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    Home » Recipes » Seasonal Recipes » Candied Bacon

    Published: Jul 15, 2022 Modified: Feb 20, 2023 by Isabel Laessig

    Candied Bacon

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    Sunday Supper is an Amazon Associate and may receive compensation for purchases made through affiliate links.

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    It’s called Million Dollar Bacon for a reason! My Candied Bacon recipe is sweet and salty, with a kick of heat. Crispy, thick-cut bacon caramelized with a little bit of spice is a perfect pairing for brunch, topping avocado toast, or even as a holiday food gift!

    The best part, it is ready in the oven in under an hour, or in the air fryer in 8 minutes.

    A container of candied bacon ready to enjoy
    Jump to:
    • Best Candied Bacon
    • Candied Bacon Ingredients
    • How to Make Candied Bacon
    • Candied Bacon in the Air Fryer
    • Million Dollar Bacon Recipe Tips
    • Millionaire Bacon FAQs
    • Millionaire’s Bacon Equipment
    • What to Serve with Million-Dollar Bacon
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 💬 Reviews

    Best Candied Bacon

    If you haven’t heard about it already, you might be wondering what the buzz is about so-called Millionaire Bacon. We’re here to tell you it’s worthy of that buzz!

    If you haven’t tried candied bacon yet, let me tell you, you are going to love it. It is rich in flavor and crave-worthy. I first gave it a try at my local First Watch and had to make it myself.

    Like the First Watch Million Dollar Bacon recipe, mine is sticky-sweet with a kick of heat. It’s a perfect addition to breakfast, brunch, or even an appetizer for a holiday meal.

    My family is obsessed with this candied bacon recipe. They ask me to make it constantly – so often that I even came up with an air fryer bacon version to save some time!

    I served this with pumpkin bread with maple glaze icing. Thought it would be nice contrast. I was right! Everyone who tried it absolutely loved it! Thank you for a great recipe!

    Laurie on Pinterest
    four strips of candied bacon on a plate with two eggs

    Candied Bacon Ingredients

    • thick-cut bacon
    • brown sugar
    • cracked black pepper
    • cayenne pepper
    • crushed red pepper flakes
    ingredients for candied bacon on a table - thick-cut bacon, and a bowl of brown sugar, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and red pepper flakes mixed together

    How to Make Candied Bacon

    1. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet pan with a silicone liner, parchment paper, or aluminum foil.
    2. Lay thick-cut slices onto the tray until the sheet pan is full. Try to avoid overlapping slices if you don’t have to. If you have an oven-safe wire rack, elevate the slices over the sheet pan – this helps circulate heat.
    3. Add brown sugar, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes to a small bowl. Stir to combine.
    4. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the slices. Use your hands to pat the sugar down, making sure to cover it all.
    5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until brown and crispy, up to 40 minutes. Once done baking, remove the sheet pan from the oven and let it cool for 10-15 minutes to allow the caramelized sugar to harden. Serve, and enjoy!
    cooked candied bacon on a lined sheet pan

    Made this birthday treat for a member of my deployed crew. It paired nicely with a rich double fudge mini layer cake with chocolate frosting. He gave it 😍😍😍😍 for the WIN!

    Beverly

    Candied Bacon in the Air Fryer

    1. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
    2. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, pepper, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes. Mix well.
      Candied bacon mix in a bowl
    3. Sprinkle mixture all over bacon and pat down.
      Patting candied bacon mixture onto bacon
    4. Spray air fryer with olive oil, then add bacon and fry for 8 minutes, checking halfway through at 4 minutes to see if any of the bacon needs any rearranging to crisp up.
      Placing candied bacon on air fryer tray
      Placing candied bacon in air fryer
    5. Serve and enjoy!
    air fryer candied bacon on a plate with two eggs

    Million Dollar Bacon Recipe Tips

    • Make sure to completely coat the strips with the sugar mixture to get the most texture and flavor out of it. Don’t leave any spot uncovered!
    • To avoid unnecessary cleanup, line your sheet pan with parchment paper, or a silicone liner. Trust me, you don’t want to candy bacon directly on the sheet pan (it’s a pain to clean!).
    • Give the slices some breathing room. Don’t overlap the slices too much, or they’ll stick together.
    • Elevating the slices over the sheet pan will allow air to circulate more evenly, so you’ll have beautiful, crisp slices. This is the best way to cook bacon in the oven – trust me!

    TOP TIP—Let it cool before you eat it! It will be tempting because of how amazing it’s going to smell and look, but trust me, let it cool first. This will allow the glaze to finish setting for that perfect candied texture. It takes about 10-15 minutes to harden.

    Candied bacon in a jar in front of starbucks pumpkin bread slices

    Millionaire Bacon FAQs

    What is Candied Bacon?

    Also called Millionaire’s Bacon or Million Dollar Bacon, or Pig Candy, candied bacon is made by coating slices of bacon in something sweet such as brown sugar before baking until caramelized. It’s a fantastic combination of flavors!

    How do you reheat candied bacon?

    Reheat glazed bacon by microwaving it for about 10 to 15 seconds at a time. Place paper towels in between to get rid of any grease. Be careful – it heats up quickly and gets very hot!

    Can this be made ahead of time?

    Make your million-dollar bacon recipe up to 4 days ahead of time. It is perfect for gifting and reusing in recipes.

    How to store candied bacon?

    Store it in an air-tight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. You can make it ahead of time, then have it ready to go for an easy weekend breakfast appetizer! Or, you can store the leftovers and repurpose them by making a salad for lunch. There are so many ways to enjoy leftover bacon!

    Candied bacon in a metal cup
    Candied Bacon

    This is like candy – we love it! I use a thick sliced pepper bacon and it is so good!

    Heather

    Millionaire’s Bacon Equipment

    It does not take much at all to make our glazed candied bacon recipe. You will need:

    • A baking sheet
    • Silicone liner, parchment paper, or aluminum foil
    • Cooling rack
    • Optional, but recommended: wire rack for baking sheet

    This is a baked bacon recipe or an air fryer candied bacon recipe – it’s great either way!

    After you bake it, let it cool on a rack to allow the sugar to caramelize and harden for that perfect, crispy, candied texture.

    What to Serve with Million-Dollar Bacon

    • Breakfast Casserole
    • Starbucks Egg Bites
    • Banana Bread Waffles
    • Sausage Gravy and Biscuits
    • Breakfast Potatoes
    package of bacon with completed candied bacon in a jar and Christmas box

    Made this for a Christmas party, huge hit. I used the thick bacon and did bake it on a rack.

    Kathryn

    📋 Recipe

    A container of candied bacon ready to enjoy

    Amazing Candied Bacon Recipe

    Isabel Laessig
    This Candied Bacon Recipe features crispy, caramelized strips of bacon with a hint of heat and is perfect for your next breakfast or brunch menu!
    4.73 from 148 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 40 mins
    Resting Time 15 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 5 mins
    Course Breakfast and Brunch
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8
    Calories 293 kcal

    Equipment

    • Baking sheet
    • Aluminum foil, silicone liner, or parchment paper

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 pound thick-cut bacon
    • ½ cup brown sugar
    • ½ tsp. cracked black pepper
    • ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
    • ½ Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes
    Cooking Conversions

    See our Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!

    Instructions
     

    Candied Bacon in the Oven

    • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
      Line a baking sheet pan with a silicone liner, parchment paper or foil. Lay the uncooked bacon sliced onto the pan.
      In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cracked black pepper, cayenne pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
      ½ cup brown sugar, ½ tsp. cracked black pepper, ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper, ½ Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes
      ingredients for candied bacon on a table - thick-cut bacon, and a bowl of brown sugar, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and red pepper flakes
    • Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the bacon slices, fully coating all of the slices. Using your hands, gently pat the sugar down onto the slices of bacon.
      1 pound thick-cut bacon
      fully coat the candied bacon with the ingredients
    • Bake for 30-40 minutes or until brown and crispy. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Check at 30 minutes and if it isn't as crisp as you'd like, put it back in for the full 40.
      Carefully transfer the bacon from the baking sheet pan to a cooling rack and let cool for another 10 minutes.
      cooked candied bacon on a lined sheet pan

    Air Fryer Candied Bacon

    • Preheat air fryer to 400°F. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, pepper, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes. Mix well.
      Candied bacon mix in a bowl
    • Sprinkle mixture all over bacon and pat down.
      Patting candied bacon mixture onto bacon
    • Spray air fryer with olive oil, then add bacon and fry for 8 minutes, checking halfway through at 4 minutes to see if any of the bacon needs any rearranging to crisp up.
      Placing candied bacon in air fryer
    • Serve and enjoy!
      four strips of candied bacon on a plate with two eggs

    Video

    Notes

    • Depending on the size of your baking sheet pan and the number of bacon slices in the package, you may need to use two sheet pans. 
    • Be sure to let the slices fully cool, this will allow the caramelized sugar to harden. 
    • Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 293kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 7gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 394mgPotassium: 149mgFiber: 1gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 359IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 19mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword candied bacon, candied bacon recipe, candy bacon, million dollar bacon, millionaire bacon
    Did you try this recipe?Tag #SundaySupper on social and leave a comment below!
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    About Isabel Laessig

    Hi! I’m Isabel Laessig, also known as Family Foodie, creator of Sunday Supper Movement and author of the Boujee Steak Cookbook. Sunday Supper is my mission to bring family back around the dinner table. Join me in making family meal-time a tradition to celebrate!

    » About Me

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kelvin says

      May 06, 2022 at 12:34 pm

      4 stars
      The taste is great and the general procedure works, but if you try cooking it at 375 for half an hour it will be burnt to a crisp. Either cut the time or cut the heat if you don’t enjoy eating charcoal.

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        May 09, 2022 at 11:13 am

        Hi Kelvin! We’re glad you enjoyed it! This is what works for our oven and we have never had an issue with burnt bacon, but of course, every oven is different. We always advise keeping an eye on it.

        Reply
        • Kjelstad says

          February 03, 2023 at 10:44 pm

          I really think that it depends on how thick your bacon is too

          Reply
    2. D. S. says

      October 08, 2022 at 3:37 pm

      5 stars
      Who doesn’t like bacon. I put steak bacon in my smoker and use Mesquite and smoke it first. Then use a disposable pie pan and mix brown sugar with water and a little molasses, and very lightly spice. Don’t want to overpower the taste of the bacon. Steak bacon is about 1/4″ thick. I cut the pieces in half, after it’s done and refrigerate them. Wrap them in parchment, and it can be frozen. But candied bacon has to be shared with people, because it’s an excess of goodness, that is only a treat. Serve at room temperature.

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        October 11, 2022 at 4:07 pm

        That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing!

        Reply
    3. Vikki says

      January 08, 2023 at 5:32 pm

      I’m wondering if it would work if you start baking this in a cold oven? …that’s how I normally cook my bacon. Thanks…I can’t wait to try this recipe!

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        January 09, 2023 at 4:28 pm

        Hi Vikki! I honestly have not tried it this way myself, so I can’t be sure, but would love to give it a shot or to know how it goes if you try it out. I hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
    4. Betty says

      January 23, 2023 at 2:02 pm

      What a great treat! Sharing with friends coming for lunch. Recipe worked exactly like written and checking @ 30” I gave it another 10”. Addictive 🤣

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        January 23, 2023 at 2:54 pm

        So glad you enjoyed it, Betty! Thank you so much for giving it a try and leaving us a comment!

        Reply
    5. Shoshanna says

      February 12, 2023 at 11:55 am

      5 stars
      I made two batches of this for my daughter’s birthday party. Same oven, same bacon, same time, 3 differently-sized baking sheets. The bacon on the full sheet burned both times, but the ones on the smaller ones came out perfectly. Just thought I would share in case anyone else finds useful.

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        February 13, 2023 at 11:31 am

        Thanks very much, Shoshanna! We hope everyone enjoyed it!

        Reply
    6. Laurie says

      March 19, 2023 at 11:28 am

      5 stars
      My sister gave me about 2 pounds of heavily peppered bacon that she didn’t like. I googled for some ideas on what to do with it and ran across your recipe! I had all ingredients on hand so I made it last week. YUM!! I left out the pepper from the ingredients as the bacon already had a coating of coarse ground black pepper on it. And, unfortunately, I didn’t measure the remaining ones… soooooo, mine was a bit… ok, VERY spicy! LOL But I figure this way, it will slow me down from eating the entire 2 pounds in one day!

      This stuff is so addicting!!! I baked mine on parchment paper for about 22 minutes (really, who times stuff like this? I just keep peeking in the oven and deciding how much time to add.)

      I let it cool and now have it stored in a 9×13 Tupperware container in the fridge, with parchment paper between layers.

      Reply
      • Em Beitel says

        March 20, 2023 at 11:52 am

        This is awesome, Laurie! We’re so glad you enjoyed it and found a use for the peppered bacon! It sounds like it turned out absolutely delicious!

        Reply
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