Looking for the perfect easy-to-make air fryer side dish that looks fancy and tastes amazing? Bacon-wrapped asparagus in the air fryer is for you!
Made from a few spears of fresh asparagus and a slice of crispy bacon, this recipe makes a great (and filling) appetizer, too!
Recipe Tips
To make air fryer bacon-wrapped asparagus, read through these recipe tips so you know what to expect and achieve tasty results!
- The cooking time will vary based on the thickness of the asparagus spears and the thickness of the bacon. We often use thick cut bacon in the air fryer and it always works out well and cooks evenly, but you can also use regular cut bacon.
- Be sure to watch the bacon towards the end of the cooking time because you do not want to burn the outer bacon wrap.
- It’s important to clean the air fryer after making bacon while the grease is still in liquid form. This makes it easy to drain out of the air fryer tray – and it’s less you have to physically wipe up later. When cooking the bacon-wrapped asparagus in two batches, make sure to drain the bacon grease after the first batch to avoid smoke!
We use this air fryer for our recipes and it has been great.
Step by Step Instructions
To see exactly how we make our bacon-wrapped asparagus in the air fryer, you can follow these step-by-step recipe photos below.
If you think you have a good idea of how this recipe works, you can skip below to the recipe card!
First, wash and dry the asparagus, then trim off the ends by snapping it off.
Where the spear naturally breaks is generally where the best texture begins. You can turn the ends into a soup or discard them.
Next, place the asparagus on a large plate. Drizzle on the oil and pepper, then roll them around until evenly coated.
Take three spears of asparagus and wrap the bacon around them in a spiral fashion from one end of the bunch.
Avoid overlapping the bacon onto itself if you want the bacon to get crispy.
Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit.
When the air fryer is hot, place approximately 4 bundles of bacon-wrapped asparagus into the air fryer tray. The bunches shouldn’t be touching so that the bacon can crisp.
If you have a very large air fryer, you might be able to put all the bunches in at once. Otherwise, cook this amount of bacon-wrapped asparagus in two batches.
Cook the asparagus for 10-13 minutes depending on your preferred level of crispiness (of the bacon). Flip the asparagus bundles halfway through cooking to ensure even cooking.
Once the bacon is crispy and the asparagus inside is tender, remove the asparagus and place them on a plate, drain the bacon grease into a bowl, and cook the other bundles. Enjoy!
Storage Tips
It’s unlikely that you will have any leftovers when making bacon-wrapped asparagus. That said, if you do end up having any leftovers, you can store them in a sealed container in the fridge.
They’ll last for around 2-3 days but you should enjoy them sooner rather than later because the asparagus can get mushy over time (due to moisture).
To reheat bacon-wrapped asparagus, you can toss them back in the air fryer. This will help to evaporate excess moisture.
They won’t be as good as when they were freshly made but they will be pretty close!
What to Serve Bacon Wrapped Asparagus With
Air-fried bacon-wrapped asparagus is a really good side dish or appetizer that goes with lots of different meal ideas. They look fancy – but they are still easy to make.
So, you can pair them with a meal like a steak and baked potato or with something like salmon and potatoes.
It can be served as the “vegetable” dish….. even though the vegetable component is covered in crispy bacon!
Related Recipes
For more great air fryer side dishes, you can check out these tasty creations!
- Air Fried Butternut Squash
- Air Fryer Spaghetti Squash
- Asparagus Fries in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Mushrooms
Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
Ingredients
- 24 spears green asparagus
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 8 slices of bacon, see notes
Instructions
- Wash and dry the asparagus, then trim off the ends by snapping it off. Where the spear naturally breaks is generally where the best texture begins. You can turn the ends into a soup or discard them.
- Place the asparagus on a large plate. Drizzle on the oil and pepper, then roll them around until evenly coated.
- Take three spears of asparagus and wrap the bacon around them in a spiral fashion from one end of the bunch. Avoid overlapping the bacon onto itself if you want the bacon to get crispy.
- Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place approximately 4 bundles of bacon-wrapped asparagus into the hot air fryer tray. The bunches shouldn’t be touching so that the bacon can crisp. If you have a very large air fryer, you might be able to put all the bunches in at once. Otherwise, cook this amount of bacon-wrapped asparagus in two batches.
- Cook the asparagus for 10-13 minutes depending on your preferred level of crispiness (of the bacon). Flip the asparagus bundles halfway through cooking to ensure even cooking.
- Once the bacon is crispy and the asparagus inside is tender, remove the asparagus and place them on a plate, drain the bacon grease into a bowl, and cook the other bundles. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cook time will vary depending on your air fryer, the thickness of the asparagus, and the thickness of the bacon you use. We often use thick-cut bacon which in our air fryer takes approximately 12 minutes. When making the recipe in the air fryer for the first time, make sure to keep a close eye on the bacon-wrapped asparagus towards the end since every air fryer cooks slightly differently and you don’t want to burn the bacon.
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
