Sweet, salty, and beautifully crisp, my 3-ingredient Candied Bacon recipe is incredibly easy to make and super customizable using your favorite pantry spices. If perfectly crispy maple-glazed bacon candy sounds like your idea of a good time, this is the pork for you!Recipe can be scaled up or down by using the slider if you hover your mouse over the number of Servings.
Preheat Oven and Prep Baking Sheet: Preheat the oven to 375-degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Next place a wire rack insert directly onto the baking sheet and set aside.
Combine Sugar and Seasonings: In a shallow bowl or pan large enough to hold a slice of bacon, combine the brown sugar, cayenne, cinnamon, salt, and black pepper.
Brush Bacon with Maple: Working with one slice of bacon at a time, use a pastry brush to brush a small amount of maple syrup on one side of the bacon.
Coat Bacon in Sugar Spice: Transfer the slice of bacon, maple side DOWN, to the bowl with the sugar. Press and rub the sugar-spice mixture onto the bottom side of the bacon.
Arrange on Baking Sheet: Transfer the sugared bacon to the wire rack, placing the bacon sugar side UP. Repeat coating the remaining slices of bacon and arranging them evenly spaced apart on the wire rack. (Note: Do NOT overlap the bacon on the pan. It’s okay if they are touching slightly though.)
Bake: Transfer the bacon to the preheated oven and cook on the middle shelf, rotating the pan halfway through baking, for 20-25 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp and the sugar is caramelized.
Cool: Remove the baking pan from the oven and let the bacon cool on the wire rack for 2 minutes. Then, use tongs to transfer the bacon to a parchment paper or wax paper-lined surface and allow to cool completely to room temperature.
Serve: Enjoy candied bacon whole, cut into little bacon candies, or crumble and enjoy!
Notes
Bacon: You can candy whatever bacon variety you love - thick-cut bacon, regular bacon, center-cut, lean, etc. Please note that leaner, thinner cuts of bacon will get more crispy in the oven, while thicker cuts will be more chewy in texture.
Don’t let bacon cool on a wire rack for more than a couple minutes or it will stick like glue.
Storage: Airtight container or resealable bag in the fridge for up to 5 day
Nutritional information is an estimate based upon 4 servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.