Spicy Candied Bacon with Just 3 Ingredients

Perfectly crisp bacon caramelized with brown sugar is both sweet and salty. An all around favorite whether serving for breakfast with waffles or pancakes or as a snack while watching your favorite team. Spice it up with some red pepper flakes and bake it in the oven, it’s a Southern classic!

The Best Addition to Your Next Breakfast

Who would have thought you could improve on bacon. While a staple in the South, making everything from bacon wrapped dates to bacon wrapped chicken a little better, bacon baked with brown sugar takes it to the next level.

Sometimes called pig candy or million-dollar bacon or millionaire’s bacon, this recipe makes for perfectly crisp bacon that’s scrumptious on its own or as part of a meal. The candy coating is both sweet and spicy, and hard to resist – you better make a double batch.

While the bacon bakes, the caramelized sugar creates a crispy perfectly balanced sweet and salty treat.

This recipe only uses three ingredients and takes less than an hour to make. The bacon comes out perfectly baked in the oven and super crispy. If you avoid making bacon because of the clean-up involved, stick around – I have a few tricks that make cleaning up bacon grease super easy. 

What to serve with Candied Bacon

Candied brown sugar bacon is an excellent addition to just about everything. It really shines in a BLT sandwich or as an addition to a bloody mary. Stir it into vegetables to enhance their flavor with a sweet, spicy, and salty twist. Toss a handful of chopped candied bacon into ranch potato salad, or use it as a topping for a creamy soup or Greek salad.

Of course, it’s also excellent as a side dish to accompany your favorite quiche or frittata or with a baked apple pancake. My favorite is eating it on a homemade biscuit. No matter how you serve candied bacon, I’m sure you won’t have any leftovers – it’s just that good. 

How To Easily Clean Up After Making Candied Bacon 

Cleaning up after making candied bacon is super easy if you make sure to line the pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil. I like to let the pan cool completely so the bacon fat solidifies. Then, all you need to do is peel off the foil right into the trash can.

Why You’ll Love this Easy Candied Bacon Recipe

• Sweet, salty, and spicy: Candied bacon has incredible flavor and is a perfectly balanced snack or side dish with sweet, spicy, and salty flavors all in one bite. 

• Just three ingredients: With just bacon, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes, you can have a fantastic treat in less than an hour. 

• Versatile and customizable: You can add whatever spices you like to add some variety.

Why use thick-cut bacon?

Thin bacon can overcook in the time it takes for the sugar crust to caramelize, whereas thick cut bacon stays perfectly chewy-crisp. 

Candied Bacon Recipe Ingredients

• Thick-cut bacon: Thick bacon won’t burn in the time it takes to caramelize the sugar. You can use apple-wood smoked bacon or pepper bacon if you want even more flavor.
  
• Brown Sugar: Light Brown sugar is sweet but also has a deep caramel note from the molasses, which is so amazing with the bacon.
  
• Crushed red pepper flakes: Spicy red pepper flakes add a fabulous contrast to the sweet sugar and salty bacon for a perfectly balanced snack.

How To Make Sweet and Spicy Candied Bacon

Step 1: Prepare the topping. 

Mix together the brown sugar and red pepper flakes.

Step 2: Prepare the bacon. 

Place a wire rack into a foil-lined baking sheet.

Place a slice of bacon into the sugar mixture and press it to adhere the sugar mixture to the bacon on both sides. Place the bacon onto the wire rack in a single layer and repeat with the remaining bacon strips. Then, sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture across the tops of all the slices. 

Step 3: Bake the bacon. 

Place the bacon into the oven and bake until crisp and perfectly cooked. Remove the bacon from the oven and cool completely before enjoying.  The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the bacon.

Tips for Making this Salty Snack 

• Let the bacon cool for at least 15 minutes before eating to give the sugar time to cool on the bacon.

• For perfectly caramelized bacon, keep an eye on the bacon in the last few minutes of cooking. Some ovens are hotter than others, and the last thing you want is a tray full of burnt, blackened bacon. 

• Lining your pan with heavy-duty foil is essential for this recipe. The sugar that drops off of the bacon as it cooks will harden and sometimes burn, which makes for a difficult clean-up. 

What else can I add to candied bacon?

Candied bacon really only needs three ingredients to be a fantastic appetizer or side dish, but there are so many ways you can customize candied bacon. Here are just a few ideas: 

• Replace the crushed red pepper flakes with a tablespoon of freshly cracked black pepper for a milder but still flavorful result. 

• Make it even spicier by adding cayenne pepper or chili powder.

• Add a teaspoon of Chinese five spice powder to the sugar mixture for a unique flavor profile.

• Add finely chopped pecans to the brown sugar mixture to make spicy praline bacon.

• Add a tablespoon of maple syrup to the brown sugar to add an amazing maple flavor to the bacon. 

Bacon FAQs

Can I make this on the stovetop?

The oven method works best for candying bacon evenly– the stovetop is prone to burning the sugar and cooking the bacon unevenly. 

What’s the best way to serve candied bacon as an appetizer?

Arrange the candied bacon on a decorative platter or arrange the bacon strips vertically in a mason jar for easy access.

More Scrumptious Bacon Recipes to Love

If you loved this recipe, give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #butterandbaggage and tagging me @butterandbaggage.