Crispy Bacon Twists in the Oven
Learn how to make bacon twists in the oven. With just one easy step, you can turn regular oven bacon into chewy, crispy Twisted Bacon! It’s a fun way upgrade your bacon for breakfast and brunch, and a great addition to a party spread or holiday appetizer board. With just a little more effort, twisted bacon makes each slice both perfectly crispy and delightfully chewy.
Why I Love This Recipe:
Crispy & Chewy Bacon Twists in the Oven
If you spend time on Tik Tok, you may have noticed that twisted bacon became a viral tiktok trend and with good reason! Twisted bacon is a fun, easy way to take basic oven bacon and turn it into a fun party treat. Like oven bacon it’s baked in the oven, but instead of laying the pieces out flat each slice of bacon is twisted before being baked. If you are looking for more fun bacon recipes, see my bacon weave recipe. If you have leftover bacon, you can use it in my apple bacon beer bread or beer cheese dip.
Why take the extra step of twisting the bacon slices? Twisting the bacon creates thicker sections within your bacon slice, allowing the outsides to get nice and crispy, while the insides stay soft and chewy. No more choosing between crispy or chewy bacon, with bacon twists you get the best of both worlds in every bite.
While it’s not the bacon method I would use for BLTs or burgers – for that you want a bacon weave – this is the bacon I would serve at a party. For the record: I definitely recommend making more twisted bacon than you anticipate needing because it has a sneaky way of disappearing from the plate!
What You’ll Need
All you need to make twisted bacon in oven is a package of regular bacon. After testing it myself and being a long time fan of thick sliced bacon, I recommend using thin cut bacon strips for these twists and extra crispiness. If you want to try it out in your own kitchen, keep in mind that thick cut bacon will need a longer cooking time and will have a slightly different texture.
Recommended Kitchen Tools
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- kitchen shears or a sharp chef’s knife
- cutting board
- rimmed baking sheet
How to Make Bacon Twists in the Oven
Making bacon twists in the oven is super simple! It takes all the magic and mess of frying bacon and keeps it contained right in the oven. In three simple steps you’ll have the chewy crisp bacon of your dreams.
- Twist the bacon. Cut the pieces of bacon in half and twist each slice of bacon. You can also twist full slices of bacon but, in my experience, the half slices hold up better when served. (Long ones are great for tall Bloody Mary’s.)
- Bake. Place the spiral, twisted shape bacon in a cold oven, then heat to 375 degrees. Once the stove preheats, cook bacon for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. The exact time will depend on your oven, so adjust the time accordingly. Twisted bacon should be crispy on the outside when done cooking, while still chewy on the inside.
- Serve. Drain the twisted bacon on a paper towel lined plate, or let cool on cooling rack, and then serve.
Tips for Bacon Success!
If this is your first time making twisted bacon, here are a few things I found helpful.
- Do not use parchment paper or aluminum foil to line your pan. As much as I love the idea of easy clean up, in my experience using a lined baking sheet decreases the heat transfer from the pan to the bacon, increases the cook time, and still leaves you with a mess to clean up.
- How to clean up the bacon grease. Without a lined baking sheet, clean up can still be easy. Carefully pour liquid bacon grease into a mug, scraping the pan with a rubber spatula.d Use paper towels to wipe remaining bacon grease from the pan prior to washing. DO NOT pour bacon grease down the sink. Cooled bacon grease will solidify and can then be disposed of in the trash.
- Use thin cut bacon. While you can make twisted bacon with thick cut bacon as well, I prefer using thin (often the standard) cut. It bakes more evenly and in less time.
- Use a rimmed baking sheet. Be sure to use a sheet pan with an edge to it, to prevent the bacon grease from going everywhere.
- Don’t skip the draining step! Draining the baon on a paper towel lined plate allow for the rendered bacon fat to drain away. This helps cut the grease, leaving your bacon lighter and crispier.
Recipe Variations (and Air fryer Bacon)
Taking this very basic twisted bacon recipe and making it your own, is one of the best parts of learning to cook in your own home. Here are a few of my favorite recipe variations.
- Add seasoning. If you want to change up the flavor of your bacon, add extra flavor! Try something sweet with brown sugar or maple syrup. Go savory with paprika or garam masala. Turn up the spice with cayenne pepper. The choice is yours!
- Swap pork bacon for turkey bacon. Turkey bacon twists the same as pork bacon and makes for a great alternative. It does tend to cook faster, so watch it a little closer.
- Air fryer bacon! While this is a super easy oven recipe, it transfers quickly to the airfryer. Air fry at the same temp (350ºF) for the same time (10 – 15 minutes). The biggest difference is that the air fryer is going to heat up much more quickly. Be sure to clean air fryer basket properly after use to get rid of all the bacon fat.
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover bacon, yes, it’s a thing, just like any other cooked bacon. Place bacon in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat the bacon in the microwave, airfryer, or oven.
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Twisted Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 pound of thin sliced bacon
Instructions
- Optional: If using, line your baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment.
- Cut the bacon in half, then twist each slice of bacon, arranging them in a single layer on a sheet pan.
- Place the twisted bacon into a cold oven, then heat to 375 degrees.
- Twisted bacon is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. It should cook about 10 – 15 minutes once the oven has preheated. Ovens heat at different rates. Bacon in a quick heating oven will need more additional time than bacon in a slow heating oven. Check bacon for doneness once the oven is preheated and adjust the time accordingly.
- Promptly remove bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels.
- For easy clean up: carefully pour liquid bacon grease into a mug and allow to cool. Use paper towels to wipe remaining bacon grease from the pan prior to washing. DO NOT pour bacon grease down the sink, it should be disposed of in the trash.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.
More Delicious Breakfast Recipes:
- Croissant Breakfast Casserole
- Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- Overnight Breakfast Casserole with Hash Browns
- Homemade Banana Waffles
