Meat and poultry

Bacon nutrition, raw, cooked and everything between.

On USDA figures, 1 slice of pan-fried bacon works out at 54 calories and carries 3.9 g of protein. The record behind it is USDA’s “Pork, cured, bacon, pre-sliced, cooked, pan-fried”. Change the way it is prepared and an identical weight swings from 393 up to 548 calories per 100 g. The panel underneath takes any serving and any amount, and the vitamin and mineral table tracks what you pick.

By Alen Yaco · Updated 20 September 2026

Figures: USDA FoodData Central, records 168277, 167914, 168322. Calculated in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

The calorie count for bacon

54 calories is the figure for 1 slice of pan-fried bacon; 468 is the figure per 100 g. Below are the remaining portions USDA measured.

How much protein does bacon provide?

For protein, 1 slice of pan-fried bacon gives you 3.9 g, which fills 8 percent of the daily 50 g benchmark. Protein supplies 29 percent of the energy in bacon, which helps a day’s total without carrying it.

Divide its calories by source and you get 30 percent from protein, 69 percent from fat and 1 percent from carbohydrate.

Bacon calories by preparation

Baked bacon comes in at 548 calories per 100 g against 393 for as sold, a gap of 39 percent. What explains it is evaporation, which packs more of the food into each gram.

Same bacon, same 12 g, different treatment:

This is the part a photo cannot always settle. A camera can tell a grilled piece from a fried one, but it cannot see how much oil stayed in the pan. How accurate AI calorie apps are covers where that uncertainty sits.

What to know before you cook bacon

Bacon is cured pork belly or loin. British back bacon includes loin and belly, whilst streaky bacon is belly only. Look for dry-cured rashers with firm, creamy fat and deep pink meat. Avoid packs containing excess liquid, which suggests water has been injected. Choose thick rashers for a meaty bite.

Bacon renders its fat during cooking, shrinking as water evaporates. Start rashers in a cold pan over low heat to melt the fat gradually before crisping. The most common mistake is crowding the pan with too many rashers, which steams the meat instead of frying it.

In British kitchens, bacon is fried for breakfast sandwiches or wrapped around sausages. In French cooking, diced bacon lardons are browned to start stews and salads. The smoky, salty fat seasons mild ingredients like eggs, potatoes and cabbage, providing a savoury depth to diverse dishes.

Micronutrients in bacon

Bacon spreads its micronutrients thinly. Every value USDA reports is listed, tied to your chosen portion.

Watch the sodium: 1,684 mg in 100 g, or 73 percent of the recommended maximum for a day.

How far bacon goes in a day

Budget-wise, 1 slice of pan-fried bacon costs 3 percent of a 2,000 calorie day and pays back 8 percent of the day’s protein. The TDEE calculator and macro calculator will tell you what those percentages look like against your own targets.

Recipes that start with bacon

The Calorie Counter Team wrote these. Under every recipe the numbers are added up from the USDA record for each ingredient and split across the servings.

Breakfast · British

Classic Bacon Sandwich

A classic British breakfast sandwich featuring dry-cured back bacon in buttered white bread.

15 min · serves 1

792kcal

24gprotein

59gfat

40gcarbs

Ingredients

• Pork back bacon 120 g
• White bread slices 80 g
• Salted butter 15 g

Method

1. Heat a dry frying pan over medium heat for two minutes.
2. Cook the bacon in the pan for three minutes on each side until the fat is translucent.
3. Spread the butter evenly onto two slices of white bread.
4. Place the cooked bacon between the buttered bread slices and cut the sandwich in half.

3 USDA records went into this total. It describes the ingredients as weighed, not the dish after cooking losses.

Dinner · French

Bacon and Potato Bake

A hearty winter dinner of sliced potatoes baked with smoked bacon lardons, onions, and melted cheese.

50 min · serves 2

1,026kcal

36gprotein

76gfat

50gcarbs

Ingredients

• Waxy potatoes 500 g
• Smoked bacon lardons 200 g
• Yellow onion 100 g
• Brie cheese 150 g
• Double cream 100 g
• Table salt 2 g

Method

1. Boil the sliced potatoes in salted water for ten minutes, then drain.
2. Fry the bacon lardons and sliced onions in a pan over medium heat for eight minutes.
3. Layer the potatoes, bacon, and onions in an ovenproof baking dish.
4. Pour the double cream over the mixture and top with slices of cheese.
5. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for twenty minutes until the cheese melts and turns golden brown.

Nutrition per serving, calculated across 6 USDA ingredient records. Expect small differences once cooked.

Lunch · British

Bacon and Pea Soup

A thick green soup made with sweet green peas and a heavy base of smoked bacon.

30 min · serves 2

589kcal

25gprotein

39gfat

35gcarbs

Ingredients

• Smoked bacon 150 g
• Yellow onion 100 g
• Frozen green peas 300 g
• Chicken stock 500 g
• Olive oil 15 g
• Black pepper 2 g

Method

1. Fry the chopped bacon and diced onion in olive oil in a saucepan for eight minutes.
2. Pour the chicken stock into the saucepan and bring the liquid to a boil.
3. Add the frozen peas and simmer the mixture for five minutes.
4. Blend the soup with a hand blender until it reaches a smooth consistency.
5. Season the soup with black pepper and serve hot in bowls.

Nutrition per serving, calculated across 6 USDA ingredient records. Expect small differences once cooked.

Calorie Counter Team, food critic

Putting bacon on a plate

A sample plate, not a prescription: bacon plus two sides, each line sourced and the sum shown.

Bacon beside its neighbours

All figures are for 100 g. Check the form column before comparing a raw food with a cooked one.

Bacon, asked and answered

How many calories does 1 slice of pan-fried bacon have?

Count 54 calories. The source is the USDA record “Pork, cured, bacon, pre-sliced, cooked, pan-fried” (FDC 168322), which lists 468 calories per 100 g.

How much protein does bacon have?

You get 3.9 g from 1 slice of pan-fried bacon, equal to 8 percent of the daily reference amount; 100 g holds 34 g.

Does cooking change the calories in bacon?

The weight stays the same but the number moves. 12 g of bacon is 45 calories as sold, rising to 63 baked.

Does bacon fit a calorie deficit?

That depends on the rest of the day, not on bacon. For planning: 1 slice of pan-fried bacon is 54 calories and 3.9 g of protein, 29 percent protein by energy, which means it needs a protein-rich partner on the plate.

How do you stop bacon from curling in the pan?

Lay the rashers in a cold pan and press them down with a heavy frying pan or a bacon press. This keeps the meat flat whilst the fat renders, ensuring even browning without curling.

How should you store bacon fat after cooking?

Strain the warm liquid fat through a fine mesh sieve into a clean glass jar. Seal the jar and keep it in the fridge. The fat solidifies and can be used instead of oil for roasting vegetables.

Sources

• Pork, cured, bacon, unprepared — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 168277
• Pork, cured, bacon, cooked, baked — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 167914
• Pork, cured, bacon, pre-sliced, cooked, pan-fried — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 168322
• Daily Values for nutrition labelling, 21 CFR 101.9