Air Fryer Turkey Bacon (Three Ways)

Air Fryer Turkey Bacon is fast, easy and less mess than frying it on the stovetop. This recipe includes all the tips you need for making turkey bacon in the air fryer, and you have three ways to try it – unseasoned, candied or peppered!

For all you at-home brunch folks or BLT sandwich lovers, this air fryer bacon recipe is for you!

While pork bacon makes it onto our brunch menu from time to time, we love turkey bacon for a healthier option. I usually prepare some on the weekends to pair with eggs for a quick breakfast during the week, or to add to sandwiches, salads or burgers.

Cooking turkey bacon in the air fryer is also more hands off than frying it on the stovetop, and it’s less mess to clean up, which is always a bonus!

Details on ingredients

Uncured turkey bacon – it may also be called bacon style turkey. It’s made with natural ingredients and sodium nitrate-free.

Coconut sugar – just a little is sprinkled on the bacon to make the candied version.

Ground black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes – again, just a little sprinkled on the bacon for the peppered version.

How to cook turkey bacon in the air fryer

• Choose your flavour option – unseasoned, candied or peppered.
• If you’re going with candied or peppered, sprinkle on the sugar or ground peppers and gently rub them into the bacon.
• Arrange the bacon slices in a single layer in the air fryer and air fry on 350F for 8-10 minutes, flipping the slices after 4-5 minutes.
• Carefully transfer the bacon to a plate and repeat until all of the bacon is air fried.

What’s the best turkey bacon to use for this recipe?

I always use uncured turkey bacon which contains natural ingredients and no sodium nitrates. It has a ham-like texture and is similar to Canadian bacon.

What temperature is best to air fry turkey bacon? How long will it take?

I tested this recipe on 350F and 400F in the air fryer. Here’s what I found:

• At 400F, the turkey bacon tended to blow around the air fryer and it started to burn around the edges before it was fully cooked in the middle.
• At 350F, the turkey bacon didn’t blow around the air fryer as much and cooked more evenly with slightly crispy edges.
• At 350F, it will take about 8-10 minutes for the turkey bacon to cook. You want it crispy around the edges, but not burnt. The bacon quickly burns, so keep an eye on it as it approaches the 9-10 minute mark.
• The turkey bacon will also firm up a bit after it’s removed from the heat, so resist the urge to over cook it.

What type of air fryer was this recipe tested in?

This recipe was tested in a 2.75 quart Philips basket-style air fryer and in a larger capacity Cuisinart air fryer/convection/toaster oven-style.

The Philips is a smaller air fryer so I could only fit 3 slices of turkey bacon (in a single layer) in the basket at a time. The Cuisinart could handle 6 slices per batch.

In the Cuisinart, the bacon was fully cooked in 8 minutes but it took closer to 10 minutes in the Philips.

The turkey bacon also blew around a little in the Philips (even at 350F), so if you have a similar basket-style model, you may want to use a trivet to keep the bacon from blowing around.

Does turkey bacon get crispy in the air fryer?

Turkey bacon is leaner than pork bacon and doesn’t render as much fat to help make it crispy, so it will not get crispy like traditional pork bacon.

It will get slightly crispy around the edges in the air fryer, but the texture is similar to ham and is more chewy than crispy.

Additional recipe tips and substitutions

• Try not to overlap the bacon in the air fryer. It air fries best when it is arranged in a single layer and the air can circulate around it.
• I prefer to rub on the seasoning for the candied and peppered versions so it sticks to the bacon and doesn’t blow around or fall off in the air fryer.
• To cook a full pack of bacon (500 grams), you will need to air fry it in multiple batches. Even with my larger capacity air fryer, I had to air fry the bacon in three separate batches.
• If your bacon is blowing around the air fryer, try using a trivet. This will keep the bacon from blowing around but still allow the air to circulate around it.
• Be careful not to over cook the bacon. It continues to firm up and get crispy around the edges after it’s removed from the air fryer.
• The peppered version has some heat to it, so if you’re not a fan of hot food, just reduce the amount of crushed red pepper flakes you add or go for the unseasoned version instead.
• Turkey bacon usually comes seasoned so for the unseasoned version, I just didn’t add any additional seasoning.

Ways to enjoy air fryer turkey bacon

• Use it in a turkey bacon sandwich such as a club or BLT (as pictured in this recipe).
• Add it to burgers like these jalapeño turkey burgers or air fryer turkey burgers.
• Serve it up with some air fryer egg bites and toast for a hearty breakfast or brunch.
• Add it to this sweet potato frittata or pair it with this sweet potato breakfast casserole.
• It’s also great with quiche like this butternut squash quiche or air fryer mini quiche.
• And don’t forget a side of these delicious air fryer home fries, air fryer parmesan potatoes or air fryer potato cakes!

More air fryer recipes

• Air Fryer Chicken Meatballs
• Air Fryer Crab Cakes
• Air Fryer Baby Potatoes
• Air Fryer Mushrooms and Onions
• Air Fryer Peppers and Onions
• Air Fryer Pork Schnitzel
• Air Fryer Chicken Bites

If you make this turkey bacon air fryer recipe, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below.

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Air Fryer Turkey Bacon (Three Ways)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 4 reviews

• Author: Leanne
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 18 slices
• Category: Breakfast
• Method: Air Fry
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Air Fryer Turkey Bacon is fast, easy and less mess than frying it on the stovetop. This recipe includes all the tips you need for making turkey bacon in your air fryer, and you have three ways to try it – unseasoned, candied or peppered!

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Ingredients

Unseasoned version

• 1 package (500 grams) uncured turkey bacon

Candied version

• 1 package (500 grams) uncured turkey bacon
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar

Peppered version

• 1 package (500 grams) uncured turkey bacon
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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Instructions

1. Choose your flavour – unseasoned, candied or peppered.
2. For the candied version, arrange the bacon slices on your work surface and sprinkle on the coconut sugar. Gently rub it into the bacon.
3. For the peppered version, arrange the bacon slices on your work surface and sprinkle on the ground black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Gently rub them into the bacon.
4. Regardless of which version you choose, arrange the bacon slices in a single layer in the air fryer basket and air fry on 350F for 8-10 minutes, flipping the slices after 4-5 minutes.
5. Carefully transfer the bacon to a plate and repeat until all of the bacon is air fried.

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Notes

1. Try not to overlap the bacon in the air fryer. For the best results, it should be arranged in a single layer so the air can circulate around it.
2. To cook a full pack of bacon, you will need to air fry it in multiple batches. Total cook time includes time to air fry three batches of turkey bacon.
3. If your bacon is blowing around the air fryer, try using a trivet. This will keep the bacon from blowing around while still allowing air to circulate around it.
4. Be careful not to over cook the bacon. It continues to firm up and get crispy around the edges after it’s removed from the air fryer.
5. The peppered version has some heat to it, so if you’re not a fan of hot food, just reduce the amount of crushed red pepper flakes you add or go for the unseasoned version instead.
6. Be sure to check out the other sections above the recipe card for more detailed advice and suggestions for making this recipe.