It has been said that the smell of bacon, more than any other scent, has the power to tempt vegetarians back into a carnivorous lifestyle for just one salty, smoky bite of goodness. Bacon brings the family together in the mornings; it seduces men, it comforts women, and it makes nearly any dish even tastier.
Bacon’s best quality is that it can be fried or cooked in the oven in a matter of minutes and then devoured just as it is. However, for the more adventurous, we’ve assembled some of the best bacon recipes so that you can enjoy your thin, cured pork strips in just about any meal imaginable. Not that you needed an excuse…
Jump to:
- 1. Bacon Strip Pancakes
- 2. German Onion and Bacon Pie
- 3. Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos
- 4. Bacon and Cheddar Deviled Eggs
- 5. Bacon Wrapped Onion Rings
- 6. Bourbon-Bacon Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- 7. Loaded Hasselback Potatoes
- 8. Bacon and Egg Toast Cups
- 9. Chocolate Covered Bacon
- 10. Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
- 11. Bacon Jam
- 12. Oven Roasted Bacon Brussels Sprouts
- 13. Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes
- 14. Cauliflower, Sage and Bacon Soup
- 15. Creamy Bacon and Pea Pasta
- 16. Spicy Mable Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
- 17. Candied Bacon Martini
- 18. Asparagus, Egg and Bacon Salad
- 19. Chanterelle, Bacon and Plum Salad with Blue Cheese
- 20. Bacon Bloody Mary Popsicles
- 21. Apple, Bacon and Brie Burger
- 22. Bacon Cheeseburger Puffs
- 23. Raspberry Bacon Grilled Cheese
- 24. Baked Oyster with Bacon and Leeks
- 25. Bacon Hash Browns
- 26. Bacon Explosion
1. Bacon Strip Pancakes
Here’s another easy yet mouth-watering breakfast to make on a lazy Sunday morning; it may not be the healthiest, but you deserve it after a hard week of work. All you really have to do is whip up a simple pancake batter and pour it over a strip of streaky bacon until it’s that lovely golden-brown color.
2. German Onion and Bacon Pie
Zwiebelkuchen is a traditional German savory deep-dish pie – much like a quiche. This particular recipe calls for a caramelized onion, sour cream, and bacon filling, along with the base ingredient of eggs, of course. The prep time doesn’t take too long, especially since you can simply use refrigerated pie crusts instead of making one from scratch; the real star of the show is the filling. The pie takes about 50 to 55 minutes to bake in the oven, so make sure you time it perfectly so that you can serve this dish while it’s nice and warm. Comfort food at its best!
3. Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos
If you can’t stand the heat, you may as well get out of the kitchen right now. These bite-sized spicy nibbles are delicious when cooked on the barbecue and washed down with a nice cold beer on a summer’s day. Stuff your peppers with cheese – you can use a nice sharp cheddar or even some smooth cream cheese, as long as you wrap your little parcels with bacon, you’re good to go.
4. Bacon and Cheddar Deviled Eggs
Everyone loves a classic, but reviving it with bacon gives you a whole new burst of flavor. This deviled egg recipe includes bacon, of course, green onion, and cheese. You don’t have to stick with cheddar, though; feel free to experiment with different types of cheeses like gruyere. You can also refrigerate these little devils for up to 12 hours if you want to plan the meal in advance.
5. Bacon Wrapped Onion Rings
Another great barbecue snack is these onion rings that are wrapped in smoky bacon instead of the usual onion ring batter. This recipe calls for brushing the onions with Sriracha hot sauce before wrapping the bacon, but if your taste buds don’t respond well to spicy foods, you can either give it a skip altogether or replace it with a nice smoky BBQ sauce instead.
6. Bourbon-Bacon Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Everyone loves the old classic chocolate chip cookies, but whoever thought of adding bourbon and bacon to the mix is a pure genius in our books. This recipe uses some of the actual bacon fat in the cookie, so not only do you get delicious, salty bites of bacon, but you also really get to taste that goodness throughout the entire cookie. The bourbon is just there to enhance the flavor, and since the alcohol cooks out during the baking process, this recipe isn’t just for the adults, but child-friendly too.
7. Loaded Hasselback Potatoes
A hasselback potato is a lot less complicated than it looks – and it does look beautiful! Instead of quartering your baked potato to fill it, you slice several little slits so that the potato really absorbs the butter. After baking, the crispy loaf is topped with cheddar cheese that melts happily into each little crevice, sour cream, crispy bacon bits, and some fresh chives. That’s how you make an easy yet fancy-looking loaded potato.
8. Bacon and Egg Toast Cups
The best breakfast, undoubtedly, is good old-fashioned bacon, egg, and toast, but combining this winning trio in a muffin-sized bundle of happiness takes it to a whole new level. The crispy bacon literally hugs the egg-topped toast, and it’s your choice whether you want runny or firm yolks. The recipe is relatively healthy and pretty quick and easy to make, just make sure you have a muffin tin to create the rounded shape, and don’t underestimate how quickly these little delights will be eaten!
9. Chocolate Covered Bacon
Yes, you read that right – bacon covered in chocolate. If you’re looking for a super-easy snack to make for your husband, boyfriend, or kids that will really make them appreciate you even more, then you’ve got the winner right here. It really is as simple as it sounds, and this recipe also lends itself to some individual experimentation on your part, depending on your taste: you can use either milk chocolate or dark chocolate, and you can have fun with some toppings and making it look pretty if that’s your kind of thing. You can even lure the kids into the kitchen and get them to create their own heavenly salty treats.
10. Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
In the ancient world, cinnamon was once so highly regarded that it was considered a gift fit for kings, monarchs, and even gods; its source was kept a secret for hundreds of years just so that the spice traders could cement their monopoly. Thankfully, today, the versatile spice is readily available for us so we can make bacon-stuffed cinnamon rolls. You don’t even have to fuss with making your own rolls; you can simply unroll pre-made refrigerated rolls, add the bacon, and re-roll – it’ll only take about 15 minutes in the oven before you can sink your teeth in.
11. Bacon Jam
Bacon jam. Just let that thought sink in for a while: glorious, spreadable bacon, available to you at every minute of every day. This recipe requires quite a few ingredients and some love and care, but the result is a full-bodied, textured jam that you’ll be eating by the spoonfuls. Make a large batch and store helpings in lovely rustic jars for a unique and sure-to-be-appreciated gift idea for practically any occasion, from a housewarming to a bridal shower.
12. Oven Roasted Bacon Brussels Sprouts
For some or other reason—we’re really not quite sure why—Brussels sprouts have gotten a really bad rep. These miniature leafy green vegetables are really quite appetizing if prepared correctly (crispy instead of mushy), and they’re very healthy as well. If you’re trying to turn your kids on to these veggies, roasting them with bacon is an easy way to get them closer to trying them. Make sure you spread the bacon evenly so that the flavor really permeates throughout all the little sprouts.
13. Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes
These cupcakes are pure mischief in dessert form. You start with a fluffy devil’s food base, swirl on some maple-kissed cream cheese frosting, and then pile on crunchy, brown-sugar-candied bacon. It’s the perfect salty-sweet chaos your taste buds didn’t know they needed—but will definitely want more of.
14. Cauliflower, Sage and Bacon Soup
When you’re looking for a bold and cozy soup to warm you up from the inside out, this is the one to make. The recipe is simple to prepare, and the ingredients are also budget-friendly. As an added bonus, this is a clever way to get your kids to eat more vegetables – they won’t even know that they’re eating cauliflower; they’ll just be thankful for the bacon! Add some toast and you have a perfectly hearty winter meal.
15. Creamy Bacon and Pea Pasta
This easy pasta dish is great if you need to whip up a quick dinner but don’t have much time to spare – 15 minutes is really all you’ll need here, and you’re bound to have most of these ingredients in your kitchen already. The sauce is creamy and smoky, but the addition of peas and fresh mint takes some of that heaviness away so that it still feels relatively light.
16. Spicy Mable Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
Sweet, salty, and spicy are three flavor profiles that go together famously; add some shrimp into the mix, and you’ve got one fantastic snack. The bacon is glazed with a combination of maple syrup and spicy Sriracha sauce, and then wrapped around a succulent piece of shrimp. It only takes about 30 minutes, including prep time, and serves as a great hors d'oeuvre for a cocktail party, dinner party, or even your monthly book club meeting. If anyone in your party or family doesn’t like shrimp, the spicy maple bacon wrapped up on its own is equally as tasty.
17. Candied Bacon Martini
Bacon no longer has to be limited to breakfasts; in fact, it doesn’t even have to be limited to an actual meal! Bacon has infiltrated our cocktails, and we’ve never been happier. This martini recipe is one especially for the ladies. It’s the perfect complementary drink to match the shrimp recipe from above for any type of girls’ get-together.
18. Asparagus, Egg and Bacon Salad
Asparagus, egg, and bacon are a match made in heaven, but what really makes this dish pop is the generous drizzle of Dijon mustard vinaigrette. It’s quick, it’s delicious, it’s summery and it’s healthy.
19. Chanterelle, Bacon and Plum Salad with Blue Cheese
Bacon pairs perfectly with juicy plums; actually, any stone fruit will do, so feel free to make different versions of this salad. The sharp, creamy blue cheese adds another great texture, and again, is one of bacon’s best friends. If you want an even heartier salad, you can add some grilled chicken to the mix.
20. Bacon Bloody Mary Popsicles
Whether you want a Bloody Mary as hair-of-the-dog cure or as a boozy summer cool-down treat, this popsicle recipe is quite possibly the best adult version of a kid’s favorite we’ve seen so far. Swapping the wooden sticks for bacon-wrapped breadsticks is a novel way of adding yet another twist and saving on wasteful purchases.
21. Apple, Bacon and Brie Burger
Beef and apple are two peas in a pod; bacon and brie are two peas in a pod. It makes sense, then, to combine these three friends in one exquisitely mouth-watering burger, right? This dish is straightforward to make and takes about 40 minutes—though you’ll probably enjoy devouring it even faster.
22. Bacon Cheeseburger Puffs
If you’re in the mood for a burger but don’t feel like making the above recipe, why not try this version of a burger in a happy little ball? These crispy little puffs are packed with everything you want in a burger; when the cheese oozes out after your first bite, you’ll quickly be converted from the traditional burger. You can even freeze pre-made puffs to pop in the oven another day.
23. Raspberry Bacon Grilled Cheese
A grilled cheese sandwich is fantastic; a grilled cheese sandwich with bacon is even better; a grilled cheese sandwich with bacon and raspberries is surprisingly phenomenal! The trick is to use a nice, strong white cheddar cheese to complement the sweet-yet-sour juiciness that the raspberries bring to the table. It may sound odd, but give it a try and you’ll quickly change your tune.
24. Baked Oyster with Bacon and Leeks
Let’s face it, raw oysters aren’t for everyone. To some people, there is nothing worse than the thought of a salty, slimy oyster sliding down their throats. So if you’re desperate to make some oysters that everyone can enjoy, just throw some bacon into the mix, crumble some breadcrumbs on top, and bake them until golden brown. You’ll quickly be able to convert the oyster-haters with this one.
25. Bacon Hash Browns
These hash browns are actually more like fritters – they look like yummy, crispy little hovercrafts. Of course, you could omit the bacon if you’ve got vegetarians nearby, but they won’t be anywhere as delectable. Serve these for breakfast with eggs, as a dinner side dish, or on their own as appetizers.
26. Bacon Explosion
We have to end our bacon recipe list with a bang, and a bang you shall get. This final recipe is the most incredibly pork-tastic thing you will ever see and ever have the pleasure of serving (and eating, of course). It involves a bacon weave topped with Italian sausage meat (hello again, pork), topped with bacon bits, and rolled into the biggest, tastiest, porkiest sausage you have ever laid eyes on. You’re welcome.
Ellie Mangold
EXCELLENT EVERYTHING !!!!!!!!
Ellie Mangold
EXCELLENT. ....EVERYTHING. ...Thank You