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 with a few spears of fresh asparagus and slices of crispy bacon, this recipe makes a great (and filling) appetizer!
Ingredients
Making bacon-wrapped asparagus is really easy. Here are the ingredients that you’ll need:
- Asparagus – Try to use asparagus spears of similar thickness.
- Oil – We like to use avocado oil, but other oil such as canola oil, sunflower oil or vegetable oil also work well.
- Black Pepper – To add a little extra flavor.
- Bacon – You can use either regular or thick-cut bacon for this recipe.
Recipe Tips
Before you start making air fryer bacon-wrapped asparagus, read through these recipe tips so you know what to expect and achieve tasty results!
- Try to use asparagus spears that have a similar thickness so that they are done cooking at the same time.
- The cooking time will vary based on the thickness of the asparagus spears and the thickness of the bacon. Thicker asparagus spears will take longer to cook. Similarly, thick cut bacon will take a little longer until crispy.
- If the pieces of bacon are quite large, you can cut them in half lengthwise and only use 1/2 slice of bacon per 3 asparagus spears. It’s up to you.
- If you think the bacon might unravel during cooking, you can secure it to the asparagus with a small toothpick. We’ve never had any issues though.
- Be sure to watch the bacon towards the end of the cooking time because you don’t want it to burn.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer as this would prevent the bacon and asparagus from cooking evenly.
- When cooking the bacon-wrapped asparagus in two batches, be sure to drain the bacon grease after the first batch to avoid smoke!
- 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.
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 below!
First wash and dry the asparagus, then trim the ends by snapping them off. Where the spear naturally breaks is usually where the best texture begins.
Of course, you can also trim the ends using a knife if you prefer.
Next, place the asparagus on a large plate. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with pepper, then roll the asparagus spears around until they are evenly coated.
Now take three asparagus spears and wrap the bacon around them in a spiral fashion from one end of the bunch to the other.
Avoid overlapping the bacon if you want the bacon to get crispy.
If that’s too much bacon for you, you can always cut the bacon in half lengthwise first and use just one half per bunch of asparagus.
Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit.
When the air fryer is hot, place about 4 bundles of bacon-wrapped asparagus into the air fryer tray. The bunches shouldn’t be touching so that the bacon can crisp evenly.
If you have a very large air fryer, you may 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 about 10-13 minutes until tender. Flip the asparagus bundles halfway through cooking so they cook evenly.
The exact cooking time can vary depending on your preferred level of crispiness, the thickness of the asparagus and bacon and your air fryer.
When the bacon is crispy and the asparagus inside is tender, remove the asparagus and place on a plate.
Drain the bacon grease from the air fryer into a bowl, and cook the second batch until all the bacon-wrapped asparagus bundles are cooked. Serve and enjoy!
Storage Tips
It’s unlikely that you will have any leftovers, but 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 them, you can toss them back in the air fryer. This will also help to evaporate excess moisture.
They won’t be as good as when they were fresh, but they will be pretty close!
What to Serve Bacon Wrapped Asparagus With
Air-fried bacon-wrapped asparagus is a versatile side dish or appetizer that goes with lots of different meal ideas. They look fancy – but they are still easy to make.
Pair it with a juicy steak and a baked potato for a classic steakhouse experience, or serve it with grilled salmon and a fresh salad for a lighter but equally satisfying meal.
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 snap off the ends. Where the spear naturally breaks is usually where the best texture begins. You can also trim the ends with a knife if you prefer.24 spears green asparagus
- Place the asparagus spears on a large plate. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with pepper, then roll them around until evenly coated.1 teaspoon avocado oil, 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- Take three asparagus spears and wrap the bacon around them in a spiral from one end of the bunch to the other. Avoid overlapping the bacon if you want the bacon to get crispy.8 slices of bacon
- Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place about 4 bundles of bacon-wrapped asparagus into the hot air fryer tray. The bunches shouldn't be touching so that the bacon can crisp evenly. If you have a very large air fryer, you may be able to cook all the bunches at once. Otherwise, cook this amount of bacon-wrapped asparagus in two batches.
- Cook the asparagus for about 10-13 minutes until the asparagus is tender and the bacon is crispy. Flip the asparagus bundles halfway through cooking. The exact cooking time can vary based on the thickness of the asparagus and bacon, your air fryer, and personal preference.
- When the bacon-wrapped asparagus spears are done, remove them from the air fryer and place them on a plate. Drain the bacon grease from the air fryer into a bowl and cook the second batch until all the asparagus is cooked. Enjoy!
Notes
- Try using asparagus spears that have a similar thickness so that they are done cooking at the same time.
- The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the asparagus spears and the thickness of the bacon. Thicker asparagus spears will take longer. Thick-cut bacon will take slightly longer until crispy.
- If the pieces of bacon are quite large, you can cut them in half lengthwise and use only 1/2 slice of bacon per 3 asparagus spears if you prefer.
- If you are worried about the bacon unravelling during cooking, you can secure it to the asparagus using a small toothpick. We’ve never had that problem though.
- Watch the bacon towards the end of the cooking time because you don’t want it to burn.
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.
