Bacon Cookers: The 8 Best for Microwave, Oven & Electric in 2026
Microwave trays, oven racks and electric griddles compared on batch size, splatter and clean-up — including the one to buy when you are cooking a whole pound at once.
A bacon cooker lifts the strips above their own fat so they crisp instead of frying in grease, and catches the splatter that makes a skillet such a mess. The right one depends less on brand than on where you cook and how much you cook at once.
We compared eight across all three types — microwave trays for a few quick strips, oven racks for a whole tray, and electric griddles for a crowd. In a hurry:
Microwave, Oven or Electric: Which Bacon Cooker Do You Need?
Most bacon cooker lists are really microwave lists. But the three types solve different problems, and picking the wrong type is the most common reason people are disappointed.
You will see them sold as bacon makers, bacon trays, bacon grills, bacon bakers, hanging “bacon trees” and even bacon machines. The names overlap, but every device for cooking bacon at home is one of three types underneath.
Bacon Cooker Comparison
| Bacon cooker | Type | Best for | Batch size | Lid or cover | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nordic Ware Rack with Lid | Microwave | Best overall & budget | Small batch | Yes | ★ 4.4 (11,482) |
| Presto Tilt ’n Drain | Electric | Big batches | A pound or more | Open griddle | ★ 4.7 (9,977) |
| Kitchenatics Sheet & Rack | Oven | The oven | A pound (half sheet) | No | ★ 4.6 (1,537) |
| ONEMORE Ceramic Tray | Microwave + oven | Ceramic | Small batch | Yes (microwave only) | ★ 4.5 (760) |
| Nordic Ware 2-Sided Grill | Microwave | Small microwaves | 4–5 strips | No | ★ 4.5 (2,759) |
| Makin’ Bacon | Microwave | The classic | Small batch | Paper towel | ★ 4.3 (14,174) |
| Hamilton Beach 4-in-1 | Electric | Multi-cooker | A family breakfast | No | ★ 4.3 (2,502) |
| Midnight Sun Pottery | Microwave | Handmade | A few strips | Paper towel | ★ 4.6 (110) |
Star ratings and review counts reflect Amazon listings at the time of writing and change over time — tap a name for the current rating and price. Batch sizes are given only where a maker or an independent review states one. Price tiers on the cards: $ under $25 · $$ $25–60 · $$$ above $60.
The 8 Best Bacon Cookers, Compared
Nordic Ware Microwave Bacon Rack with Lid (60109)
- Microwave
- Splatter lid included
- BPA & melamine free
- Made in USA
- $
Our best overall pick does the everyday job — crisp strips with no mess — for the least money. It is the cheapest bacon cooker here and the best-selling one by a distance. A ribbed tray lifts the strips above the grease, and the snap-on lid keeps splatter inside the tray instead of across your microwave — no paper towel needed.
It is made in the USA by Nordic Ware from BPA- and melamine-free plastic, and at 10.25 by 8 inches it fits inside almost any microwave. If you have been searching for a covered microwave bacon cooker, this is the simplest one to buy.
Presto 07046 Tilt ’n Drain Big Griddle
- Electric griddle
- Tilts to drain grease
- PFAS-free ceramic nonstick
- Cool-touch base
- $$$
The highest-rated product on this list, with 4.7 stars across nearly 10,000 reviews, and the answer to cooking a large amount of bacon. The surface sets level for pancakes or tilts back so grease runs off the meat and into a channel — exactly what bacon needs.
Presto says the cooking area takes 12 slices of French toast at once, which means a full pound of bacon with room to spare. A cool-touch base wraps the front and sides, a backstop ledge stops strips sliding off, and the Control Master dial holds the temperature on its own.
Kitchenatics Baking Sheet with Cooling Rack
- Oven
- 304 stainless rack
- Pan safe to 500°F
- Quarter to half sheet
- $$
The setup most cooks actually use for oven bacon: a stainless steel wire rack inside a rimmed aluminum pan. The rack holds the strips above the fat while hot air crisps both sides at once, and the rim keeps every drop of grease in the pan instead of the oven.
Choose the half-sheet size for a full pound of bacon — the quarter sheet fits about half that. The rack is solid 304 stainless steel, safe to 575°F and dishwasher safe, and the pan is uncoated aluminum, free of PFOA, safe to 500°F. It roasts vegetables and cools cookies the rest of the week.
ONEMORE Ceramic Bacon Tray with Lid, 11 inch
- Microwave & oven
- Ceramic, not plastic
- Raised ridges
- Dishwasher-safe tray
- $$
If you would rather your bacon did not cook on plastic, this is the pick. A white ceramic tray with raised ridges lets the fat run off into the channels, and unlike every other microwave tray here, the tray also goes in the oven.
It doubles as a serving plate straight from the microwave, resists stains and smells, and the tray goes in the dishwasher. A 13-inch size is on the same listing if you want to cook more at once.
Nordic Ware Microwave 2-Sided Bacon & Meat Grill
- Microwave
- Round, fits turntables
- 4–5 strips
- Flat reverse side
- $
Rated “also great” in an independent review that cooked bacon in each microwave model. Its round shape fits on a turntable and spins freely, which matters more than it sounds: an oversized rectangular tray that cannot rotate cooks unevenly in a small microwave.
One side is ribbed for bacon and sausage, holding four or five strips. Flip it over and the flat side reheats pizza, bagels and tortillas. Like the other Nordic Ware tray, it is made in the USA from BPA- and melamine-free plastic.
The Original Makin’ Bacon Microwave Bacon Dish
- Microwave
- Hangs strips upright
- BPA-free
- Dishwasher safe
- $
The most-reviewed bacon cooker on this list, with more than 14,000 ratings. Strips hang over T-shaped bars so the fat runs down into the dish underneath, and a paper towel over the top catches splatter. The maker says it cuts fat by up to 35% compared with frying in a skillet.
Results can vary: one independent review found some strips crisp and others chewy in the same batch. Spacing the strips evenly on the bars and not overloading it helps the most. It comes apart flat for the cupboard and goes in the dishwasher.
Hamilton Beach 4-in-1 Electric Indoor Grill & Griddle (25601)
- Electric
- Grill, griddle & bacon mode
- Removable plates
- Up to 400°F
- $$$
A grill, a griddle and a bacon cooker in one appliance. Flip out the kickstand and the grill plate tilts, so grease drains away while the bacon cooks with no splatter and no turning.
Open it flat and you get 200 square inches of cooking surface — bacon on one side, eggs or pancakes on the other. The plates come out with a push button and go in the dishwasher once cool, and the dial goes up to 400°F.
Midnight Sun Pottery Ceramic Microwave Bacon Cooker
- Microwave
- Handmade stoneware
- Lead free
- Dishwasher safe
- $$
Thrown by hand on a potter’s wheel in North Carolina. You drape the strips over the rim of a tall stoneware cup, the fat runs down into the saucer below, and the bacon cooks hanging in the air.
It is lead free, microwave and dishwasher safe, and it is the only cooker here you would leave out on the counter. Pour the grease off the saucer once it has cooled a little.
From a Few Strips to Large Amounts: How Much Each Bacon Cooker Holds
This is the question that decides which bacon cooker you need. A microwave cooker for large amounts of bacon does not really exist — the biggest top out around twelve strips. For more, move to the oven or an electric griddle.
| Batch size | Feeds | On this list |
|---|---|---|
| A few strips | One person, a quick breakfast | Midnight Sun Pottery, Nordic Ware trays, Makin’ Bacon |
| 4–5 strips | One or two people | Nordic Ware 2-Sided Grill |
| A family breakfast | Three or four people | Hamilton Beach 4-in-1 grill and griddle |
| About a pound | Meal prep, brunch for six | Kitchenatics half sheet in the oven |
| A pound or more | A crowd, alongside eggs and pancakes | Presto Tilt ’n Drain griddle |
A standard 1 lb pack holds roughly 12 to 16 strips depending on thickness, so “a pound” is one oven tray or one griddle load, but two or three rounds in the best microwave cooker.
Cooking Beef and Turkey Bacon in a Bacon Cooker
Every cooker on this list works with beef bacon and turkey bacon as well as pork — but they do not behave the same way, and the timings on the box assume pork.
Turkey bacon cooks faster
It is much leaner, so there is far less fat to render. Start checking a minute or two sooner than the pack suggests, or it goes from crisp to dry and brittle.
Beef bacon renders more
Beef bacon is usually fattier and thicker than pork. Give it a little longer, and make sure your tray or rack drains well — this is where the ribbed and hanging designs earn their keep.
Use the paper towel less
With turkey bacon, a paper towel laid over the top can steam it soft. Leave it off, or use a vented lid, if you want it crisp.
How to Choose a Bacon Cooker
Match it to your batch
This matters more than any feature. Microwave for a few strips, oven for a pound, griddle for a crowd. Buying a microwave tray to feed six is the most common regret.
Check it fits your microwave
A tray that cannot spin on the turntable cooks unevenly. Measure the inside, and if your microwave is small, choose a round tray like the Nordic Ware 2-Sided.
Splatter control
A built-in lid (Nordic Ware 60109, ONEMORE) keeps the microwave clean. Open designs rely on a paper towel laid over the top.
Plastic or ceramic
Most microwave cookers are BPA-free plastic. If you would rather avoid plastic altogether, pick ceramic — the ONEMORE tray or the Midnight Sun Pottery cooker.
How it drains
Ribs, hanging bars and tilting griddles all do the same job: keep the bacon out of its own fat. A design that drains well is the difference between crisp and greasy.
Make the whole breakfast
Pair a bacon cooker with one of our best omelet makers or electric egg cookers and breakfast for the family cooks itself.
Bacon Cooker FAQs
What is the best bacon cooker?+
What is the best bacon cooker for the oven?+
What is the best bacon cooker for large amounts of bacon?+
Do microwave bacon cookers really work?+
How long does bacon take in a microwave bacon cooker?+
Is there a microwave bacon cooker with a cover?+
Are ceramic bacon cookers better than plastic?+
Is there an electric bacon cooker?+
Do bacon toasters and bacon maker machines work?+
What is the best bacon cooker for a small microwave?+
Can I cook turkey or beef bacon in a bacon cooker?+
How do you get rid of the grease from a bacon cooker?+
Which Bacon Cooker Should You Buy?
For most homes, the Nordic Ware Rack with Lid — crisp strips in the microwave with no splatter, for about the price of a pack of bacon.
Cooking a pound at a time? Use the oven with the Kitchenatics Sheet and Rack, or put the Presto Tilt ’n Drain on the counter and cook the whole breakfast on it. Want to avoid plastic? The ONEMORE ceramic tray.
Pick the type before the brand. Where you cook and how much you cook at once matters far more than any feature on the box.
