Easy Maple Mustard Bacon with Make Ahead Option
Discover the magic of maple mustard bacon with this quick and easy recipe. Upgrade your breakfast or brunch with this mouthwatering combination of sweet maple syrup and tangy mustard with optional black pepper. Plus, learn how to make it ahead of time for a stress-free morning experience – perfect for holidays. With just a few ingredients, you can have crispy, flavorful bacon on your plate in no time!
Along with Make-Ahead Monkey Bread, this amazingly delicious maple mustard bacon that can be made ahead is a part of our traditional Christmas morning brunch menu – the one morning of the year that having things made ahead is pretty important.
Well, unless you want to be cooking while the family opens gifts, which I’m pretty sure is no one ever.
That said, you can cook this up right away making it a wonderful option for any type of brunch or breakfast you’re hosting.
I’ve made many versions of brown sugar-crusted bacon over the years, but for this recipe I lowered the amount of sweetness, changed to nature-produced maple syrup, added lots of black pepper and it was DELICIOUS.
Being able to make it the night before is just a wonderful bonus and something I thought couldn’t be done well with bacon. Boy was I wrong.
Ingredients
You only need 3 or 4 ingredients to make this:
- Bacon – ‘rough cut’ or thick cut is best, but any will work.
- Dijon mustard – spicy brown mustard will work in a pinch, but Dijon has the best flavor.
- Pure maple syrup – a key to the flavor and light sweetness.
- Black pepper, optional – I prefer coarse ground, but any grind will work
Equipment
- Large baking sheets to pre cook the bacon.
- 13×9 inch or larger baking pan to hold the bacon and cook.
- Pastry brush
How to Make Maple Mustard Bacon
Whether you make this recipe the day before or want to serve it right away, your first step is to bake it in an oven until it’s only three-quarters of the way cooked.
Then choose one of the following methods to continue:
To Serve Right Away: Transfer the partially cooked bacon to a baking rack placed on a separate baking sheet. Blot any excess oil with a paper towel. Brush the bacon with the mustard mixture on both sides, sprinkle with pepper if using, and return the bacon to the oven for another 2 to 3 minutes to desired crispness.
To Make Ahead: Lay the partially cooked bacon in a large baking dish or new baking pan. Coat both sides of the bacon pieces with the mustard mixture and sprinkle with pepper if using. Cover the pan and place it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook it fully the next day.
Variations & Tips
- Feel free to adjust the mustard-to-syrup ratio. I wanted to move away from super-sweet candied bacon, so I use less syrup and more flavorful mustard.
- Omit black pepper.
- Sprinkle with a bit of cayenne pepper if you’d like a spicy-sweet bacon.
- I’ve used both thick cut bacon and regular bacon and both work.
This is SO good my family devours this bacon whenever I make it and we all look forward to it as a part of our special Christmas day tradition.
This bacon is a perfect compliment to make ahead scrambled eggs, Overnight Monkey Bread, fruit, and coffee on Christmas morning!
TIP: Grab the full make ahead Christmas Brunch menu with cute menu printable here.
I hope this recipe becomes part of your tradition, too!
More Breakfast Recipes To Try
- Mediterranean Scramble with Spinach & Bacon
- Buckwheat Pancakes with Oats, Maple & Cinnamon (Gluten Free)
- Best No-Fail Hollandaise Sauce (for Eggs Benedict and More)
- Asparagus and Ham Egg Cups with Easy Hollandaise Sauce (Low-Carb, Gluten Free)
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Easy Maple Mustard Bacon Recipe & Make Ahead Option
Equipment
- large baking sheet
- 13×9 inch baking pan or another large baking sheet
- pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon ‘rough cut’ or thick cut is best, but any will work
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard*
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup*
- 1 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper optional**
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Lay the bacon out in a single layer on a large cookie sheet. Cook in oven until about 3/4 done, about 9-10 minutes and drain on paper towels.
- While bacon is cooking, stir the mustard and syrup together until smooth.
To Serve Right Away:
- Transfer the partially cooked bacon to a baking rack placed on a separate baking sheet. Blot any excess oil with a paper towel. Brush the bacon with the mustard mixture on both sides, sprinkle with pepper if using, and return the bacon to the oven for another 2 to 3 minutes to desired crispness.
To Make Ahead:
- Transfer the bacon to a 13×9 (or larger if needed) baking pan, again laying out in a single layer.
- Use a pastry brush to coat both sides of each piece of bacon with the maple-mustard mixture. Sprinkle with black pepper, if using.
- Cover the pan and refrigerate overnight.
- The next morning, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pan in the oven, uncovered, and bake for about 15 minutes or until the bacon is crisp enough for your tastes.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe has been updated – it was originally published in January 2014, updated in 2016 and again in 2023.
Sounds like breakfast this weekend when my son and his fiancee come to visit! Thanks, Jami! I don’t suppose you’ve used this with Turkey bacon????
Whoa, yes please!