Maple Bacon: Recipes, Benefits and Cooking Tips

Looking for a sure-fire way to elevate everyday bacon? Maple bacon – bacon glazed with pure maple syrup – has won favour among amateur cooks and award-winning chefs alike – and for good reason. 

But what are the origins of this unique pairing? How can you make your own maple bacon? And what makes maple syrup the perfect glazing ingredient for bacon? Find all of this and more below!

The rise of maple bacon

While we don’t know the exact origins of maple bacon, there’s one thing we’re sure of: the first person to combine the two was a genius! 

The pairing is popular in Canada and the US, particularly in the Canadian province of Quebec where pure maple syrup is a staple.

It’s a great way to elevate regular bacon in a breakfast sandwich and is also used as a topping for pancakes and doughnuts. 

In recent years, maple-glazed bacon has become a cult ingredient within the culinary industry, regularly featuring in food festivals and on restaurant menus. 

You can even buy it ready-made from butchers and larger supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths – a testament to the popularity of this special pairing.

Find out where to buy pure maple syrup in Australia below. 

What makes maple bacon such a great pairing?

Bacon and maple syrup are two delicious ingredients in their own right, but when combined they take each other to the next level. 

Maple syrup is packed with natural sweetness but also has smoky undertones that perfectly complement the rich, savoury taste of bacon. 

The result is an irresistible mix of sweet, salty and smoky flavours that hits many of the main flavour profiles we look for in food. 

Maple syrup also caramelises beautifully when cooked with bacon, enhancing the texture of the bacon with a crisp, crunchy crust. 

If you’ve ever cooked candied bacon with maple syrup, you’ll also know that it fills the kitchen with a delightfully sweet and smoky aroma.

Find out where to buy pure maple syrup in Australia below. 

How to make maple bacon

So you’ve read about the rise of maple bacon and know why it’s such a popular pairing, but how do you go about making it for yourself? 

You’ll be pleased to hear there are a number of cooking methods at your disposal, with each producing delicious results. 

If you want to experiment further with candied bacon, you can add other ingredients like salt, mustard and cayenne pepper to your maple glaze. 

Whether you prefer to fry, bake or air-fry, find out how to cook maple-glazed bacon to perfection using the dropdowns below.

How to make maple bacon in a pan

The key to making maple bacon in a pan is to apply the glaze only a few minutes before the bacon has finished cooking. Here’s how to fry maple bacon in six easy steps: 

1. Cook bacon in a pan over medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes until browned but not crispy. 
2. Set bacon aside on paper towels and pat dry to remove fat.  
3. Reduce heat on the pan to low-medium. 
4. Brush bacon with maple syrup on one side and return to pan glazed side down. 
5. Cook for 2 minutes, brush the other side with maple syrup and flip the bacon. 
6. Cook for a further 2 minutes, remove from pan and serve.

How to make maple bacon in the oven

Baking in the oven is perhaps the most popular method for cooking maple bacon. Follow these five simple steps to get perfect results every time: 

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Place bacon on a rack over a baking tray. 
3. Transfer to oven and cook for 6 minutes until browned but not crispy. 
4. Remove bacon from oven and brush with maple syrup on both sides. 
5. Return to oven, cook for further 6 minutes until crispy and serve. 

How to make maple bacon in the air fryer

The air fryer offers another quick and easy way to cook maple-glazed bacon. Here are the steps involved in making air fryer maple bacon: 

1. Preheat air-fryer to 200°C. 
2. Place bacon in a single layer in the air fryer basket and cook for 6 minutes until browned but not crispy. 
3. Remove bacon from air fryer and brush with maple syrup on both sides. 
4. Return to air fryer, cook for further 6 minutes until crispy and serve. 

Learn more about cooking with maple syrup below. 

Recipes featuring bacon and maple syrup

What’s great about maple bacon is that it’s a versatile ingredient that can be enjoyed at all times of the day, whether in sweet or savoury dishes. 

Glazing bacon with maple syrup adds a touch of indulgence to this classic breakfast roll, which is accompanied by a fried egg and layered in a toasted brioche bun. 

Arguably the most iconic pairing for maple bacon is pancakes – and these savoury pancakes, served with avocado and chipotle sauce, don’t disappoint. 

For a more decadent start to the day, why not try our eggs benedict? The dish features English muffins and bacon topped with poached eggs and a maple hollandaise sauce. 

Maple bacon is also great for sprucing up leftovers – it plays a starring role in this breakfast hash as well as our potato rösti recipe. 

With so many other variations like maple bacon cupcakes, maple bacon Brussels sprouts and maple bacon waffle quiches, we’re only scratching the surface!

Why use maple syrup to make candied bacon?

If you’ve looked into making candied bacon before, you’ll have noticed that many recipes call for brown sugar as the glazing ingredient – so why use maple syrup? 

Like brown sugar, maple syrup caramelises really well when brushed over bacon, but it also comes with a number of added benefits. 

Firstly, maple syrup has a more distinctive taste that many people prefer. Its subtly smoky notes in particular perfectly complement the similar flavour of bacon. 

What’s more, pure maple syrup is a completely natural product that’s free from artificial flavourings and preservatives. 

With its simple production process, maple syrup retains many of the nutrients naturally present in the plant sources, including riboflavin and manganese. 

Most brands of brown sugar, on the other hand, are heavily refined and contain little to no nutritional value. 

So, if you are to pick one, not only does maple syrup have a richer taste, but it also serves as the natural and more nutritious choice.

Learn more about the benefits of maple syrup over sugar below.

Bacon and maple syrup: a match made in heaven

With the simple addition of maple syrup, bacon is transformed into an irresistible blend of sweet, smoky and salty flavours. So, what are you waiting for? Give maple bacon a try today and take your pancakes and breakfast sandwiches to the next level! 

Hungry for more recipe inspiration and cooking tips? Make sure to check out our full range of maple syrup recipes, covering everything from drinks and desserts to sides, starters and mains!