Bacon in the air fryer tastes amazing whether it is pork or turkey.
Turkey bacon in the air fryer is just one ingredient recipe. Yes, you heard it right.. just one ingredient! which is done in 10 minutes to make a protein-packed side dish in breakfast.
So, today I’m going to cover how you can make turkey bacon in an air fryer which is low-carb and keto-friendly with zero net carbs per serving.
Turkey bacon, of course, itself isn’t a full meal, it is more of a side dish so you’ll be needing some other food like some fried eggs and some fresh fruits to complete your plate then you’re good to go.
You might be wondering why should you make turkey bacon in an air fryer when you are just used to having pork bacon in the air fryer which tastes heavenly already.
So, here are a few good reasons to make turkey bacon in the air fryer instead of pork bacon.
- There are many people out there who don’t like the taste of pork bacon and prefer turkey bacon instead so whatever floats your boat.
- Pork bacon doesn’t fit into many people’s cultural and religious boundaries. If you also have dietary restrictions then turkey bacon would be a good option for you.
- Pork bacon in the air fryer makes whole a lot of oily mess which makes it hard to clean later while turkey bacon in the air fryer makes less mess which is easy to clean later.
- Turkey bacon is leaner than pork back but the amount of saturated fat and calories depends upon the thickness and type of turkey bacon.
- Poultry turkey bacon is usually low carb and gluten-free which also makes it dairy-free and soy free. However, to be more sure, always check the label.
What is Turkey bacon?
Turkey bacon is made up of ground dark and light turkey meat which is mixed with some seasoning and then later pressed into thin and long strips to look like bacon.
It is also considered a healthy alternative to pork bacon since turkey bacon is made up of smoked turkey which makes it low in calories and fat as compared to pork bacon. So, it is also a good thing to eat in the diet.
What is the best Turkey bacon to cook?
It all depends upon preferences, however, some of the best turkey bacon I know are:
- Applegate Uncured Bacon
- Trader’s Joe Uncured Turkey Bacon
- Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon
- Butter Ball Turkey Bacon
How to make Turkey bacon in the Air fryer?
To make turkey bacon in the air fryer, all you need is just turkey bacon. That’s it! You don’t even need oil to spray on it because turkey bacon is already low fat and if you would spray oil on it, that would kill its low-fat purpose.
If you’re afraid that turkey bacon might stick to the air fryer basket you can mist the air fryer with oil.
In this recipe, uncured turkey bacon is used but you can use any other turkey bacon too as I think all turkey bacon has the same size and thickness so their cooking time will also be similar.
However, whatever turkey bacon you use, I would recommend you to get turkey bacon with no added sugar because added sugar greatly affects how quickly turkey bacon burns or gets brown.
This is how you can cook turkey bacon in the air fryer.
Instructions
- Step 1- Firstly, slice the turkey bacon in half because, in this way, it would fit in the air fryer basket. Also, turkey bacon slices don’t shrink in the cooking process so you need to cook it in several batches.
- Step 2- Preheat your air fryer to 350° F.
- Step 3- Once the air fryer is preheated, place the bacon strips in the air fryer basket by leaving space in between to make them crispy.
- Step 4- Let them cook for 5 minutes at 350° F and after 5 minutes flip them with the help of a tong and give them another 4 minutes to cook them from the other side as well.
- Step 5- Once they are done and crispy, take them out and enjoy.
Tips
- Always adjust the cooking time according to your air fryer and how crispy the bacon you want, but the thumb rule is 9 minutes, you can plus or minus 1 minute.
- To make the turkey bacon strips crispy, hot air needs to be circulated them. So, cook as many batches as needed to make all of them crispy.
Nutritional Chart
| Calories | 60 | Cholesterol | 25mg |
| Fat | 4g | Carbohydrates | 1g |
| Saturated fat | 1g | Sodium | 327mg |
| Unsaturated fat | 3g | Proteins | 5g |
How to store and reheat Air fryer Turkey bacon?
I guess there wouldn’t need to be any leftovers of turkey bacon because you have an option to make as much or as less bacon as you want in the air fryer. However, you can store turkey bacon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
Similarly, you can also reheat the bacon strips in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes until they are warm and crispy again.
What is the difference between cured and uncured bacon?
The difference between cured and uncured turkey bacon lies in its preservation.
In cured bacon, artificial nitrates are added to preserve it with some added flavors while uncured bacon is preserved with salt and celery only. If you want the taste like actual bacon with perfect crispiness, cured bacon would work great for that.
How much bacon will my air fryer hold?
This will differ depending on the size of your air fryer.
In my Cosori air fryer, I can cook six slices at a time. If I need additional bacon, I’ll make a second batch.
Remember that your second batch will cook faster because your air fryer is already hot, but make sure to keep an eye on it.
How do you make crispy turkey bacon?
Turkey bacon, like regular bacon, has a sweet spot where it’s perfectly crispy, in my opinion, anything more than that may cause it to catch fire.
The key to making truly good, crispy turkey bacon is to keep a close eye on it, especially the first time you cook it.
You’ll figure out how long to cook it in your specific air fryer. The next time you cook it, it will be flawless, and you won’t have to observe it as closely.
Conclusion
Air fryer turkey bacon is an amazing protein-packed side dish to have with fried eggs and some fruits for people who avoid eating pork bacon.
- Turkey bacon is so quick and easy to cook in an air fryer as it is just one ingredient recipe that doesn’t even need oil.
- Turkey bacon comes in two styles – cured bacon and uncured bacon. Cured bacon had artificial nitrates added to it to prolong its shelf life while uncured bacon is only preserved with salt and celery.
- Turkey bacon is cooked at 350° F degree for 9 minutes, you can add or minus 1 more minute depending on the state of bacon in the air fryer.