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Learn how to make homemade bacon bits in the oven so they're perfectly crunchy and ready to be sprinkled over baked potatoes, salads, and more!

Grab your favorite bacon, and let’s make homemade bacon bits! This recipe is a huge upgrade from the ones at the store, yielding crispy bacon pieces you can sprinkle over your favorite dishes.

Bacon makes everything better, and whenever you have a recipe that needs a little more oomph, you now have ready-to-add flavor at your fingertips.

Making Bacon Bits with Real Bacon

Making bacon bits with real bacon is super easy and tastes much better than the store-bought versions.

The bacon is cooked until perfectly crisp, then finely chopped so you can top them over salads, eggs, baked potatoes, or my loaded baked potato soup recipe.

Make these with whatever bacon you have available, even turkey bacon works with this method.

raw bacon slices on a baking sheet on the left with crispy cooked bacon on the right

How to Make Bacon Bits in the Oven

Instead of pan-frying, we are making these bacon bits in the oven. This method minimizes grease splatters and gives the bacon a crunchy texture that’s easy to chop. Here’s what to do:

Prep
Position the oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350F.
Bake
Line a baking sheet with foil and place the bacon slices in an even layer onto the sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until the bacon is dark brown and crispy.
Cool
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and pat the bacon dry between paper towels. Transfer to a cutting board and allow the slices to cool completely.
Chop
Use a sharp knife to cut the bacon into fine, small pieces. Now you can use them as a topping or refrigerate them in an airtight container.

Short on time? Make bacon in the microwave in MINUTES, and then use that perfectly crispy bacon to make your homemade bacon crumbles.

First time making your own bacon bits? Watch this two minute video and I’ll walk you through the steps with extra success tips.

How to Store Homemade Bacon Bits

Homemade bacon bits need to be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Since these are made with no preservatives, they must be refrigerated; otherwise, they’ll go bad if kept at room temperature.

While you can keep homemade bacon bits in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months, I don’t recommend it. When thawed, the bacon bits will lose their crispiness and won’t have the same texture you love.

How Long Do Homemade Bacon Bits Last?

Freshly made bacon bits will last for 3 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. Frozen bacon bits can be defrosted overnight in the fridge or warmed up in the microwave.

Are Bacon Bits Healthy?

Homemade bacon bits are the real deal and a healthier way to add smoky bacon flavor to your favorite dishes since they don’t have preservatives or added flavorings. You can use this recipe to make turkey bacon bits, lower sodium bacon bits, use whichever healthy(er) version of bacon you prefer.

It also helps that this recipe is made with one ingredient: bacon, compared to commercially prepared bacon bits which are often made with soy products, artificial ingredients, and coloring.

Are Homemade Bacon Bits Gluten-Free?

Bacon bits made with real bacon are naturally gluten-free; however, for extra precaution, select a certified gluten-free brand of bacon or scan the ingredient list for gluten-derived seasonings and spice mixes.

How to Use Homemade Bacon Crumbles

There are so many delicious ways to use up your bacon bits, it’s hard to know where to start. Serve them up over my famous BLT salad, over this Cobb Pasta Salad, or even this Wedge Salad.

How to Make Bacon Bits

Servings: 12

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 30

Learn how to make homemade bacon bits in the oven so they’re perfectly crunchy and ready to be sprinkled over baked potatoes, salads, and more!

5 from 8 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

12 ounces of bacon, any

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F and position the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
Line a baking sheet with foil and place the bacon slices on the baking sheet.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until they begin to turn dark and crispy.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the cooked bacon strips onto a stack of 3 to 4 paper towels. Pat dry them with another paper towel to absorb excess fat.
Tranfer them onto a chopping block and allow them to fully cool.
With a large kitchen knife, finely chop them into small pieces.