Air fryer Million dollar bacon recipe, millionaire’s bacon or ‘Pig candy’ tastes just like a million bucks without costing as much. This spicy candied bacon recipe is a tasty snack that’s a popular feature in the Twin Peaks restaurant menu where it’s called billionaire bacon.
You’ve got to try these. Today I will be showing you how make this tasty delight at home, either in the air fryer or oven. No need to wait till you get to the restaurant to enjoy this savory sweet bacon appetizer.
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Table of Contents
- What is Million dollar bacon or Millionaire bacon?
- Join our exclusive air fryer recipes group on Facebook!
- Why this Air fryer millionaire’s bacon recipe is so good?
- Names by which Million dollar bacon is known
- Air fryer Candied bacon ingredients
- Substitutions
- How to make Million dollar bacon in the Air fryer
- What to serve with Million dollar bacon with
- How to store air fried millionaire’s bacon
- Variations of this recipe
- Tips to make the best air fryer million dollar bacon
- Frequently asked questions.
- The Air fryer loves bacon so we’ve got more bacon recipes
- Air Fryer Million dollar bacon (Candied Bacon)
What is Million dollar bacon or Millionaire bacon?
Million dollar bacon is a sweet bacon appetizer or dessert made by coating bacon with Brown sugar, Cayenne pepper and Black pepper. The coated bacon is then baked to crispy caramelized perfection in an air fryer or oven.
The resulting deliciousness is what is popularly known as candied bacon. Therefore simply put, Million dollar bacon is another name for candied bacon.
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Why this Air fryer millionaire’s bacon recipe is so good?
Talk about a nice blend of sweet, salty, spicy and crunchy. Million dollar bacon checks all the boxes when it comes to snacking and you’ll need to apply a huge measure of self control here folks! So why is it so good?
Easy: It doesn’t get easier than this. All you need is to coat the bacon and air fry.
Minimal ingredients: This recipe requires just a few ingredients. 3 - 4 to be precise.
Saves time: Making it in the air fryer is more time saving than in the oven.
Keeps the house cool: No need to heat up the house by turning on your oven to make this delicious treat especially in the heat of summer.
Names by which Million dollar bacon is known
- Bacon candy
- Candied bacon
- Pig candy
- Millionaire’s bacon / Millionaires bacon / Millionaire bacon
- Billionaire bacon
- Pork Candy
Air fryer Candied bacon ingredients
- Bacon
- Brown sugar
- Cayenne pepper
- Black pepper
- Pepper flakes (optional)
Substitutions
Bacon: Though most recipes including the Twin Peaks restaurant recommend thick cut bacon, you can use regular cut bacon. I have used both the only difference is that it takes longer to cook that thick cut.
Brown sugar: I love how easily adaptable bacon candy is, you can swap out the brown sugar for a sugar free substitute like Lakanto monkfruit or Wholesome yum brown sugar substitute. Plain old white sugar works too it just won’t have the caramel taste.
How to make Million dollar bacon in the Air fryer
This is an overview of the recipe, please scroll to the bottom of this page for a printable recipe card with full instructions.
First you gather your ingredients. Mix the the brown sugar, cayenne pepper, black pepper and chili pepper flakes in a plate.
Cut the bacon strips in half, this is optional. Rub the brown sugar mix all over bacon to coat. Place coated bacon in air fryer basket.
Air fry at 400°F / 200°C for 8 mins if using thin cut bacon and 10 -12 mins if using thick cut bacon.
When it’s done, get the spicy candied bacon out of the air fryer basket using tongs. Place in a clean dry plate and let it cool completely before serving.
Making it in the oven
Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C / Gas mark 4
Place coated bacon slices on a baking lined with foil or parchment paper.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 mins then flip over and bake for another 20 - 25 mins
Pick up cooked bacon with tongs and let cool on cooling rack. When sugar is caramelized, use paper towel to dab out excess grease.
What to serve with Million dollar bacon with
Candied bacon is a versatile snack that can be served on it’s own or with anything you would ordinarily serve bacon with. Here are a few suggestions from our delicious experience. Feel free to leave us a comment if you have more suggestions for us.
- Toast bread
- Scrambled eggs or omelette
- Use in BLT burgers or sandwiches
- French toast
- Breakfast muffins
- Pancakes or waffles
- Eggs Benedict
How to store air fried millionaire’s bacon
These don’t last more than a day in my home because they are gobbled up within a twinkle of an eye! However if you happen to have leftovers, store in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If making these ahead, be sure to let these cool down completely before storing.
Reheating
You can reheat millionaire’s bacon in the microwave. Reheat 3 - 4 slices at 30 secs intervals until heated through. If reheating only one slice, reheat at 5 secs intervals.
You can also reheat these in the air fryer at 360 F for 2-3 minutes.
Variations of this recipe
Keto candied bacon: Simply swapping out the brown sugar for Keto brown sugar would change the nutrition profile and make this recipe Keto candied bacon.
Switch up the spices: Change the spice blend used to your favorite spice blend. Jerk seasoning or cajun will be a tasty swap.
Cinnamon Sugar Bacon: Leave out the heat and use just Cinnamon and brown sugar or cinnamon sugar.
Bacon skewers: Thread the coated bacon on skewers have some candied bacon on a stick.
Millionaire’s bacon twists: Make bacon twists out of it. That would be soo cool.
Maple syrup millionaire’s bacon: Drizzle some maple syrup over cooked millionaire’s bacon just as it gets out of the air fryer or oven.
Chocolate candied bacon: Let candied bacon aka Pig candy cool completely then drizzle some chocolate on the bacon.
Tips to make the best air fryer million dollar bacon
- Unlike regular bacon, do not place these on paper towels right out of the air fryer because the caramelized sugar will stick on the paper towel and you will find that your candied bacon now had white specks.
- Be careful not to get a sugar burn injury. The bacon may be scalding hot because of the caramelized sugar. Use tongs and let it cool before digging in.
- The caramelized sugar will harden as it cools
- Cutting the bacon in half makes it easier to serve as an appetizer.
Frequently asked questions.
Who invented Millionaire’s bacon?
I wasn’t able to find the inventor, however I found that companies had gotten trademarks for the name over the years and some of those people are Choi and his business partner Kitsadaviseksak. Choi owns a restaurant in San Francisco.
Can you leave candied bacon out?
For food safety, candied bacon can’t be left out cos it’s perishable. It need to be stored in the refrigerator or freezer if it wouldn’t be consumed within an hour.
Can I reheat candied bacon?
Yes you can reheat candied bacon. My preferred methods are the microwave and air fryer. Reheat at 30 secs intervals in the microwave till heated through. Reheat in the air fryer at 360 F for 2-3 mins
Can you freeze candied bacon?
Yes you can. Millionaire’s bacon can be frozen for up to 3 months in a tightly sealed freezer bag.
The Air fryer loves bacon so we’ve got more bacon recipes
- Classic crispy Air fryer bacon
- Bacon twists in the air fryer
- How to cook frozen bacon in the air fryer
- Air fryer bacon wrapped crackers
- Bacon wrapped shrimp
Check out all our >>>Air fryer Recipes!
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Air Fryer Million dollar bacon (Candied Bacon)
Equipment
- Cosori air fryer 5.8 qt
- Kitchen tongs
- Plate
Ingredients
- 1 lb bacon (thick cut or regular)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
To serve
- 2 Tablespoon Maple syrup (optional)
Instructions
Air Fryer method
- Mix the brown sugar, black pepper, cayenne pepper and chili flakes in a bowl or plate.
- Cut bacon in half, then coat bacon in the brown sugar seasoning mix
- Place in air fryer basket and air fry at 400° / 200°C for 8-10 mins if using regular bacon and 10-12 mins for thick cut bacon.
- Pick out the cooked bacon from the air fryer and cook subsequent batches till all batches are cooked.
- Transfer cooked bacon to a plate to cool and drizzle some maple syrup over the bacon if using. Bacon will caramelize as it cools. (See note 3)
Making it in the oven
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C / Gas mark 4
- Place coated bacon slices on a baking lined with foil or parchment paper.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 mins then flip over and bake for another 20 - 25 mins
- Pick up cooked bacon with tongs and let cool on cooling rack. When sugar is caramelized, use paper towel to dab out excess grease.
Notes
- This recipe was made in a non preheated oven. However when making subsequent batches, you may need to adjust timing downwards since the air fryer got preheated while the first batch was cooking.
- Adjust spice to you level of tolerance you can use ½ teaspoon of chili flakes instead of 1 or leave it out completely.
- Do not place hot candied bacon on a paper towel lined plate, when bacon cools, it will caramelize and may get stuck on the paper towel.
- Don’t touch hot candied bacon with your hands. It will be very hot, hotter than regular bacon because of the sugar.
- When baking in the oven, I like to bake the candied bacon without a rack so that it’s cooked in the sugar. This will help with the caramelization
Looking for someone who may have made this using pre-cooked bacon. What were the pro's & con's?
Tried the peppered Bacon, it was fabulous, must try some more.
Thanks for letting me know. We love these.
Pretty sure my family's gonna write a song about me after tasting this Bacon! It came out great!!!
Lol! They should, because you are amazing! Thank you Aushlie for the feedback! Happy you enjoyed the recipe.
This was tasty. Thanks