Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus (+Video)
If you love quick and delicious appetizers or side dishes, then you must make this Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus! It only takes a few minutes and only a small handful of ingredients!
A GORGEOUS AND EASY SIDE DISH
Bacon truly makes everything better – especially vegetables! Over the years I have come to really enjoy eating asparagus. I used to not be a fan – but when you wrap it in bacon – it becomes amazing! This Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus is now my go-to recipe for asparagus. With the rise in popularity of the air fryer, I thought I’d try making this recipe in mine and was surprised at how well it worked! You really can’t go wrong when it comes to this Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus recipe.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
I used a thick cut applewood smoked bacon here. However, you can use your favorite. For a much crispier bacon, you could certainly use a regular cut. Just keep an eye on it as it will probably take less time to cook.
This removes the “woody” part of the asparagus that is inedible.
Absolutely! If you don’t have an air fryer, you can bake the asparagus at 400F degrees for about 30 minutes. Make sure. to spray your baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
Asparagus is really a versatile side dish. I love to serve asparagus with chicken. A ROASTED CHICKEN or even my AIR FRYER CHICKEN BREAST recipe would go wonderful with this!
Yes. This can be assembled one day in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an air tight container.
I don’t recommend storing this after it has been cooked as the asparagus will lose it’s crispness. You could try to reheat it in your air fryer to try to get back some of that crispiness but I wasn’t a fan of it being reheated.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR BACON WRAPPED ASPARAGUS: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- asparagus
- olive oil
- garlic powder
- paprika
- salt
- pepper
- red pepper flakes
- bacon
HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER BACON WRAPPED ASPARAGUS:
Wash and trim off the woody part of the asparagus spears. Tip: If you hold an asparagus spear between two fingers and bend it lightly, the asparagus will naturally bend at the part that needs to be removed. You can snap it right off. Dry the asparagus with paper towels.
Add trimmed asparagus spears to a medium bowl. Add olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Mix until the asparagus spears are coated.
Separate the asparagus spears into 6 individual bundles. Take a piece of bacon and wrap it around each bundle.
Place the asparagus bundles in your air fryer basket. This may need to be done in batches if you have a smaller air fryer basket. Note: Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket or the air will be unable to circulate to properly cook the asparagus.
Air fry at 360 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked to your liking.
Remove from air fryer and serve.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES? GIVE THESE A TRY!
AIR FRYER BACON WRAPPED ASPARAGUS
Ingredients
- 2 bundles asparagus spears (about 30 spears total)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, divided use
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
- 6 strips of bacon (I used thick cut)
Instructions
- Rinse off the asparagus and trim off the woody part of the asparagus spears. Tip: If you hold an asparagus spear between two fingers and bend it lightly, the asparagus will naturally bend at the part that needs to be removed. You can snap it right off. Dry the asparagus with paper towels.
- Add trimmed asparagus spears to a medium bowl. Add olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Mix until the asparagus spears are coated well.
- Separate the asparagus spears into 6 individual bundles. Take a piece of bacon and wrap it around each bundle. Sprinkle the bacon with freshly cracked black pepper.
- Place the asparagus bundles in your air fryer basket. This may need to be done in batches if you have a smaller air fryer basket. Note: Don't overcrowd the air fryer basket or the air will be unable to circulate to properly cook the asparagus. You may need to cook these in batches depending on the size of your air fryer basket.
- Air fry at 360F degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the bacon is cooked to your liking.
Video
Notes
- Cooking time might be more or less depending on the thickness of the asparagus spears and bacon that you use. It’s best to keep an eye on it as it cooks in the air fryer. You want the bacon to be crispy.
- If you notice the bacon or asparagus getting too dark on one side, just flip it over halfway through cooking.
- Add a splash of lemon juice and freshly grated parmesan cheese for a delicious variation. To make with parmesan cheese: sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over the asparagus spears about 5 minutes before the timer goes off on the air fryer.
- Make sure you snap the ends off the asparagus before cooking, this removes the woody part that is tough and not edible.
- You can use any bacon you like. If it is thicker, it will be easier to wrap around the asparagus. However, it will take longer to cook. Thinner bacon will be more crispy.
- These asparagus bundles can also be baked. Place the bacon wrapped asparagus on a baking sheet and bake at 400F degrees for about 30 minutes.
- These can be assembled one day in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published: March 2021
Updated and republished: November 2021
I bought some asparagus and peppered bacon at my local farmers market this morning. I’m making this recipe this evening. Leaving the pepper out since it’s already in the bacon.
Perfect seasoning. We really enjoyed this a lot. Thank you for the recipe.