Maple Candied Bacon (Million Dollar Bacon)
How to Make Maple Candied Bacon in the Oven. This Million Dollar Bacon is crispy, chewy, salty, and sweet – perfect all on its own or added to other recipes! With only 3 staple ingredients, it’s easy to make and ready in under an hour!
This post was originally posted June 2017, updated May 2023
Have you ever had Candied Bacon? Or Million Dollar Bacon? Or maybe you call it Pig Candy? 🐷 🥓If not, please make this soon. It’s oh-so-delicious and completely addictive.
I know – candied bacon is a weird thing to share on my cake-decorating blog. But after sharing the Maple Brown Sugar Buttercream recipe last week, and the candied bacon today, I hope you can see that this is going somewhere good.
Somewhere very, very good. And delicious. This tasty treat is perfect for topping those Chocolate Maple Bacon Cupcakes – but also perfect for a snack, appetizer, or brunch! You could even enjoy it on burgers to add a little sweet to the perfectly grilled burger!
Why You’ll Love Million Dollar Bacon
After thinking about it for a while, I think I know why I love Million Dollar Bacon so much. First, I love breakfast food so much… mostly pancakes. And I love bacon or sausage with pancakes. Why? Because I love to dip the bacon or sausage in the syrup when eating pancakes. It’s the perfect combination of soft and crunchy – sweet and salty.
So it makes sense that I would love bacon baked with syrup and a brown sugar mixture, right?
Okay – so the candied bacon – let’s talk about how to make it.
Since I was making this for cupcakes, I adjusted my candied bacon recipe to a smaller batch to only make 6 slices. Of course, you could double or triple this or make a whole pound of bacon if you like. I promise, no judgment here.
Do you love this idea but want to get really fancy? Make Bacon Roses!
Maple Candied Bacon Ingredients
The ingredients for this Bacon Candy recipe are common pantry (and fridge) staples.
Bacon – thick cut bacon slices work best for this recipe! I’ve also used regular slices but you will have to watch the cooking time. I do not recommend thin bacon because it will likely burn before the sugar is caramelized.
Maple Syrup – real, high-quality maple syrup is what you want for this recipe.
Brown Sugar – I prefer light brown sugar but dark brown sugar would work as well. Either way – brown sugar is the secret ingredient to this sweet and salty candied bacon!
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Tools & Equipment
- Rimmed Baking Sheet
- Aluminum Foil (heavy duty and/or 2-3 layers)
- Cooking spray – this is optional. The bacon actually cooks out it’s own grease which prevents sticking.
- Silicone pastry brush
- Tongs
- Cooling rack
How to Make Candied Bacon
- Start by covering a sheet pan with two layers of aluminum foil. This makes for a much easier cleanup when all the work is done. The first time I made it (when I took this pic above), I didn’t double the foil and I regretted it. You’ll see further down below pictures of a different batch with the doubled foil.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Place the bacon slices on the pan in a single layer, then brush them with maple syrup.
- Then sprinkle with brown sugar.
Note – I also added more brown sugar than seen here the second time around. In this case, I believe more is, in fact, better! Be generous with the brown sugar – that’s all I’m saying.
My favorite part – this candied bacon recipe is done in the oven!
- Bake the bacon for 10 minutes at 375 degrees F.
- Remove the bacon from the oven and flip the bacon strips with tongs (or a fork).
- Brush with more maple syrup.
- Add more brown sugar.
- Bake for 10 more minutes. Check after 5 minutes to make sure it’s not starting to burn. Depending on the thickness of your bacon, it may cook a little faster or slower.
- When it’s done, move the bacon from the sheet pan to a cooling rack for it to drain, cool, and crisp up!
It only took a few minutes and it was ready to eat. I mean put on cupcakes. Haha!
This Million Dollar Bacon recipe (also called Millionaire Bacon) really is so, so easy to make and it’s delicious. I’ve only used it as cupcake garnish (ahem!), but I’ve seen recipes where people eat it straight up as an appetizer or snack (which I highly recommend but know nothing about!), or bake it into cookies, use it for topping on ice cream.
Pro Tips for Success
- Use heavy duty foil on your baking sheet – two or three layers will give you the most insurance against a long cleanup (caramelized sugar ain’t no joke!)
- Brown sugar is best – dark for more intense flavor, but I always use light and am still very pleased. Avoid white sugar if at all possible.
- Use real maple syrup. Corn syrup, imitation syrup or maple-flavored syrup won’t get you the results you want!
Candied Bacon Flavors
Want to spice things up? Add more flavor to your candied bacon by mixing some other flavors into your brown sugar. Then use that brown sugar mixture in the same way you use the plain brown sugar.
Add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of any of the following spices to change up the flavor. You can even add two or three if you really want to amp up the flavors. Here are some suggestions:
- For an herb flavor, try dried Rosemary
- Garlic and/or Onion Powder
- To add some heat, try Chili Powder, Red Pepper Flakes, Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, and or Black Pepper.
- Cinnamon and/or Nutmeg
- Fresh Orange or Lemon Zest
However you choose to eat it – I’m sure it’ll be fantastic and a huge hit with your crowd!
Serving Suggestions
As I’ve mentioned already, I started making this candied bacon as a topper for cupcakes. But this would be a great appetizer for a party or a lovely addition to a fancy brunch. You could also use it on hamburgers to make them a little more “wow!”
How do you store candied bacon?
If your bacon is not eaten within a couple of hours, it will need to be refrigerated or frozen.
Candied bacon can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week in an airtight container. Layer it between sheets of wax paper or parchment paper to keep it all from sticking together.
You can also freeze candied bacon. Leftovers can be placed in the freezer for up to 6 months if wrapped and separated with parchment paper, then placed in an airtight, freezer-friendly container.
How do you reheat candied bacon?
If all of your candied bacon isn’t eaten immediately and you’ve stored it in the refrigerator or freezer, there are a few ways to reheat it. First, you can eat it cold (not my favorite) or let it come to room temperature by leaving it out on the counter for a bit.
Or if you’d like to reheat it, you can warm it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Or for my favorite option, preheat your oven to 350°F and warm it in the oven for five minutes. Reheating it in the oven gives it the best overall flavor and texture (in my opinion).
Is Maple Candied Bacon Gluten Free?
The short answer… yes! This sweet and savory and sticky treat is gluten-free!
Is it Keto? While there might be some sugar-free options out there, my Candied Bacon recipe is not Keto-friendly (thanks to the brown sugar and maple syrup).
FAQ
It will last a few hours at room temperature or up to a week in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Yes, for a few hours. After that, it should be refrigerated or frozen (see details above).
Yes – Million Dollar Bacon can be eaten cold!
Yes. But I don’t recommend it. The flavor and richness will not be as delicious as with brown sugar and I’m not even sure you could call it a Millionaire Bacon Recipe anymore 😉.
Another option is to make your own brown sugar if you happen to have molasses on hand. Find out how to make brown sugar here.
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Here’s the printable recipe for you:
Maple Candied Bacon (Million Dollar Bacon)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
Description
This Millionaire Bacon is crispy, chewy, salty, and sweet – perfect all on its own or added to other recipes! It’s also super easy to make with only 3 ingredients!
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375°F.
Line a cookie sheet with foil (I recommend doubling it). Lay out the strips of bacon and brush with maple syrup. Sprinkle with brown sugar.
Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and flip the bacon. Brush with more maple syrup and sprinkle again with brown sugar.
Bake for at least 5 more minutes (up to 15, depending on the thickness of your bacon). Check often – once it’s close to done, it’ll go from done to burnt very quickly!!
Transfer to a wire rack to cool and crisp up. It’ll stick together very easily so spread it out!
Enjoy!
Notes
- use thick-cut bacon for best results
- be sure to line your pan before baking for easy cleanup
- brown sugar and real maple syrup are key!
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
My husband and I married March 1962. I had been a music major (voice and piano) and I had not clue how to cook meat! He came from a farm and meat was as staple on their table (as it was in my parents’ home) so he was getting hungry for meat. First meal I cooked for him — can of corn, slab os iceberg lettuce with French dessing on it, and another vegetable. He took a package of sliced smoked bacon (from the store), stuck it under the gas broiler, had put brown sugar on the bacon — and we had candied bacon from that day forward. Oh, by the way — I did learn to cook, big time — but never ever forget him helping me get meat onto the table with his invention (he just thought of it — hadn’t had it before). IT WAS and IS SO GOOD! Your recipe adds the steps of the maple syrup — but good is good!!!
This bacon was a special touch I added to a brunch I hosted. Everyone loved it.