How long to cook bacon in the air fryer

Streaky bacon takes about 9 minutes at 200 °C, turned once. Pick your bacon and how crisp you like it: the timer tells you when to turn it.

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How to cook bacon in the air fryer in three steps

One layer, not overlapping

Lay the rashers flat in the basket side by side. Where they overlap they stick together and stay soft, so cook in batches rather than piling them up. Cut long strips in half if they do not fit flat.
Turn them when it says turn

Halfway through, turn each rasher with tongs. The side against the basket sits in the rendered fat and browns more slowly, and turning evens out the colour. Pour off the fat from the drawer between batches to keep the smoke down.
Drain on kitchen paper

Lift the bacon onto a plate lined with kitchen paper as soon as it rings. It crisps up a little more in the first minute out of the air fryer, so take it out just before it looks quite as crisp as you want.

Air fryer bacon times and temperatures

For bacon in one layer in a basket air fryer of 4 to 6 litres, turned halfway. Streaky bacon is the thin American cut from the belly; back bacon is the thicker, leaner British rasher. A cold air fryer is fine for bacon: starting cold lets more of the fat render out.

Chewy Soft and bendy, the fat still glossy.
Crispy Golden, rippled, the fat rendered and crisp.
Too long Dark, brittle and blackened at the edges.

Air fryer cooking time and temperature for each kind of bacon
Bacon	Time	Temperature	Halfway
Streaky, crispy	8–10 min	200 °C · 400 °F	Turn
Streaky, extra crispy	10–12 min	200 °C · 400 °F	Turn
Thick-cut	12–15 min	200 °C · 400 °F	Turn
Back bacon	8–10 min	190 °C · 375 °F	Turn
Turkey bacon	7–9 min	190 °C · 375 °F	Turn
Low-smoke, any streaky	10–12 min	180 °C · 350 °F	Turn
From frozen	+3–5 min	200 °C · 400 °F	Separate
Lardons or bacon bits	6–8 min	200 °C · 400 °F	Shake
Reheating pre-cooked	1–2 min	180 °C · 350 °F	–

There is no thermometer test for bacon: a rasher is too thin to measure. The USDA treats crisp as the sign it got hot enough, and notes that cured bacon can stay pink even when it is fully cooked, because of the cure.

Frozen bacon can go straight in. After 3 or 4 minutes the block has thawed enough to pull the rashers apart and lay them flat; then cook as usual, adding a few minutes.

Food safety

What the official guidance says

When it is done: A rasher is too thin to measure, but bacon cooked crisp has reached a safe temperature.
Pink bacon: Cured bacon can stay pink after cooking because of the curing agents, even when it is safe.
Cook it in one go: Never brown or part-cook bacon and refrigerate it to finish later. Cook it completely before taking it off the heat.
From frozen: It is safe to cook bacon straight from frozen. Never thaw it on the counter.
Storing it: Raw bacon keeps 7 days in the fridge; leftover cooked bacon 4 to 5 days.

Source: USDA , checked October 2026.

Streaky, back and thick-cut

Streaky bacon, the standard American cut, is thin and fatty and crisps quickly. Thick-cut is the same belly sliced twice as thick and needs half as long again.

British back bacon is mostly lean loin with a band of fat, so it never crisps right through the way streaky does. It is done when the fat is golden and the eye has firmed, at a slightly lower 190 °C so the lean part stays tender.

Smoke and grease

Bacon fat drips into the drawer under the basket, and on a hot drawer it smokes. Two tablespoons of water or a slice of bread in the drawer catches it before it can burn, and pouring the fat off between batches stops it building up.

If your air fryer still smokes, cook at 180 °C for a few minutes longer. The bacon is just as crisp; it only takes a little more time to get there.

Flat, crisp rashers

In a strong air fryer the fan can lift thin rashers and fold them over. A metal rack or trivet laid on top keeps them flat, and so does starting the bacon in a cold air fryer, which lets the fat render before the strips curl.

Bacon crisps more as it cools, so take it out just before it looks quite done and let it drain on kitchen paper for a minute.

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Questions about bacon in the air fryer

How long do you cook bacon in the air fryer?

8 to 10 minutes at 200 °C (400 °F) for crispy streaky bacon, turned halfway. For chewier bacon take a couple of minutes off; for extra crispy add a couple. Thick-cut takes 12 to 15 minutes, and British back bacon 8 to 10 at 190 °C.

What temperature do you cook bacon at in the air fryer?

200 °C (400 °F) for streaky and thick-cut bacon, and 190 °C (375 °F) for leaner back bacon and turkey bacon. If your air fryer smokes, drop to 180 °C (350 °F) and add a few minutes.

Do you need to flip bacon in the air fryer?

Yes, once. The underside sits in the rendered fat and browns more slowly than the side facing the fan, so turning it halfway gives evenly crisp rashers. The timer rings at the turn.

How do you stop bacon smoking in the air fryer?

Put two tablespoons of water or a slice of bread in the drawer under the basket to catch the fat, pour the fat off between batches, and cook at 180 °C rather than 200 if it still smokes. Make sure the drawer is clean before you start: old grease burns first.

How long does back bacon take in the air fryer?

8 to 10 minutes at 190 °C (375 °F), turned halfway. Back bacon is leaner than streaky and does not crisp all the way through; it is done when the fat is golden and the lean eye has firmed and turned pale pink.

How long does turkey bacon take in the air fryer?

7 to 9 minutes at 190 °C (375 °F), turned halfway. Turkey bacon has very little fat, so it does not shrink much and can dry out quickly. Check it at 7 minutes.

Can you cook frozen bacon in the air fryer?

Yes. The USDA says it is safe to cook bacon from frozen. Put the frozen block in for 3 to 4 minutes, separate the rashers once they come apart and lay them flat, then cook as usual, adding 3 to 5 minutes in total.

Is it safe to eat bacon that is still pink?

Cured bacon can stay pink after it is fully cooked, because of the curing agents. That is normal and, according to the USDA, not a sign it is undercooked. What matters is that it has been cooked through until crisp in one go.

How long does thick-cut bacon take in the air fryer?

12 to 15 minutes at 200 °C (400 °F), turned halfway. Thick-cut bacon is the same belly as streaky but sliced about twice as thick, so it needs half as long again and stays a little meatier in the middle.