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Sweet and salty candied bacon is simply addictive! Smoky, thick-cut bacon with a caramelized brown sugar coating and crispy edges is the perfect brunch food or appetizer.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make candied bacon with a glossy candy coating and perfectly balanced sweet-salty-spicy flavor, then you need to try this easy recipe! Also known as millionaire’s bacon or bacon candy, this recipe requires just a few simple ingredients and a hot oven to make.
The most important tip for the best bacon candy is to wait for it to cool. When it comes out of the oven, the bacon will not be crispy, and the sugar will be very hot and sticky. It needs time for the sugar to cool and harden, giving you delectably sticky, crispy results. If you’re looking for more bacon recipes, try my bacon wrapped chicken, air fryer bacon, and bacon wrapped shrimp.
What you need to make this recipe
Bacon — thick-cut bacon is the best option for bacon candy. Regular bacon is quite thin and can burn on the edges before the sugar caramelizes thoroughly.
Sugar — light brown sugar has moisture and a lovely molasses flavor, both important for the glossy, sticky candy coating. use dark brown sugar for a deeper molasses flavor.
Spices — ground black pepper and cayenne pepper balance the sweetness of the brown sugar in this candy bacon recipe and add a subtle touch of heat. Cayenne pepper is optional, so if you prefer, you can leave it out.
How to make candied bacon
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet fully with foil. Place a wire rack on the baking sheet, and arrange the bacon strips in a single layer on the wire rack. They should not overlap.
2. To a small bowl, add light brown sugar, ground black pepper, and cayenne pepper (optional).
3. Mix the ingredients together to create the candy coating for the bacon.
4. Sprinkle the sugar mixture liberally to coat the top of the bacon, and lightly pat the mixture onto each slice of bacon. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the bacon is caramelized and bubbly. Rotate the pan halfway through cooking time for even cooking. Let the bacon cool on the wire rack for 10 minutes, which is vital for crisp bacon candy. Then, transfer the cooked bacon to parchment paper and allow the salty snack to cool completely to room temperature.
Pro tips for making this recipe
- Use thick-cut bacon. Thicker slices of bacon are more chewy, which works well with the crisp candy coating. They also have a stronger savory flavor, so the bacon candy doesn’t turn out to be overly sweet.
- Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil. This recipe can make a mess under the wire rack, and lining the baking sheet with foil eliminates it! No need to scrub sticky brown sugar off the baking sheet.
- Place the bacon on an oven-safe wire rack, not directly on the baking sheet. Having air circulate under the bacon helps it cook evenly to crispy perfection and lets the rendered fat drip off the bacon strips.
- Add red pepper flakes. A sprinkle of red pepper flakes in the brown sugar mixture turns this into a spicy candied bacon recipe!
- Liberally and evenly coat the bacon with the sugar mixture. The bacon needs an even coating of the sugar and other spices to get good caramelization on each strip.
- Watch the bacon while it’s in the oven. Cook time will ultimately depend on the thickness of your bacon. Once the bacon is bubbly and the brown sugar has caramelized, it is ready. This usually takes about 30 to 35 minutes at 375°F.
- Let the bacon cool. It will not be crisp right out of the oven. But it will crisp up as the sugar hardens while it cools.
Frequently asked questions
Also called millionaire’s bacon and million dollar bacon, candied bacon refers to thick slices of bacon coated in a brown sugar and spice mixture and oven-baked until crisp and caramelized.
Since millionaire’s bacon lasts for several days in the fridge, you can make it in advance. It won’t be as crispy as the first day you make it, however. To help it crisp up, heat it in the oven for a few minutes at 350°F.
Serve it with waffles, breakfast potatoes, in sandwiches, crumbled over air fryer baked potatoes, or alongside a breakfast casserole. Pig candy also makes a great garnish for the ultimate bloody mary!
If you have leftovers of this thick-cut candied bacon recipe, let it cool completely and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Leftovers are delicious chopped up and stirred into scrambled eggs or homemade quiche.
If you’ve tried this easy candied bacon recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Candied Bacon
Equipment
- Large baking sheet
- Foil
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 pound thick-cut bacon (450g)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar (165g)
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Place a wire rack on a foil-lined baking sheet. Arrange the bacon slices close together, but not overlapping, on the rack.
- Combine the sugar, black pepper, and cayenne, if using, in a small bowl. Lightly pat the sugar mixture on top of the bacon slices to create an even coating.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through for even cooking, or until the bacon is bubbly and caramelized. (The exact bake time will depend on how thick the bacon is.).
- Let the bacon cool on the rack for 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to parchment paper. Let cool completely before serving.( The bacon will crisp up as it cools.) Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Use thick-cut bacon. Thicker slices of bacon are more chewy, which works well with the crisp candy coating. They also have a stronger savory flavor, so the bacon candy doesn’t turn out to be overly sweet.
- Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil. This recipe can make a mess under the wire rack, and lining the baking sheet with foil eliminates it! No need to scrub sticky brown sugar off the baking sheet.
- Place the bacon on an oven-safe wire rack, not directly on the baking sheet. Having air circulate under the bacon helps it cook evenly to crispy perfection and lets the rendered fat drip off the bacon strips.
- Add red pepper flakes. A sprinkle of red pepper flakes in the brown sugar mixture turns this into a spicy candied bacon recipe!
- Liberally and evenly coat the bacon with the sugar mixture. The bacon needs an even coating of the sugar and other spices to get good caramelization on each strip.
- Watch the bacon while it’s in the oven. Cook time will ultimately depend on the thickness of your bacon. Once the bacon is bubbly and the brown sugar has caramelized, it is ready. This usually takes about 30 to 35 minutes at 375°F.
- Let the bacon cool. It will not be crisp right out of the oven. But it will crisp up as the sugar hardens while it cools.
Nutrition
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