Learn how to quickly and easily make the perfect Bacon Crumbles on the stovetop with these tips and tricks. Make these real bacon bits ahead of time to top your favorite salads, sandwiches, and meals.
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Easy Bacon Crumbles Recipe
Stove-top crumbled bacon is genius and I’m disappointed in myself for not figuring it out sooner in life. For all the times a recipe calls for crumbled, crispy bacon, this is the go-to thing to make it.
Bacon Crumbles are one of those great little nuggets of info that saves a ton of time and the results are great.
Bacon Crumbles are perfect additions to Cheesy Bacon Crusted Chicken, Loaded Deviled Eggs, Calgary Stampede Cakes, and so many more recipes!
Why you’ll love Homemade Bacon Crumbles:
- Crumbles beat store-bought every time: Even the very best bacon bits from the store pale in comparison to homemade Bacon Crumbles. And when it comes to bacon, who’d ever want anything less than the best?
- Crumbles save money: If you compare the cost of a pound of bacon and how many crumbles it makes, against the cost of packaged real bacon bits, you’ll be surprised. Cheaper and better? Sign me up!
- Your house will smell great: Is there anything more drool-worthy than the smell of cooking bacon?
How To Make Bacon Crumbles
- Prep: Freeze the bacon.
- Cut: Use a sharp knife to cut the bacon into slices.
- Cook: Place the bacon into a medium-hot skillet and stir as it cooks to break the bacon apart.
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
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Do you need to use oil to cook the bacon?
You don’t need any oil to make these bacon bits. The fat in the bacon will start to melt when it hits the hot pan, so there’s no need for additional added fat. Just stir the bacon as it cooks and nothing will stick.
How long do crumbles keep?
Once the Bacon Crumbles have drained on a paper towel and cooled to room temperature, transfer them to an airtight container.
Bacon Crumbles will keep well in the fridge for up to a week and can also be frozen for up to 3 months! There’s no need to defrost them before use.
Are Bacon Crumbles the same as lardons?
Pretty much. Lardons are made from slab bacon, not sliced bacon, which can be hard to find in grocery stores. Because they’re made from a thick slab of bacon, lardons are much thicker than crumbles.
Lardons also historically are made with bacon that isn’t heavily smoked, so the flavor is milder.
Tips!
- Use a good quality natural bacon.
- Freeze the bacon! This makes it so much easier to cut into strips.
- Don’t crowd the pan. If you are making a large quantity of bacon bits, cook them in batches.
- Cook the bacon on medium-high heat. If it’s too hot, the bacon will burn instead of crisping evenly.
- Let the bacon cool to room temperature before storing it.
- Keep the bacon grease (refrigerated) to use as needed in other recipes. It adds unmatched flavor.
Making your own Bacon Crumbles is one of those little things that makes a huge impact. They’re great for salads, baked potato toppings, scrambled eggs – any recipe to which you love adding crumbled bacon or packaged bacon bits.
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
How To Make Bacon Crumbles
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Ingredients
- 1 lb bacon frozen for easier cutting
Instructions
- Take frozen bacon and using a sharp, large knife, cut the bacon into ¼-inch slices. Use only the amount needed for your recipe and place the rest in the freezer.
- Place the bacon in a medium-hot skillet and as it heats, break the bacon apart while stirring.
- Cook the bacon until it reaches the level of crispiness you want. move bacon from the skillet with a slotted spoon or spatula; drain on a paper towel.
- Save bacon grease (refrigerated) to use in other recipes.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Freeze the bacon! This makes it so much easier to cut into strips.
- Don’t crowd the pan. If you are making a large quantity of crumbles, cook them in batches.
- Cook the bacon on medium-high heat. If it’s too hot the bacon will burn instead of crisping evenly.
- Let the bacon cool to room temperature before storing it.
- Keep the bacon grease (refrigerated) to use as needed in other recipes.
Nutrition Information
How do I store these and for how long will they keep?
Hi Chloe, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days!
So helpful and turned out great! Thanks a bunch!!
Hello, this may sound like a silly question, but I’m assuming you’re cutting the strips with them lying in front of you horizontally, is that correct?
Yes, that’s correct! There are no silly questions!
Wow, this is so simple and works great!!! Thank You! :)
Thanks for stopping by!
yum these sound awesome. Thanks for this little recipe. simon.
Technical term: Lardons (although bacon crumbles sound more fun)