Wow, you guys, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve had my air fryer for like six months now, and I’ve used it to make all kinds of recipes — cheeseburgers, fries, Buffalo wings, even fajitas. But up until now, I’ve never tried using it for the most essential fried food there is — bacon! What was I thinking?

Well, obviously, I had to fix that right away. So I tried it, and I quickly realized there was a bit of a problem. See, the air fryer is great for making things without a lot of fat, but bacon already has its own fat, which normally cooks out when you fry it. But in the air fryer, all that grease just dripped onto the bottom of the fryer and started to burn, making a big cloud of smoke.

Fortunately, I found an easy fix for this. All you have to do is pour a quarter-cup of water into the bottom of the fryer before cooking the bacon. It catches the grease so it can’t burn. You just get perfectly cooked, crispy, delicious bacon in about ten minutes (or fifteen if it’s thick). No spatter, no greasy pans to clean up — and no smoke-filled kitchen.

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How to Make Crispy Air Fryer Bacon

Preheat the air fryer at 320*F for 5 minutes. Pour ¼ cup of water into the bottom of the air fryer to minimize smoke. (Alternative – place a layer of bread instead of water).
Place bacon in a single layer into the preheated air fryer basket.
Cook for 12-16 minutes for thick cut and 8-10 for standard cut.
Enjoy!

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