This easy maple-candied bacon recipe is sweet, smoky, and crusted in sugar. Quick to make and easy to enjoy for breakfast, brunch and snacks for entertaining.
If you invited me to a cocktail party, I’d bring this: sweet and smoky bacon slathered in pure maple syrup with a crisp, candied crust.
My maple-candied bacon recipe only takes 5 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes in the oven. I even foil the baking sheet a million times for easy clean up. The hardest part of this recipe is getting the bacon out of the bag!
How To Serve
Maple-candied bacon makes a great hors d’oeuvre (is that how you spell it?) to serve with cocktails. Any leftover bits can be thrown into salads and of course, there’s always the BLT.
Just a little warning my friends, these candied beauties are hard to resist!
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maple-candied bacon
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
Ingredients
- 1 lb. good quality bacon, sliced
- 2 tbsp. pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
- 1/4 c. brown sugar
- 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Wrap a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and top with a wire rack.
- In a large bowl, add the maple syrup, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Kosher salt, and cayenne pepper. Mix well.
- Add the bacon to the bowl and toss gently with your hands. Make sure that all of the slices are evenly coated* See note below.
- Place the bacon in a single layer onto the wire rack.
- Bake in the center of the oven for about 20 minutes. The bacon will be a bit brown, but will most likely need to bake for another 10-15 minutes. It should look slightly dark (not burnt) and crispy. If you take it out too soon, the texture will be chewy. Be patient!
- Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes on the rack. Don’t let them sit too long or else they will stick.
- Once cool enough to handle, you can break the bacon into chards (you’ll have about 32 pieces). Alternatively, you can leave them whole.
- Serve at room temperature.
Notes
*Note: When using a full pound, the bacon mixture will seem a bit dry when tossing with the glaze ingredients. This is how it’s supposed to be. Additional sauce is optional, but not necessary.
Comments
Gemma Cook says
This recipe looks fab! I am excited to give it a try! I wondered how long the bacon will last once candied?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! For best results, I would make & eat the bacon on the same day. Sometimes the moisture in the glaze will soften the bacon if stored for too long (although I’ve kept some in the fridge for general snacking and it’s still good!).
Cindy Ammons says
Hi! Came across a picture of these beauties today. Did you use thick cut bacon or regular cut bacon? Thank you! You are now added to my “favorites”! Bacon has that kind of power! :)
Cindy from Georgia
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Cindy! Thick cut or regular bacon is fine (I use applewood smoked, thick cut from Trader Joe’s). Enjoy! xx
Judy McFarland says
This is an awesome addition to a Bloody Mary bar where people can make their Mary’s THEIR way. Speaking from experience….
Emilie says
Absolutely! I’m with you 100%! :)
Gus Gonzales says
Thanks for keeping this recipe available, I want to use it as a garnish for Natalie Miglarini’s (@beautifulbooze on IG) Maple Negroni cocktail. She calls for a bacon garnish, which got me thinking about jazzing up the garnish with maple candied bacon instead. I’m gonna give both recipes a go over the Thanksgiving Holiday this year.
Oh! And here’s her Maple Negroni recipe: http://www.beautifulbooze.com/blog/recipes/post/maple-negroni
Thanks!!!
Emilie says
You are quite welcome!
Aimee says
I’ve made this recipe 3 times in the past month now. It’s a hit!
THIS is how you buy friendship and love, people.
Sorcerer Erichto says
This recipe is amazing! The perfect balance of savory, spicy & sweet. I made a batch & even my kids loved it! I always end up adding 1 tspn Bourbon Vanilla extract & topping it off with red pepper flakes as garnish. But it’s awesome just as it is too!
SLE says
I made this recipe today and it was delicious. However, mine didn’t get as stiff as I would have liked. I had this at a restaurant before and it was served in a glass and the bacon was like a stick. It looks like from your picture yours is the same. Any suggestions?
Kathy Schneider says
I made this recipe a few times. It is to die for. I get requests for it at work. I have made it with thin and thick applewood bacon. It’s all good. I also used a smoked brown sugar that I purchased on line from Sur La Table. The brand is Darkhorse if your are interested in trying. Thank you for such a yummy treat!
Marianne says
Wow. I made this for a Mardi Gras party, and it was a HUGE hit. Thank you!
Emilie says
Hello Marianne! That’s wonderful! Thanks for the feedback. They’re quite addicting, aren’t they?
LaNae Jennings says
Can you make the maple candied bacon on a broiler pan,and I want to use thick bacon do I need it to cook longer? Also is the 1/4 c of brown sugar packed? Thanks
Emilie says
Hello,
Yes you can make it on a broiler pan but make sure it’s lined so the bacon doesn’t stick. You can also use thick cut bacon. I’m not sure exactly how much longer you’d have to cook it, but no too much longer. I would recommend just keeping your eye on it so it doesn’t brown too much or burn. And yes, the sugar is packed!
Leslie says
I made this this morning for my department at work. Sadly, I ran out of time and had to take the bacon out before it was nice and crisp–only parts were. Even so, it was gone almost immediately. I have never brought anything that was eaten up so quickly and with so much relish.
I now plan on making some more to put in my roasted Brussels sprouts with pecans and a lemon-maple-Dijon glaze for Thanksgiving.
Kristen says
Thinking of making this for my daughter’s baptism brunch. Could I cook them and take off the pan a few hours before serving, or is it best to wait until right before? Thanks!
Emilie says
Hi Kristen,
Sure! You can make it ahead! I would make the bacon in the morning and they should be fine by brunch time. That’s what I did when I originally made them; they sat on the counter as we walked by and grazed throughout the day. They were perfectly fine. :)
Robin says
What is your suggestion if you don’t have pure maple syrup?
Emilie says
Hi Brandi,
Hmmm… is your bacon cold when you put it in the oven? You might want to take it out of the fridge about 15 minutes prior to cooking to take the chill off. Also, try lowering the oven temperature to 300 F and cook them for a little longer. The heat will render out the fat, allowing the bacon to crisp without burning. Hope this helps! Good luck :)
Brandi says
I have made these several times but I can never get mine to crisp up they are still bendy… What am I doing wrong grrrr?
Beth Ann says
Thank you Emilie,
Yes, very helpful although I ran out of time yesterday and will be preparing them today for the party. Will keep the suggestions in mind for other times. Just hope the birthday boy stays away while it’s getting prepared.
Beth
Beth Ann says
Hi Emilie,
So excited to find a recipe for the candied bacon. I was recently at a restaurant that uses it in their Bloody Mary’s and was amazing. I’m a little confused however. I am having a 3oth birthday party (ahhh-tomorrow) and I was going to try and make this today because of time constraints. In your comment on 1-27-13 at 11:00 am you say you made some and stored it in the frig and it was fine then on 9-16-14 at 3:55 pm you said it wasn’t a good idea to chill it. I plan on making a few batches, one with a little more spice to it and some to be used in a potato bar.
Hope to hear from you soon…
Thanks Beth
PS not totally crazy just included dates and times of your posts so it was easier for you to reference them ;)
Emilie says
Hi Beth Ann!
Happy Birthday! I’m so glad you sent over this comment as many of you have asked the same question (and no worries about the dates and times!) Here’s the thing- I’ve chilled the bacon before with success, however the residual fat and glaze does harden a bit. They will need to come to room temperature before serving.
I’ve been hesitant to recommend this method for big parties and get togethers because you never now what can happen with large batches, hence the opposing comment. Does that make sense?
Because of your time constrains here’s what I would do: go ahead and make them ahead of time but make sure that you store them in a container lined with parchment paper. Since you are making several batches, make sure to place a layer of parchment in-between the slices (if you are stacking) so that they do not stick.
I hope this info helps! Have a wonderful celebration and enjoy! :)
Eric says
hello for some reason the recipe is cut in half could you send it to me or something along those lines thank you
max kell says
Can i substitute honey for mayle syrup. I am making this as an mix in for an ice cream sweetened with honey and I’d like to echo that flavor
Emilie says
Hello Max! I love this idea for ice cream. Do you need a taste tester? ;)
Yes, you can substitute honey for maple syrup. However, honey has a tendency to burn faster so keep your eye on the bacon as it bakes. It’s going to brown quickly. Lower the temperature if necessary.
Have fun with the recipe! Enjoy!
Annette says
One word…Delicious
Emilie says
Yay! You made the recipe? I hope it was a hit ;)