A special touch for your holiday brunch, a delicious sweet-and-savory appetizer, or a fun dessert, this quick pig candy is the easiest treat you’ll enjoy all season! You only need 2 ingredients and about 5 minutes to prep a batch of the brown sugar-coated, crispy candied bacon that bakes in the oven — completely hands-off!
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If you love breakfast recipes as much as we do, be sure to try this easy cinnamon coffee cake with cake mix, this maple sausage and apple breakfast bake, and our favorite 3-ingredient buttermilk biscuits, too!
Why You’ll Love this Pig Candy Recipe
- Easy. With just 2 simple ingredients and a hands-off baking method, this is about the easiest breakfast treat you can serve!
- Quick cleanup. There’s no messy grease splattered on your stovetop, and the pan is easy to clean at the end (thanks to a foil liner).
- Make-Ahead. The candied bacon is delicious warm or at room temperature, so you can bake it in advance and eliminate any last-minute cooking when serving guests.
- Sweet and salty flavor. If you’re a fan of the sweet-and-salty combinations, then you’ll love this dish. You get the rich, salty, smoky meat, paired with the sweet, crispy coating.
- Versatile. Make as much (or as little) pig candy as you need. It’s delicious at just about any time of day — breakfast, brunch, cocktail hour, or even dessert! See my serving suggestions below.
Pig Candy
At its most basic, candied bacon (or “pig candy”) is a dessert, appetizer, or side dish made by coating thick strips of smoked bacon with sugar. Brown sugar is the most popular sweetener used to “candy” the bacon, but some recipes call for maple syrup, granulated sugar, or caramel instead.
Additional ingredients such as chopped pecans, cayenne pepper, black pepper, or a coating of chocolate are sometimes included, too. The candied bacon can be served warm or at room temperature, and has become a really popular treat in the Southern United States.
Ingredients for Pig Candy
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a quick batch of pig candy. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Bacon: use regular bacon if you like it very crispy. Thick-cut bacon works as well, but it has a slightly chewier texture when candied.
- Brown sugar: I use light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar is also fine — it will just provide a stronger molasses flavor.
How to Make Candied Bacon in the Oven
Didn’t think bacon could get any better? Think again! Coating the smoky meat with a thin layer of brown sugar elevates this classic favorite, giving it an extra-crispy texture and a sweet-and-salty flavor profile that’s unbelievably delicious.
- Dredge the bacon strips in brown sugar to coat on both sides. Arrange on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
- Bake the bacon in a 375°F oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until crispy and starting to char on the edges.
- Transfer the bacon slices to a cooling rack. Serve the bacon warm or at room temperature.
What to Serve with Quick Candied Bacon
Southern candied bacon is a versatile dish that you can enjoy at any time of day. Here are a few options to pair with the pig candy at brunch, for a salty snack at cocktail hour, or even for dessert.
Brunch
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Pancakes, Healthy Banana Pancakes, Homemade Waffles, or Bisquick Waffles
- Buttermilk Biscuits or Sweet Potato Biscuits
- On breakfast sandwiches, lunch sandwiches, or burgers
- On green salads
- Crumbled over soups as a garnish
- Blueberry Scones
- Sausage Breakfast Casserole
- Biscuits and Gravy
- Chocolate Muffins, Cranberry Muffins or Blueberry Muffins
- Cheese Grits
- French Farmhouse Breakfast Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Bread
- Dutch Baby Pancake
- Old-Fashioned Donuts
- Amish Baked Oatmeal
Appetizers
- Pimento cheese and crackers
- Shrimp Dip
- Crab Dip
- Country Ham Biscuits
- Eggplant Caponata
- Shrimp Cocktail
- Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
- Deviled Eggs
- Cream Cheese Sausage Balls
Dessert
- Ice Cream Sundaes. Sprinkle over vanilla ice cream and drizzle with caramel sauce.
- Chocolate Dipped Pig Candy. Allow the candied bacon to cool, then dip in melted chocolate. Let the chocolate set until firm.
- Dessert Board. Set up a sweet dessert spread that combines the bacon with other finger-foods like candied pecans, cheese cubes, Scottish shortbread or jam thumbprint cookies, and squares of dark chocolate.
Preparation and Storage Tips
The brown sugar bacon can sit out at room temperature for a few hours, and then leftovers need to be wrapped tightly and refrigerated. It will last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To prevent individual slices from sticking to each other, layer the bacon with parchment paper dividers.
You can also freeze leftover candied bacon. Allow the bacon to cool completely, wrap tightly, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Candied Bacon Recipe Variations
- Spicy Candied Bacon: Before baking, season the bacon with cayenne pepper, black pepper, red pepper flakes, chili powder and/or paprika. Feel free to add garlic powder and onion powder for a really zesty, flavorful twist.
- Maple Candied Bacon: Brush the bacon with maple syrup before coating with brown sugar.
- Bourbon Candied Bacon: Brush the bacon with bourbon before coating with brown sugar, or stir together a mixture of maple syrup, bourbon and brown sugar that you can brush onto the meat.
- Double the recipe and use two baking sheets to serve a larger group.
Tips for the Best Pig Candy Recipe
- You can use either regular bacon or thick-cut bacon, depending on your preferred texture. I find that thick-cut bacon has a slightly chewier texture when candied, while regular thinner bacon gets super-crispy.
- Line the baking sheet with foil. This makes clean-up really quick and easy — especially because the bacon grease and sugars can create quite a sticky mess.
- Place the bacon on a wire rack to make sure that it gets nice and crispy on all sides. You can flip the bacon halfway through the cooking time to ensure that the bacon is equally crisp on both sides, too.
- Adjust the baking time to achieve the level of browning that you prefer. The total time will vary depending on your taste, your oven, and the type of bacon that you use. Some thick-cut slices of bacon may need closer to 30 minutes in the oven.
- Let the bacon cool for at least a few minutes before serving. The sugars are very hot when it first comes out of the oven, and you will definitely burn your mouth if you try to eat it immediately. The bacon will continue to firm up and will become even more crispy as it cools.
More Recipes with Bacon
Cheddar Biscuits with Chives and Bacon
50 minutes mins
Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin (4 Ingredients)
40 minutes mins
Black Eyed Peas Recipe with Bacon
1 hour hr 50 minutes mins
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Candied Bacon (aka “Pig Candy”)
Equipment
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- 8-10 slices bacon (regular or thick-cut)
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- Optional: ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or freshly ground black pepper
- Optional: 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the rack generously with nonstick cooking spray.
Prepare the Coating
- Place the brown sugar in a shallow dish. If you’d like a touch of heat, stir in the cayenne or black pepper. Optional: brush the bacon strips with maple syrup before coating in sugar.
Coat the Bacon
- Working one piece at a time, dredge the bacon in the sugar mixture, pressing gently to coat both sides.
- Arrange the slices in a single layer on the prepared wire rack (do not overlap).
Bake the Bacon
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the bacon is browned and caramelized. For extra-even crisping, you can flip the slices once during baking.
Cool Before Serving
- Let the bacon cool on the rack for 5-10 minutes. It will continue to firm up as it cools, turning crisp and candy-like. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Regular bacon gets super crispy; thick-cut bacon is slightly chewier.
- Line the baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup.
- Use a wire rack for crispiest results; spray it well with cooking spray.
- Press the bacon firmly into the brown sugar to coat both sides evenly.
- Don’t overlap bacon strips on the rack or they won’t crisp properly.
- Baking time varies by bacon thickness and oven; check at 20 minutes.
- Look for deeply browned, crispy edges and a glossy caramelized coating.
- Let bacon cool for at least 5 minutes; the sugar is extremely hot.
- Bacon continues to crisp as it cools.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days with parchment between slices.
- Can be made ahead and served warm or at room temperature.
- Optional: Add black pepper, cayenne, or brush with maple syrup before coating in sugar.
The best! I could eat the whole pound! I make a grilled cheese with apples, dijon mustard, and chopped pig candy. Soooooo goooood!
That sounds incredible, Michelle!
Thanks for your recipe on candied bacon, aka pig candy.
I’ll be trying it for a tailgating breakfast this Saturday in Starkville, MS.
Please send me other recipes for vegetable dishes and chicken and seafood. We are trying to do a lot more cooking at home.
Bon appetite’
We hope you enjoy, Jim! You can find our side dishes here, chicken dishes here, and seafood recipes here.