Black Pepper Maple Candied Bacon (2024)

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by Katie Webster
March 31, 2016 (updated 3/4/24) Jump To Recipe

The best maple candied bacon with black pepper. Just three ingredients and 5 minutes of prep to make. Using the oven, pure maple syrup and a sheet of parchment are key to getting great, fool-proofresults.

Why We Love This Recipe For Maple Candied Bacon
Key Ingredients For This Recipe
Step by Step Instructions to Make This Maple Candied Bacon Recipe
FAQs and Expert Tips
Serving Suggestions For Candied Bacon
Additional Maple Bacon Recipes to Try

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Why We Love This Recipe For Maple Candied Bacon

When I woke up the other morning, I had only one thing on my brain. Maple candied bacon!!! I had planned to share a recipe with you today that I was going to call “Super Green Antioxidant Smoothie” today. But instead, I wrote out this maple candied bacon recipes. Hey, everything in moderation, right?!

This maple candied bacon is almost too easy to get addicted to. One of my favorite ways to eat it is by sprinkling it over salads. Bacon can go well with pretty much anything, but combine it with some fresh greens, some sharp cheddar, and a few veggies, and you have yourself a dream salad. You can also top it on burgers or serve as a decadent brunch recipe. Or, just eat it while standing in the kitchen!

This black pepper maple candied bacon will also last for several days at room temperature. Store it loosely covered. If it is humid out, it may become sticky. Break it into pieces and add to a salad or wrap like these Bacon Cobb Lettuce Wraps by Perry’s Plate.

Key Ingredients For This Recipe

Maple syrup

Pure dark or amber maple syrup is the best here. Maple syrup will crystalize in the oven and help make the bacon even crispier then it would be on it’s own.

Smoked bacon

For this recipes I used uncured smoked bacon, and about 10 strips of it. If you want, you can get bacon with less fat or sodium. It’s totally up to you and what you prefer!

Black Pepper

You can make this without the pepper, but I love the spicy kick it adds to the smoky, sweet and salty bacon.

Step by Step Instructions to Make This Maple Candied Bacon Recipe

Making candied maple pepper bacon is so much easier than you’d think. You really don’t have to do anything fancy — just bake the bacon, drizzle on a little maple syrup, and bake a little more! Here’s how I make this maple candied bacon recipe:

Step 1: Preheat oven

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Step 2: Bake The Bacon

Lay the bacon out on the baking sheet. Bake until the bacon has rendered its fat and has become crispy, 16 to 22 minutes. Remove the bacon from the oven, and carefully pour as much bacon fat off the pan as possible. Rearrange the bacon if necessary.

Step 3: Add Maple and Bake Again

Drizzle maple syrup over the bacon, dividing evently. Sprinkle with black pepper. Return the bacon to the oven and bake, turning bacon over once, until the maple syrup becomes bubbly and coats the bacon, 7 to 10 minutes. Let cool, remove from parchment*, then break the bacon into pieces if desired before serving.

FAQs and Expert Tips

Can you air-fry bacon?

Yes, except you must be sure to have the air fryer set to the correct temperature, 350 degrees F. If it’s too hot, the bacon can burn and smoke.

What’s the best brand of bacon?

Some of my favorite bacon brands are Applegate Uncured Sunday Bacon, North Country Smokehouse Fruitwood Smoked Uncured Bacon, and Smithfield Hometown Original Bacon.

How to store this maple bacon:

This black pepper maple candied bacon will last for several days at room temperature. Store loosely covered. If it is humid out, it may become sticky.

Serving Suggestions For Candied Bacon

Crumble over spinach and beet salad with Maple Ranch Dressing like I did in my cookbook.
Pair with Vegetable Scrambled Eggs and toasted Whole Wheat Bread
Serve at your next brunch with French Toast Casserole and Vegetable Quiche.
Amp up a BLT with candied bacon. Try it! It is shockingly good.

Additional Maple Bacon Recipes to Try

This Maple Ranch Dressing recipe is the perfect dressing to keep on hand.
This German Potato Salad recipe is so easy, quick and also healthy!
You’ll never want to eat Brussels sprouts any other way after trying this Maple Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprouts recipe.
I love this Healthier Broccoli Cheddar Salad with Bacon for picnics and cookouts!
This Spinach Salad with Bacon and Eggs is perfect for lunch or a light dinner.
This Red, White, and Bleu Potato Salad with Horseradish and Bacon is the ideal dish to bring to a BBQ or picnic.
These HomemadeMaple BaconDoughnuts by Sally’s Baking Addiction are so tasty.
If you’re in search for good dinner recipes, try this Maple BaconChicken recipe by Chef in Training.

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

Black Pepper Maple Candied Bacon

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star

5 from 5 reviews

Author: Katie Webster
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 10 servings 1x

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Description

This maple candied bacon takes just 3 ingredients to make! Using the oven, pure maple syrup, & parchment paper are key to getting foolproofresults.

Ingredients

Scale

1 10–ounce package uncured smoked bacon (10 strips)
1/3 cup pure maple syrup, dark or amber
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
Lay bacon out on the baking sheet. Bake until the bacon has rendered its fat and has become crispy, 16 to 22 minutes. Remove bacon from oven, and carefully pour as much bacon fat off the pan as possible. Rearrange the bacon if necessary. Drizzle maple syrup over the bacon, dividing evently. Sprinkle with black pepper.
Return the bacon to the oven and bake, turning bacon over once, until the maple syrup becomes bubbly and coats the bacon, 7 to 10 minutes. Let cool, remove from parchment*, then break into pieces if desired before serving.

Notes

Note* if the bacon hardens too much and it is hard to peel off the parchment, place the baking sheet into a warm oven for 4 to 6 minutes until it becomes slightly tacky again. Remove it to a clean piece of parchment.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Category: Snack
Method: Baked
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 strip
Calories: 160
Sugar: 9 g
Sodium: 454 mg
Fat: 9 g
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Carbohydrates: 9 g
Fiber: 0 g
Protein: 11 g

About the Author

Katie Webster

Katie Webster studied art and photography at Skidmore College and is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. She has been a professional recipe developer since 2001 when she first started working in the test kitchen at EatingWell magazine. Her recipes have been featured in numerous magazines including Shape, Fitness, Parents and several Edible Communities publications among others. Her cookbook, Maple {Quirk Books} was published in 2015. She launched Healthy Seasonal Recipes in 2009. She lives in Vermont with her husband, two teenage daughters and two yellow labs. In her free time, you can find her at the gym, cooking, stacking firewood, making maple syrup, and tending to her overgrown perennial garden.

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17 comments on “Black Pepper Maple Candied Bacon”

Anjali — November 21, 2022 @ 9:15 pm Reply

Love the sweet and savory flavors in this recipe!! The candied bacon turned out so good – it was hard to stop eating it!
Sara Welch — November 21, 2022 @ 8:19 pm Reply

Served this with breakfast this morning and started my day off right! So crisp and delicious; easily, a new favorite!
Andrea — November 21, 2022 @ 7:30 pm Reply

Wow, this bacon sounds amazing! It will not last long in my house.
rebecca — November 21, 2022 @ 5:53 pm Reply

love how easy this recipe is! I didn’t realize I could make candied bacon at home!
Sharon — November 21, 2022 @ 4:52 pm Reply

This was delish! I loved the pop of black pepper to balance the sweetness of the maple. I used it to garnish Bloody Marys and it was a huge hit. I think people liked the bacon better than the co*cktail! haha Thanks!
Cindy Dodge — February 25, 2021 @ 7:39 am Reply

April’s Maple is a daily destination for lunch and Maple Creemies when we vacation at https://quimbycountry.com/ After spending sometime up in the Northeast Kingdom, you know why they refer to it as “God’s Country.”
- Katie — February 26, 2021 @ 5:29 am Reply
  
  I love that you come up to VT for a regular visit. Looking forward to the days we can travel again!
Maryanne — November 11, 2017 @ 8:54 am Reply

How long does this keep after making it? I would love to shrink wrap it and gift to family and friends!
- Katie — November 11, 2017 @ 1:41 pm Reply
  
  Unfortunately there is not hard and fast rule for how long it keeps because the humidity in the air will effect the answer. Maple syrup is hygroscopic (it attracts and holds moisture) so it starts out hard, but can become soft over the course of a couple days.
Carrie @ Bakeaholic Mama — April 5, 2016 @ 4:31 pm Reply

There is nothing better than maple bacon!!
- Katie — April 6, 2016 @ 7:41 am Reply
  
  That is the truth! Ha ha. Thanks for visiting my friend. 🙂
Patricia @ Grab a Plate — April 1, 2016 @ 11:19 pm Reply

Wow! What an adventure! I’m sure you rocked it, if this beautiful bacon is any indication 🙂
- Katie — April 4, 2016 @ 5:11 pm Reply
  
  It really was so much fun. I think it did go really well. Thanks so much Patricia.
Deanna Segrave-Daly — April 1, 2016 @ 1:42 pm Reply

Can I say I for one am so so so glad you posted this instead of that green smoothie recipe??
- Katie — April 4, 2016 @ 5:12 pm Reply
  
  Ha ha! Me too. 🙂 I have yet to retest that smoothie. It has been quite the whirlwind this sugaring season. I am just getting back to so many loose ends now.
Kristen @ A Mind Full Mom — April 1, 2016 @ 7:46 am Reply

Sounds like quite a day–no wonder you were exhausted (and woke up starving!) Nothing beats fresh maple syrup and when you pair it with bacon, you know it is a winner!
- Katie — April 4, 2016 @ 5:13 pm Reply
  
  They are a match made in heaven for sure. I think the way the smokiness of the bacon plays with the carmely notes of the maple is magical. And then there’s the whole sweet salt thing that I can never get enough of.