing.

Does your air fryer smoke while cooking the bacon? If your air fryer smokes, set it to a lower temperature and cook for slightly longer. This will prevent bacon splatters from smoking.

Do you have to preheat the air fryer? We recommend it. If you don’t preheat the air fryer, the first batch will take longer and the second batch will cook faster, leaving you to guess when each batch is ready. By starting with a preheated unit, you can figure out the time to pull it and it will be the same for every batch.

Why 375 degrees F? We found this to be the perfect temperature to cook air-fried bacon.