During my years as a personal chef, I perfected teaching my clients how to reheat bacon & other recipes. Now I am sharing that knowledge with you. Here are the best ways to reheat leftover or precooked bacon in just minutes so it is crispy, hot, & delicious.

This is great for reheating bacon you made at home either in the toaster oven or even with oven-cooked turkey bacon leftovers. I also recommend warming up precooked slices from the store, Costco fully-cooked bacon for example, with any of these tips.
Jump to:
- Can You Reheat Bacon?
- Storing Leftover Bacon
- Best Methods & Testing Notes for Reheating Bacon
- Reheating Bacon in the Oven
- Reheating Bacon in the Toaster Oven
- Reheating Bacon in the Air Fryer
- Reheating Bacon on the Stovetop (skillet)
- Reheating Bacon in the Microwave
- Top Tips & Takeaways
- FAQ
- Reheating Other Foods
- Recipes with Bacon
- How to Reheat Bacon
Can You Reheat Bacon?
As long as your bacon has been stored properly in the refrigerator, reheating leftover cooked bacon is safe & easy to do. So, go for it & never waste bacon again.
Follow everything I share here today on how to re-crisp bacon so it isn't overcooked, dried out, or so burnt that it sets the smoke alarm off. Are you craving the perfect BLT with that leftover bacon yet?
Storing Leftover Bacon
As mentioned above, storing bacon properly so it can be enjoyed later is key. Here is the best way to store leftover bacon in 4 easy steps.
- Cool & drain the bacon on paper towels to remove any excess fat.
- Loosely wrap the cold bacon strips between fresh/clean paper towels or parchment paper.
- Seal the wrapped bacon in an air-tight container with a tight-fitting lid or in a resealable plastic bag with the air squeezed out.
- Place in the refrigerator and store for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it for up to 30 days (parchment works best for freezing vs paper towels)
NOTE: Got leftover cooked or uncooked frozen bacon? Follow my safe & easy tips for refreezing bacon.
Properly stored leftover bacon from the refrigerator is the only ingredient you need for this recipe. This recipe focuses on precooked regular-cut pork bacon (not thick-sliced) but it also works for turkey bacon. I only recommend reheating the amount of bacon you will enjoy immediately - reheating bacon multiple times is not ideal.
Best Methods & Testing Notes for Reheating Bacon
Trust me when I say I have tried different times, temperatures, & methods to warm up bacon that's already been cooked. With my years of experience, I wanted to share the best ways for reheating bacon.
This post will cover tried & true ways to reheat bacon quickly. Based on how much time & kitchen equipment you have, pick one of the simple methods below. Cooking leftover bacon in 5-10 minutes is so easy.
Here are the pros, cons, & highlights from all my experimenting with reheating bacon. The testing notes on each way to warm up bacon is shared below so you can pick the best way for you & your family.
The 5 best methods for reheating bacon that I recommend & why:
- Reheating Bacon in the Oven - best for large portions plus it comes out perfectly crispy but takes time to preheat the oven.
- Reheating Bacon in the Toaster Oven - best for a few crispy slices/small portions and takes time to preheat it.
- Reheating Bacon in the Air Fryer - best for extra-crispy bacon but watch it because it can burn/overcook quickly.
- Reheating Bacon on the Stovetop (skillet) - most like freshly fried, cooks fast, but you do have to watch/actively cook it.
- Reheating Bacon in the Microwave - not crispy (chewy/rubbery) but fastest.
NOTE: The goal was to have bacon that resulted in hot & crispy slices that taste freshly cooked without tasting leftover or stale. All times will also vary slightly based on how thick or thin the slices are plus how soft or crunchy you want your bacon.
Reheating Bacon in the Oven
You can use the oven to warm up bacon by either baking it or reheating it under the broiler. My favorite way to cook or reheat bacon is in the oven. All the slices tend to cook at the same time & the best way to cook a lot of bacon at once.
Also, it does not need to be attended to constantly so you can cook other things. Plus it leaves stovetop space for cooking a batch of scrambled eggs or hashbrowns.
The broiler is faster than using the bake setting and it comes out good but I find you have to watch it or else it may burn. Here are steps for both ways.
The recipe card at the end of this post includes my favorite way to reheat bacon (baking in the oven) which is foolproof & fantastic.
How to Reheat Bacon by Baking in the Oven
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the leftover cooked bacon on the foil in a single layer.
- Bake for 4-6 minutes on a rack in the middle of the oven. Flip it halfway through cooking.
- Once hot & to your liking, remove it from the oven.
- Drain on paper towels & serve immediately.
How to Reheat Bacon under the Broiler
- Make sure you have an oven rack on the top spot. Set the broiler to low.
- Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the leftover cooked bacon on the foil in a single layer.
- Broil on low with the top rack of your oven. Leave the oven door ajar and watch the bacon as it broils - do NOT step away.
- Broil the bacon for 1-2 minutes on each side.
- Once hot & to your liking, remove it from the oven.
- Drain on paper towels & serve immediately.
Reheating Bacon in the Toaster Oven
This is a great way to reheat bacon if you don't have an oven, stove, or microwave nearby. If you are in a dorm room, RV, or office kitchen with just a regular or convection toaster oven. This is similar to the oven method.
How to Reheat Bacon in a Toaster Oven
- Preheat the toaster oven to 375°.
- Line a small baking pan with foil. If your pan has a baking rack, use that. Place the leftover cooked bacon on the foil or rack in a single layer.
- Bake for 5 minutes. Flip it halfway through cooking.
- Once hot & to your liking, remove it from the toaster oven.
- Drain on paper towels & serve immediately.
Reheating Bacon in the Air Fryer
If you want extra crispy bacon, reheating it in the air fryer is the way to go. It will be done quickly so don't set it for too long or walk away. Air frying precooked bacon is so easy with these easy steps.
How to Reheat Bacon in the Air Fryer
- No preheating is needed! Add the strips of bacon to the basket or tray.
- Set the air fryer to 360° & the timer to 1 minute.
- The bacon will cook during the preheating & cook stages.
- Check on it after 3 minutes of preheating to be sure it isn't getting too well done. (if your bacon is already well done, reheating can overdo it)
- Once hot & to your liking, remove it from the air fryer with tongs.
- Drain on paper towels & serve immediately.
Reheating Bacon on the Stovetop (skillet)
Grab your favorite skillet that you use to cook bacon in. You will use the same one for reheating it on the stovetop.
How to Reheat Bacon on the Stove
- Warm up your skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute.
- Add slices of bacon in a single layer to the frying pan.
- Cook over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes per side. Use tongs to flip over.
- Once hot & to your liking, remove it from the skillet with tongs.
- Drain on paper towels & serve immediately.
Reheating Bacon in the Microwave
The fastest way to reheat bacon is by microwaving it. Fast is not always the best. You can do this in the microwave but personally, this is my least favorite method since it tends to make the bacon hard to chew, tough, & rubbery. Here is how fast it is.
How to Reheat Bacon in the Microwave
- Line a microwave-safe plate with paper towels.
- Place slices of cold leftover bacon on the paper towel & cover with another paper towel.
- Microwave for 30 seconds for every 2 slices of bacon.
- Enjoy immediately.
Top Tips & Takeaways
All of these great tips are shared in the post. But these are so good and important they are worth mentioning again so you don't miss them.
- Store the leftovers properly so they are safe to reheat.
- Pick the best method based on your equipment, family preferences, or the number of bacon slices that need reheating.
- Always cook the bacon in a single layer to get the crispiest results.
- Reheat only the amount of bacon you will enjoy immediately.
- Baking leftover bacon in the oven is my favorite.
- Reheating bacon in the microwave is my least favorite method.
FAQ
From a safety standpoint, if the bacon is cooked, stored, reheated, & stored properly a second time, you can theoretically reheat bacon twice. I personally do not advise it. From a texture & taste standpoint, bacon should not be reheated more than once. It will likely be hard, chewy, dry, & likely flavorless.
The main focus of this article is about reheating pork bacon. Turkey bacon is lean and leftovers will dry out quickly when reheated. The best way to reheat turkey bacon is in the oven. I recommend warming it up in less time than the recipe below suggests.
Reheating Other Foods
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these tips & tricks for warming up other leftovers:
Recipes with Bacon
Bacon lovers, don't miss this! If you can never have enough bacon like me, try these recipes which are my favorite ways to enjoy bacon.
How to Reheat Bacon
Ingredients
- leftover cooked pork bacon regular-cut
Instructions
This is a recipe for how to reheat bacon in the oven.
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- While preheating, line a baking sheet with foil. Place the leftover cooked bacon on the foil in a single layer. You can reheat anywhere from 1 slice to 2 full trays at once.
- Bake for 4-6 minutes on a rack in the middle of the oven. Flip it halfway through cooking.** if reheating thick-cut bacon, cook an additional 2-3 minutes
- When hot & crispy, remove the pan from the oven carefully using an oven mitt.
- Using tongs, remove bacon from the pan & drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve immediately.
Mary says
I reheated it in the air fryer to perfection. The times you shared was just what I needed to know.