How To Microwave Bacon Without Paper Towels – The Ultimate Guide

There is nothing more delicious on a cozy weekend morning than a plate of bacon.

Whether you serve your slices with eggs, toast, pancakes, waffles, or as part of a breakfast sandwich or burrito, there is no wrong way to enjoy this breakfast staple. 

However, on a busy morning, standing over the frying pan getting splattered with drips of hot grease isn’t always the most enticing proposition.

There are other methods of cooking bacon, such as in the oven, but that can take a really long time! 

A quick and simple way to cook your bacon is to pop it in the microwave. Most techniques will require that you line your plate with a paper towel or that you place pieces of paper towel between the bacon strips as you microwave them. 

But what if you’re out of paper towels? Is there a way to microwave your bacon without it? Luckily, there are a couple of techniques you can use instead to get delicious crispy bacon quickly and easily, no paper towel required. 

So, how do you microwave bacon without paper towels? There are 2 options: you can line your plate with a dishcloth instead or you can use the bowl method, where you drape your bacon over a microwave-safe bowl on top of a plate. This will give you crispy bacon, no paper towel needed! 

Read on to discover how to microwave your bacon without paper towels. 

Dish Cloth Method

If you don’t have a paper towel on hand, you can use a dishcloth or a J-cloth instead. This method will allow you to catch the drips, without the need for a paper towel.

You can also reuse the dishcloth afterward, which makes it a more eco-friendly option. 

Follow these instructions to microwave your bacon without paper towels: 

1. Line a microwave-safe plate with your dishcloth or J-cloth. 
2. Lay your bacon in a single layer on the cloth. 
3. Microwave your bacon on high for about 1 minute. 
4. Check the doneness and if you want it crispier, flip it over and return the bacon to the microwave.
5. Cook for 30-second intervals until your bacon reaches your perfect crispiness. Remember it may not get quite as crisp as it would on the stove. 
6. Remove the plate from the microwave using oven mitts and let the bacon cool for a minute or so before enjoying. 

Once you’ve finished cooking your bacon, you can rinse your cloth and put them in the wash. Or, if it is really thick with grease, you may decide to throw it away. 

Bowl Method

If you don’t want to use any cloths or paper towels to microwave your bacon, there is a great method that requires a microwave-safe bowl and plate.

In this method, you will place the bowl upside down in the middle of the plate then drape the bacon over the top to cook.

As the bacon cooks, the grease will run down the sides of the bowl and collect on the plate beneath the bowl.

You’ll end up with crispy, crunchy bacon and grease you can easily clean off the plate. Just make sure that the plate has about an inch or so of space around the edge of the bowl to collect the fat. 

Follow these steps to microwave your bacon without paper towels using the bowl and plate method: 

1. Find a large microwave-safe plate.
2. Find a microwave-safe bowl that can fit upside down on the plate with a 1-inch ring of space around the edges so that the fat from your bacon can collect on the plate without spilling. 
3. Place the bowl upside down on the plate and then drape your slices of bacon over the bowl in a single layer. 
4. Slide the plate and bowl covered in bacon into the microwave.
5. Microwave on high heat for 60 to 90 seconds. 
6. Check the doneness of your bacon. If you like it crispier, continue microwaving for 20 to 30-second intervals until it is just as you like it. 
7. Once your bacon is crispy, put on your oven mitts and remove the plate from the microwave. Be careful as it will be very hot and there will be hot bacon fat on the plate that could burn your fingers. 
8. Let the bacon cool for a minute or so and then enjoy it. 
9. Repeat as many times as necessary to cook all your bacon. 

To Clean Up:

1. Once the bacon fat has cooled for a few minutes you can either wipe it up with a paper towel or you can pour it into a heat-safe container (I like to use clean tin cans or glass mason jars). 
2. You can save the fat to cook with just like grandma used to do. 

What Is The Best Kind Of Bacon To Microwave?

In order to get the crispiest possible microwaved bacon, you will want to make sure that you are using the best kind for this purpose.

While thick-cut bacon may have a great texture, it can take a long time to microwave and still may end up chewy at the end instead of crispy and perfect. 

With that in mind, the best kinds of bacon to microwave are the thinner slices. They will crisp up quickly and are less likely to be chewy in the middle since they are so thin.

You can also buy partially cooked or precooked bacon that is specifically designed to be microwaved.

Either thin cut or specific partially cooked or precooked microwave-friendly bacon is going to be your best bet when it comes to making all your crispy bacon breakfast dreams come true. 

Can You Microwave Raw Bacon?

Chances are if you are looking to make some bacon for your breakfast feast, you have a package of raw bacon in the fridge.

So, you might be wondering whether or not you can microwave raw bacon? Absolutely you can, just follow the instructions above to crisp it up safely! 

It takes about 1-2 minutes to cook bacon from raw, but I always recommend checking it after a minute and then cooking it in 30-second increments from there. 

Does Bacon Get Crispy In The Microwave?

The answer to this question is…sort of. You can definitely get some crispy bits to your microwaved bacon, but it is unlikely to come out as crispy as it would if you were to cook it in a frying pan or in the oven. 

This difference in crispiness is likely due to the fact that when the bacon is cooking in a frying pan or oven it is actually being fried in its own oil, which adds an extra level of crispiness.

In the microwave, the oil doesn’t actually cook the bacon- the heat waves of the microwave do, so it’s not quite as crisp.

The trade-off is that cooking your bacon in the microwave is a lot quicker and generally a lot less messy than cooking it in a frying pan or in the oven.

My favorite method to cook bacon is definitely in the oven since it doesn’t require a ton of hands-on effort and you can keep it pretty tidy. 

How To Cook Bacon In The Oven

If you have a little more time on your hands and want a method of cooking your bacon that will give you a crispy crunchy texture and not too much mess to clean up, then I highly recommend cooking it in the oven. 

I use parchment paper to line my baking sheet so that when it comes time to clean up, I can let the bacon fat cool then just fold up the parchment paper and throw it in the compost or trash.

The baking sheet stays clean and my stovetop doesn’t get covered in bacon grease splashes. 

Follow these instructions to cook your bacon in the oven: 

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F. 
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Make sure it covers all the edges so that the bacon grease doesn’t leak out and end up all over your baking sheet. 
3. Lay your bacon out in a single layer across the baking sheet. The pieces can touch and even slightly overlap since they will shrink up as they cook. 
4. Place your baking sheet in the oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. 
5. Line a plate with a paper towel and set it aside.
6. Check the bacon at 15 minutes. If it hasn’t reached your preferred crispiness, take it out of the oven, flip it over, and put it back in the oven for 10 minutes. If it’s still not done, put it back and check it every 5 minutes until it is your perfect crisp level. 
7. Once your bacon is crispy enough, remove it from the oven and take it out of the grease (otherwise it will keep cooking and may burn), and lay it on the paper towel-lined plate to soak up any extra oil. 
8. Let cool about a minute or so and then enjoy. 

Up Next: The 11 Best Winter Coffees