Spicy Brown Sugar Bacon is the perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors. Inspired by the Millionaire’s Bacon, I absolutely love how cayenne pepper and brown sugar take the simple bacon to the next level. It is an irresistible treat for breakfast or snacking! If you’re looking for an easy and flavor-packed bacon, my Candied Bacon recipe is the one to try!

5-Star Review

“This is life changing! No more bacon grease burns from cooking on the stove top!” -Natasha

Sweet And Spicy Candied Bacon

Candied Bacon is thick-cut bacon coated in brown sugar spice mix and baked until it is crispy, golden and perfectly caramelized. After making my candied yams and candied pecans, I knew it was time to try this famous brown sugar bacon that tastes like a million bucks! My candy-like bacon is a fabulous addition to my gatherings!

Tips For Beginners

Cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil, so you can just crumble it up and throw it away after baking.
Spray your cooling rack with baking spray so the grease slides off.
Do not preheat the oven for this recipe. We’ll put the bacon in right as we turn on the heat.

Recipe Card

Sweet And Spicy Candied Bacon

4.77 from 21 votes

Prep: 10

Cook: 40

Total: 50

Servings: people

Author: Becky Hardin

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Spicy Brown Sugar Bacon adds a delicious sweet and spicy twist to your breakfast! Inspired by the Millionaire Bacon Recipe, I absolutely love how cayenne pepper and brown sugar take the simple bacon to the next level. If you’re looking for an easy and flavor-packed bacon recipe, my Candied Bacon Recipe is the one to try!

Ingredients

▢ 1 lb. bacon I prefer thin slices, but use your favorite.
▢ 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
▢ ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or more if you want spicier
▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

In a medium glass bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Set aside.
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon black pepper
Do not preheat the oven.
Cover a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil and set the cooling rack on the cookie sheet. Spray a cooling rack with cooking spray. Now you are ready to place the bacon on the rack.
NOTE: Cleaning up is much easer using aluminum foil for baking.
Drape the bacon across the cooling rack with a little space between strips. If you need to cut some of the bacon in half to fill in the spaces, that is fine.
1 lb. bacon
Place the bacon on your oven’s middle rack and turn the oven to 375°. Bake for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, take out the bacon, flip each slice over and sprinkle with the brown sugar mixture on each slice of bacon. Bake for another 15-20 minutes. Watch closely for the last 5 minutes – it can burn quickly.
Once baking is over, let them cool a bit (bacon should cool down a bit to set sugar) and then serve. Enjoy!

Calories: 318kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 10gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 501mgPotassium: 150mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 95IUCalcium: 4mgIron: 0.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

How to make spicy brown sugar bacon

mixing brown sugar, cayenne pepper and black pepper in a bowl

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Make the brown sugar-cayenne pepper mix: Combine 3 tablespoons of dark brown sugar, ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper and ½ teaspoon of black pepper in a bowl to make the flavor mixture.

line the bacon slices on a greased sheet

Bake bacon slices: Do not preheat the oven! Cover a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil and set the cooling rack on the cookie sheet. Spray a cooling rack with cooking spray.

Drape the 1 lb. Bacon slices across the cooling rack with a little space between strips. If you need to cut some of the bacon in half to fill in the spaces, that is fine.

Place the bacon on your oven’s middle rack and turn the oven to 375°. Bake for 20 minutes.

sprinkle brown sugar spice mix on each slice of bacon strips

Sprinkle brown sugar mix and bake: After 20 minutes, take out the bacon, flip each strip, sprinkle with the brown sugar mixture, then put them back in the oven. Bake for another 15-20 minutes. Watch closely for the last 5 minutes – it can burn quickly.

Cool and serve: Once baking is over, let them cool down a bit. Let the sugar set and then serve. The best crispy texture comes at room temperature. Enjoy!

How to Store

Transfer any leftover candied bacon to an airtight container and refrigerate for 5-7 days. Serve at room temperature or reheat in the microwave for a few seconds.