For the ideal touch to your Sunday breakfast, this candied bacon dish blends salty bacon with sweet caramelized brown sugar and a dash of spice and heat. They may also be crumbled and mixed into cookies, cupcakes, or doughnuts.

I’ve seen candied bacon called a variety of names throughout the years:

• Praline bacon
• Sweet bacon
• Bacon candy
• Pig candy
• Man candy
• Brown sugar bacon
• Million dollar bacon
• And my personal favorite: millionaires bacon

Making candied bacon, whatever you name it, is a fast and straightforward process that needs no baking expertise. The only technical knowledge required is the ability to switch on an oven!

What is candied bacon?

Candied bacon is created by coating bacon slices in a sweetener (such as brown sugar or maple syrup) and baking them to caramelize the sugar.

Thinner slices of bacon provide crisp strips with a sweet and salty taste. If you use thick-cut bacon, the bacon will be a little chewier, but with deliciously crispy edges.

Ingredients for candied bacon

The ingredients for this quick candied bacon recipe may be altered depending on the taste you want, but these are the ones I prefer to use:

• Bacon slices The thickness of your bacon is important. I normally avoid using thick-cut bacon since the outcome is chewy rather than crispy (but still crazy wonderful).
• Light brown sugar might be used in place of maple syrup, or half of it could be used in place of maple sugar. I don’t advocate using granulated white sugar or dark brown sugar instead.
• The brown sugar mixture is flavored with ground cinnamon and ground black pepper.
• Cayenne pepper for a little kick of heat!

How to make candied bacon in the oven

Making candied bacon is quite similar to baking bacon in the oven, but with a few of extra steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.Line one rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and top with an oven-safe wire rack. Line a second sheet pan with parchment paper and put them aside.
2. Whisk together light brown sugar, cinnamon, and any additional spices in a small basin (like a pasta bowl). If necessary, use your fingers to break up any clumps.
3. Take each strip of bacon and push it into the brown sugar mixture, coating it well on both sides. Place each coated piece of bacon in a single layer on the wire rack of a foil-lined baking sheet. If desired, sprinkle with any leftover brown sugar. Note: You’ll probably fit around 6 slices on the baking sheet, so if you’re preparing 12 strips of bacon, you’ll need to bake them in two batches.
4. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the top is dark brown, hard, and crisp. You may need to add more time since thicker slices may take longer to cook thoroughly.
5. When done, immediately move each slice to a parchment-lined baking sheet to cool fully.

How to make candied bacon in an air fryer

To create candied bacon in an air fryer, use the same brown sugar mixture preparation procedures as you would for the oven technique, but cook it according to these instructions instead:

1. Set aside a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together light brown sugar, cinnamon, and any additional spices in a small basin (like a pasta bowl). If necessary, use your fingers to break up any clumps.
3. Take each strip of bacon and push it into the brown sugar mixture, coating it well on both sides.
4. Arrange the bacon pieces in a single layer in the air fryer basket. You may need to do this in many rounds depending on the size of your air fryer and the number of slices you’re creating. To form smaller strips, cut each bacon slice in half using kitchen shears.
5. Cook for about 15 minutes at 400°F, or until dark brown, firm, and crisp.
6. When finished cooking, gently move each slice to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to cool entirely.

Uses for candied bacon

Here’s the thing: the only limit to what you can do with candied bacon is your creativity! However, here are some appetizer dishes to add to your repertoire:

• Please and thank you, add it to a Bloody Mary (along with a celery stalk and a pickle spear).
• Crumble the candied bacon strips and incorporate them into maple bacon snickerdoodles.
• Alternatively, sprinkle the crumbles on top of maple bacon cupcakes or maple bacon doughnuts.
• Cut it up and serve it on a charcuterie board for a little something sweet.
• Place them in a glass on a dessert table for visitors to take and munch on.
• Put it on your BLT
• Take it a step further and make chocolate-covered bacon.