Microwave bacon is seriously easy and one of the many ways to make crispy bacon especially in a college student’s dorm room where what they want is a quick meal of bacon and eggs before class or in between classes. Whether you are cooking pig bacon or Turkey bacon you’ll find that’s it’s super easy to cook bacon in the microwave.
Can you microwave bacon?
If you’ve been wondering if you can microwave bacon. Yes and not only can you do so, you can also cook relatively crispy and delicious bacon right in the microwave.
Talk about hassle free cooking in less than 5 minutes and the kids can easily whip this up on their own.
Why cooking bacon in the microwave works
There are obviously many ways to cook bacon and each method would work for different people depending on individual circumstances.
Cooking bacon in counter top appliances like the air fryer, instant pot and microwave are becoming increasingly popular because of the sheer convenience of it all. Here are a few reasons why making it in the microwave works.
- Convenience: it’s a convenient and hassle free way to cook it, especially when you are not at home. Think dorm room, Airbnb, hotel rooms etc. The microwave is usually the most common kitchen appliances you would find in public places.
- Less mess and Easy clean up: The paper towels absorb the grease and keep it from splattering all over the place.
- Easy and fast: No need to stand around the stove to babysit the bacon. The microwave does a good job.
- Small batch cooking: When cooking for one or two people it’s so easy to get breakfast on the table. You can cook one bacon or up to 6 strips at a time
What you’ll need.
Bacon: This microwave recipe is made with pig bacon so we would be needing that.
Paper towels: we need sheets of paper towel to absorb some bacon grease and keep it from spattering every where.
A microwave safe plate is a must especially if you don’t have a microwave bacon crisper. You will also need Heat resistant gloves and a pair of kitchen tongs to flip the bacon. (Optional)
How to make bacon in the microwave in easy steps.
- Line a microwave safe plate with paper towel.
- Place bacon strips on the paper towel.
- Cover bacon with paper towel.
- Microwave on high to desired level of crispy. (4 to 5 mins for crispy bacon and 3 mins for chewy bacon)
How long does it take to cook a rasher of bacon in the microwave
A rasher of bacon simply means a strip or slice of bacon. It will definitely cook faster than a bunch of rashers and here’s how you do it.
Line the plate as indicated above, microwave a rasher of bacon at 30 seconds intervals until fully cooked. Usually cooks in a minute to 90 secs
How long do you cook bacon in microwave?
This will depend on the type of bacon and the texture you prefer, crispy or soft. It would also depend on how many rashers are being cooked and the watts of the microwave.
A slice would cook faster than 6 slices and a 1500 watt microwave would cook food in a shorter time than a 700 watt one.
- Regular cut bacon: This will cook for 3 mins for soft bacon and 4 to 5 minutes to get it crispy.
- Thick cut bacon: Thick cut bacon would cook for 5 to 6 mins for soft bacon and 7 to 8 for crispy bacon.
Using the microwave bacon tray
If you have a microwave bacon tray or rack, you can use that as well. Here is how to use it
- Lay the bacon in the microwave tray, cover with the vented lid. (not all bacon trays come with vented lids. If yours doesn’t, you can use paper towel.)
- Cook 6 slices of bacon for 4 to 5 mins (we use a 1700 watt oven. If you are using a microwave with lower watts, cook for a minute or 2 longer or till fully cooked)
- Remove cooked bacon and place on a paper towel lined plate to absorb the rest of the grease that didn’t collect in the groves of the bacon tray.
How to store cooked bacon
Leftovers can be stored in an air tight container or freezer bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze for up to 2 months.
Reheating
Leftover bacon can be reheated in the microwave in 30 seconds bursts in till warmed through.
Tips
- Cool time will vary depending on that number of bacon and thickness of bacon. One bacon slice would cook faster than 5 slices.
- Since the microwave usually cook from out inwards, I find that most foods gets more cooked at the edges than the ones in the middle of the plate. To get evenly cooked bacon, when it’s time to flip the bacon, I place the bacon near the outer rim of the plate inside and bring the ones inside out.
- Use heat resistant gloves when bringing out the plate from the microwave.
- It’s ok for bacon to overlap, they will shrink as they cook.
FAQs
Can I get crispy bacon in the microwave?
Microwave bacon would get crispy but will still have a bit of chewy to it. Cook regular cut bacon for 4 to 5 mins first and if you find that you want it crispier, cook for additional 1 minute checking every 20 seconds to be sure it doesn’t burn.
Can I cook Turkey bacon in the microwave?
Yes you can cook Turkey bacon in the microwave. It takes about 2 to 3 minutes. You can read our Turkey bacon post for full details.
Do I need to use paper towel or parchment paper?
The paper towel is needed to absorb the grease and keep grease from splattering all over the interior of the microwave. This will help with easy clean up. Parchment wouldn’t be helpful for making this recipe. It wouldn’t absorb the grease like the paper towel would.
More microwave recipes
- Microwave boiled eggs
- Hot dogs in the microwave
- Microwave baked potatoes
- White rice in the microwave
Check out all our >>>Microwave Recipes!
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Microwave Bacon (Pig bacon)
Equipment
- Microwave
Ingredients
- 6 Rashers Bacon
- scrambled eggs or your choice of sides
Instructions
- Line microwave safe plate with paper towel
- Place bacon slices on the paper towel lined plate, then cover bacon with another layer of paper towel.
- Microwave on high for 4 to 5 mins for regular cut bacon and 7 to 8 mins for thick cut bacon. Remember to flip way through.
NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
Nutritional information is an estimate and may change based on products used. Although we try to provide accurate nutritional information, please note that nutritional data on this website should be considered estimates and used as a guide only. Under no circumstances will www.microwaveaddicts.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from the use of this nutritional information. You are encouraged to use a nutritional calculator with the exact brands you are using to get the most accurate information for each recipe.
Ken says
This was easy. Thanks for the tips. Very helpful for a college student like me.
Microwaveaddicts says
Hi Ken,
Happy you found the post helpful. Thank you for taking out time to leave a feedback. We’ve got more good stuff coming your way. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media so you don’t miss them.