How To Make Air Fryer Turkey Bacon

Making the perfect crispy and delicious air fryer turkey bacon has never been easier. Similar to regular bacon made of pork, turkey bacon is leaner with less fat. It still has that identifiable smoky, briny flavor that regular pork bacon has, so you won’t miss out.

Best of all? You can still be made nice and crispy using the air fryer.

Turkey Bacon in the Air Fryer

Why Cooking Turkey Bacon in the Air Fryer is so Awesome

• Turkey bacon is not much different than cooking regular bacon, because the process is the same. The air fryer makes cooking the perfect crispy turkey bacon a breeze and leaves you available to work on other things that need to be done.
• Air Fryer Turkey Bacon slices aren’t only for breakfast. Depending on how crispy you cook them, they can be crumbled into salads or dips or even sandwiches. They’re so versatile.

How to Make this Turkey Bacon Recipe Perfect

Making turkey bacon in the air fryer is so easy.

Start by preheating your air fryer. I set mine to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes. This is an optional step, but I like doing it so the air fryer is hot and won’t dry out the bacon as it gets up to temperature.

To make clean-up easier, I like to use a parchment paper liner in my air fryer basket. This will help with the cleanup. Even though turkey bacon is leaner than regular bacon, it still has a certain amount of grease that can drip and make a mess.

When the fryer comes to temperature, place down the liner, and then lay down the turkey bacon strips. You have two options for placement:

1. Lay the turkey strips side by side: This will cook the bacon slightly quicker, but only allow you to do a few strips at a time and you may have to batch cook if you’re making the whole package.
2. Put about 12 slices in all at once, overlapping in sections, and during the cooking, periodically move them around to expose different sides of the meat to the crisping element. This might take a bit longer, but you can cook more at one time.

I cooked 8 strips this particular morning and it took me about 8 minutes.

Keep in mind that cooking time will also depend on just how crispy you want the bacon. I still like a bit of moisture to the bacon but with some crispy edges.

If you prefer a really crispy, crumbly texture, then increase the cooking time to about 10 minutes.

These cooking times also depend on your brand of air fryer. The one I use is a Cosori and I love how it cooks all sorts of things like my Bone-In Chicken Breasts, Air Fryer Pork Steaks, and even my Zucchini Sticks Recipe is unreal! You might be using a different brand that may run hotter or cooler than mine, so checking on things as they are cooking is the key here.

SALTYPOT TIP: Remember, DO NOT add the parchment paper liner when you are beginning to preheat the air fryer. The convection air will blow it around inside the basket and could very VERY easily lift it up to the heating elements and it could start to burn.
Add the parchment liner at the same time you add the bacon to begin cooking.

Air Fryer Turkey Cooking Guide

Cooking approximately 4 strips, laid flat in the basket:
– Moist but with crispy edges: 350 degrees, about 5 minutes
– Super crispy: 350 degrees, about 8-10 minutes.

Cooking more strips, overlapping in the basket:
– Moist but with crispy edges: 350 degrees, about 8 – 10 minutes
– Super crispy: 350 degrees, 12 minutes or more, flipping often to expose the bacon to the heating elements.

Suggestions for Putting a Twist on It

Because turkey bacon tends to be much leaner because of a lack of added fat when being made, and we all know fat is flavor, sometimes it can need a bit of sprucing up if it’s not your absolute favorite.

Try drizzling or dipping small amounts of honey mustard on top of the cooked bacon.
Hot honey would be a fantastic addition, giving you a sweet and salty kick.

Serving Ideas

Turkey bacon recipe can be served in all the same ways you like to serve regular bacon. I served it with eggs to make a simple and easy breakfast but the options are truly endless.

• Serve it alongside these Scrambled Eggs With Cottage Cheese recipe for even more healthy protein to start your day.
• For a lighter sandwich, turkey bacon makes a great BLT!
• Mix it in with eggs and cheese to make breakfast burritos.
• Add it to your favorite grilled cheese recipe for a creamy, cheesy, salty bite.
• Crumble it to use as a salad topper, on top of deviled eggs, or to add an extra dimension to corn salad.

Storing Leftovers

Any unused turkey slices from the package of turkey bacon can be sealed in a zip lock bag to allow them to stay fresh in the refrigerator for about a week, but it’s always best to check the expiry dates on the package to gauge the time.

Cooked turkey bacon strips can be wrapped in plastic or sealed ziplock and will last in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.

To reheat the bacon strips, reheat them for about 15-20 seconds in the microwave.

If you wanted to reheat them on the stovetop, then place the bacon in the frying pan, add a little drizzle or spray of oil, and a few tablespoons of water. Place a lid on the pan and reheat over medium-low heat for about 4-5 minutes. The addition of the oil and the water is to help ensure the turkey bacon strips don’t dry out while reheating.

Questions You Might Have