Tastefully Grace January 20, 2023

Million Dollar Candied Bacon

4.9 from 13 votes

Sweet, salty and crispy and chewy: candied bacon is sometimes called million dollar bacon for a reason. It’s heavenly!

As a hors d’oeuvre, appetizer, salad topping, or as Crispy Brussels Sprouts With Candied Bacon, this stuff is addicting! It’s just 4 ingredients and takes only 30 minutes to make. I’m drooling just thinking about it.

What is Candied Bacon?

Candied bacon is regular bacon coated, and then baked, in a sugar mixture. The sugar mixture can be flavored with other spices or flavors! After baking, candied bacon is crispy, chewy, sweet, smoky and salty. With the addition of some cracked black pepper, it’s a tiny bit spicy too! YUM.

Candied bacon is also called Million Dollar Bacon or Millionaire’s Bacon for reasons that are quite obvious; I think I’d pay a trillion dollars for this stuff!

Candied Bacon Ingredients

Bacon – choose regular cut bacon that’s not thick or extra thin. You can use whatever flavor you’d like: Applewood Smoked, Hickory Smoked, Maple, etc. 12 ounces is plenty for this recipe, but if you can only find a full pound of bacon, there’s enough brown sugar mixture for that amount too!
Light brown sugar – light brown sugar will caramelize in the oven, yielding delicious caramel and molasses notes!
Real maple syrup – a little maple syrup accentuates the flavor of the brown sugar and allows you to spread the sugar mixture more easily.
Black pepper – cracked black pepper adds a mild spicy kick!

Variations and Additions

Use no black pepper or extra black pepper, depending on the amount of heat you like!
Add a dash of cayenne to the sugar mixture for extra spiciness.
Add a dash of dried herbs like rosemary, thyme, or sage.
Add a dash of spice like Chinese Five Spice, cinnamon, paprika or smoked paprika.
When the bacon is hot out of the oven, sprinkle with nuts like chopped pecans or walnuts.

How to Make Candied Bacon

Full instructions in the recipe card; this is just an outline!

Stir.
Stir together brown sugar, maple syrup and black pepper.
Add.
On a baking sheet lined with foil, add bacon slices in a single layer.
Spread.
Add the brown sugar mixture to each slice of bacon, using your hands or the back of a spoon to press mixture evenly onto each slice of bacon.
Bake.
Bake bacon for 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees until bacon is golden and crispy.
Cool.
Let bacon cool for 3 minutes before placing slices on a plate in a single layer to cool further.

Tips & Tricks for Candied Bacon

Depending on the fat content and the thickness of your bacon, you may need a few minutes less or more to bake. Keep an eye on the oven!

Some of the sugar will slide off the bacon onto the foil and burn. That’s okay! If the fallen sugar starts to smoke, you can fold that part of the foil over onto itself, blocking those burn spots from the direct heat and smoking further.
Let the bacon cool on the foil for 3 minutes. Letting it cool too long will cause the bacon to stick on the foil, and you won’t be able to get it off! Use a fork to lift candied bacon off the foil while it’s hot.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do I need to place my bacon on a wire rack?

No, you don’t need to place bacon on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. No rack will yield crispy yet chewy candied bacon (the way I like it!).

Do you serve candied bacon chilled, room temperature or warm?

I like to serve it room temperature or slightly warm, but you can serve it any way you’d like! If you serve the bacon cold, beware that some of the bacon fat might harden and create white spots on the bacon. These can be fixed by heating the bacon just a bit!

How do you reheat candied bacon?

Reheat bacon in the oven at 350 degrees for 3-7 minutes, depending on how warm you’d like it. You can also warm it in the microwave if you’re in a rush (15-30 seconds to warm it).

Can you make candied bacon ahead?

Absolutely! Candied bacon keeps well in the fridge for 4-5 days.

How do I store candied bacon?

Store candied bacon in the fridge. You cannot store it at room temperature for more than 2 hours; it’s perishable!

How do I serve candied bacon?

My favorite way to serve is mixed into Crispy Brussels Sprouts With Candied Bacon. Also serve it as an appetizer or hors d’oeuvre along with Citrus Marinated Olives, as a garnish for a Bloody Mary, as a savory/sweet dessert, or sprinkled on a salad like this Watermelon Salad, Pear Salad, or Best Ever Green Goddess Salad. Even add it to Chipotle Corn Salsa!

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