How to Make Bacon Roses (Maple Bacon Recipe)

Bacon Roses are easy to make the a perfectly delicious and fun way to give your loved one an edible bouquet of roses for a special occasion. These are perfect for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

Bacon Roses

I have to tell you – it never would’ve occurred to me to offer bacon for Valentine’s Day until one of my clients ordered Million Dollar Bacon a few years ago for his wife. 

And then he ordered again and again. Every year, he buys her bacon. Including this year. And I might be a little jealous because I love, love, love bacon! Granted, I love real roses too but still… this is easily a perfect gift in my opinion – especially for a bacon lover!

Bacon Roses Recipe

When I make the candied bacon for my client, I never shaped the strips of bacon into roses… until this year (if he lets me). But I had to try this because it looked so fun and I thought a bacon bouquet was just next level awesome.

Anywho – I decided to change up my usual recipe and make something a little spicier for Valentine’s because it’s the “love” holiday and love is spicy, right? Haha.

But seriously, you could use this maple bacon recipe if you don’t want spicy bacon and it would also work great for making a bacon roses bouquet.

Tools Needed

• Toothpicks
• Baking Sheet
• Baking Dish – or a muffin tin
• Parchment Paper or Tin Foil
• Wire Rack

Ingredients

This simple recipe has only four ingredients that are easily found at your local grocery store.

Brown Sugar – light brown sugar is my preference, but if you like a stronger flavor, you could use dark brown sugar.

Cayenne Pepper – this is what gives this bacon a little kick. If cayenne is too hot for you, you could use some black pepper instead.

Maple Syrup – There’s no reason to buy a really expensive grade of maple syrup for this recipe – I usually buy mine at Walmart.

Thick-cut Bacon – Thick cut bacon is best for making bacon roses because it holds its shape, creating fuller, more realistic petals with less shrinkage. It also cooks evenly, and retains more moisture for a juicier, more flavorful bacon flowers.

Find the complete recipe with ingredients measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

How to Make Bacon Roses

Candied bacon roses are not only delicious, they’re the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for your love.

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cayenne pepper until well combined.
3. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly over both sides of each strip of bacon, pressing it gently to adhere.
4. Roll each bacon slice tightly into a rose shape, starting from one end and rolling towards the other. Secure the bottom of each rose with a toothpick, and use a second toothpick in the middle of each rolled bacon rose to hold its shape. Be sure the toothpicks catch the end of the bacon strip so the seam of the bacon doesn’t pop loose.
5. Place the bacon roses upright in a prepared baking dish . Ensure they are spaced apart so they cook evenly.
6. In a small measuring cup or mixing bowl, add the cayenne pepper to the maple syrup and mix together
7. Pour this sweet and spicy mixture on top of all the brown sugar bacon roses.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and caramelized. Keep a close eye during the last few minutes to avoid burning.
9. Remove the bacon roses from the oven and let them cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. If you plan to serve the bacon roses later, move them to a flat cooling rack to cool and crisp up. They’ll easily stick together so only place them touching if you’re shaping them into a heart or other shape that you want to stick together! Carefully remove the toothpicks if desired before serving.
10. Arrange a bouquet of bacon roses and serve immediately! 

Extra Tips

• For an added presentation for Valentines Day, place these bacon roses into a heart shape when serving or place them on a Valentine’s Day charcuterie board or this Spring Flowers Charcuterie Board. What could be more romantic than heart shaped bacon? 
• If you really want to go all the way and make a beautiful bouquet, you can buy fake roses with fake stems at the dollar store or craft store. Pull off the fake flowers (one petal at a time if you have to) and and replace the roses with the bacon! Repeat with several fake flower stems to make an entire bacon rose bouquet.
• Wooden skewers can also be used to create a meat flower bouquet!
• If you want to use a muffin pan instead of a baking dish, spray each cup with nonstick spray then place a single bacon rose in each cup.
• Another way to attach these roses to a skewer or fake flower stem is to dip the bottom of your rose in melted chocolate before placing each one on the plastic stems.
• If you’d like to garnish your edible roses with edible leaves, use small spinach leaves between and around the bacon roses on your plate or place on beneath each bacon flower if they’re on skewers.
• These bacon roses would be a great addition to this Valentine’s Charcuterie Board!

FAQ

More Valentine’s Recipes

• How to Make Easy Cupcake Bouquets (in a box!)
• How to Make a Flower Cupcake Cake
• Maple Candied Bacon (Million Dollar Bacon)
• Buttercream Roses Cupcakes & Cakes
• Chocolate Maple Bacon Cupcakes
• Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies