How Many Calories In Bacon? The Numbers

A single slice of cooked bacon has between 42 and 54 calories depending on the brand, thickness, and how well it is cooked. Most standard grocery store bacon lands at about 43 calories per pan-fried slice. That number changes dramatically once you factor in the fat that renders out, the cooking method, and whether you eat the grease-soaked strips or blot them dry.

How Many Calories In Bacon by Type and Brand?

Not all bacon is the same. A thick-cut slice from a butcher can have 80 to 120 calories because there is more meat and fat per slice. Center-cut bacon, which has less fat marbling, runs about 30 to 35 calories per slice. Turkey bacon is lower at 30 to 35 calories per slice, but it also has less protein and more added sugar in many brands.

Here is a quick comparison of common bacon types based on a single cooked slice:

Canadian bacon is not really bacon in the American sense. It is cured pork loin, not pork belly. It has far less fat and about half the calories of regular bacon. If you are counting calories strictly, Canadian bacon is the best option by a wide margin.

Does Cooking Method Change the Calories?

Yes, and the difference is larger than most people realize. Bacon loses 30 to 50 percent of its weight during cooking as fat renders out. If you eat that rendered fat or cook bacon in a way that keeps the fat in the pan and reabsorbs it, you are eating more calories than the package label suggests.

Pan-frying bacon in its own grease keeps the fat in contact with the meat. The slices sit in hot fat and reabsorb some of it. Oven-baking on a wire rack allows most of the fat to drip away. A study published in the Journal of Food Science found that oven-baked bacon retains about 10 percent less fat than pan-fried bacon. That translates to roughly 5 to 10 fewer calories per slice.

Microwaving bacon between paper towels removes the most fat. The paper towels absorb the rendered grease, and the bacon comes out crisp and dry. Some people report that microwaved bacon has about 15 percent fewer calories than pan-fried. This is widely claimed though strong evidence is limited. The USDA nutrient database does not separate calories by cooking method for bacon.

What About the Grease and Drippings?

Bacon grease is almost pure fat. One tablespoon of rendered bacon fat has about 115 calories. If you cook four slices of bacon and pour the grease over roasted vegetables or scramble eggs in it, you are adding 100 to 150 calories that are not counted in the bacon serving itself.

Many people track the bacon slices but forget the grease. This is one of the most common calorie-counting mistakes with bacon. If you are strict about calories, blot the cooked bacon with a paper towel and do not use the leftover fat as cooking oil unless you account for it separately.

A single serving of bacon is typically two slices, or about 86 calories. But if you eat four slices and use the grease to cook your eggs, your breakfast just jumped from 86 to nearly 300 calories from bacon and its byproducts alone.

How Many Calories In Bacon When You Add It to Other Foods?

Bacon is rarely eaten alone. It goes into sandwiches, salads, pasta, and burgers. The calorie count changes based on what you pair it with and how much you use.

A BLT sandwich with two slices of bacon, two slices of white bread, lettuce, tomato, and one tablespoon of mayonnaise has about 350 calories. The bacon contributes roughly 86 of those. The mayonnaise adds 94. The bread adds 140. The bacon is not the main calorie driver in that sandwich — the bread and mayo are.

Bacon crumbled over a salad adds about 50 to 60 calories per tablespoon of crumbles. That is not huge, but it adds up if you use a quarter cup. Bacon bits sold in jars are often made from textured soy protein, not real bacon, and have fewer calories — about 20 per tablespoon.

If you wrap bacon around chicken, shrimp, or scallops, the calorie addition depends entirely on how much fat renders out during cooking. A bacon-wrapped chicken breast with two slices of bacon adds roughly 80 to 100 calories to the chicken. That is manageable if you account for it.

Does Bacon Fit Into a Low-Calorie Diet?

Bacon can fit into a calorie-controlled diet, but it fills up quickly. Two slices of bacon have about the same calories as one large apple, but the apple has fiber and water that help you feel full. The bacon has almost no fiber and very little water.

Current research suggests that processed meats like bacon are linked to higher risks of colorectal cancer and heart disease when eaten in large amounts. The World Health Organization classifies processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning there is strong evidence it causes cancer in humans. This does not mean you cannot eat bacon. It means eating it daily in large amounts is not a good idea.

If you want to include bacon in a low-calorie diet, here are some practical tips:

• Use center-cut or turkey bacon to cut calories by about 25 percent per slice
• Bake bacon on a wire rack instead of pan-frying to let fat drip away
• Blot cooked bacon with a paper towel before eating
• Use bacon as a flavoring agent rather than the main protein — crumble one slice over a salad instead of eating three slices with eggs
• Do not drink or cook with the rendered grease unless you count those calories

One slice of bacon crumbled over roasted Brussels sprouts or a baked potato adds flavor without a huge calorie hit. That approach works better than making bacon the centerpiece of a meal.

Frequently Asked Questions About How Many Calories In Bacon