Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

While I love using my air fryer to make dinner quick and easy, I love it for crisping up vegetables and making....bacon of course! Combined, the two make amazing recipes because, well, everything tastes better with bacon.

It's super easy and savory. It's light on ingredients and big on flavor- simply sprinkle asparagus with a little salt and pepper, wrap with your favorite bacon, and air fry. You don't even need to use oil.

I use both my air fryer basket and air fryer oven type for this recipe with no adjusts to cooking time or temperature.

The main difference is how many asparagus bundles you can fit in at one time. So for smaller air fryers or basket-style ones, you may need to cook in batches.

I have the Instant Pot Duo Crisp and Instant Pot Omni Plus. While some recipes are more convenient to make in the Omni, others are easier when using the basket in the Duo Crisp. Overall I love them both, and you can easily make bacon wrapped asparagus using any style air fryer.

Along with jalapeño poppers, air fried bacon wrapped asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables to "fry" in this amazing kitchen appliance.

More Easy Air Fryer Recipes You Should Try

• Air Fryer Baby Potatoes
• Air Fryer Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
• Air Fryer Hot Dogs (Using Fresh or Frozen)
• Air Fried Okra - Crispy Southern Style!
• Air Fryer Chicken Tenders

And if you love asparagus, make sure to try this garlic butter pasta and asparagus or crispy fried asparagus sticks!

Ingredients

For this 4-ingredient recipe, you need only:

• Asparagus spears
• Bacon
• Salt
• Pepper

You don't need oil, but you can give the asparagus spears a quick spray with cooking oil or a brush with olive oil before wrapping them in the bacon.

Although we're cooking a bacon wrapped vegetable here, it's still on the healthier side. Each bundle is low in calories, carbs, fat, and saturated fat. Plus, it's loaded with vitamin A.

Instructions

First, prepare the asparagus by washing and drying it, then snapping off the ends. You should trim about ½ to 1 inch off the ends, where it begins to turn whitish in color. The ends break easily, so you can do this with your hands. A knife or scissors work too.

If your model requires preheating, do this now. Air fryer temperature should be 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 C).

Then make it in 2 easy steps.

Group the asparagus spears into bundles of 4 or 5. Wrap each asparagus bundle with 1 slice of bacon, leaving the bacon ends underneath the bundle so they are secure (and there is no need for a toothpick).

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the air fryer basket or on the tray with space between each bundle (do not let them touch). Air fry for 6 to 10 minutes, depending on how crispy you like the bacon. Flip half way through (if desired, but not required).

FAQs

Tips

• Choose asparagus that isn't too thin, nor too thick. The thickness should be somewhere in the middle. Asparagus that is too thin may cook much quicker than the bacon, leaving it burnt or overcooked.
• Choose bacon that is also in the mid-thickness range. Avoid thick cut, as it will take much longer to crisp than the asparagus needs to cook.
• As best you can, aim for using bacon and asparagus that cook to your preferred crispness and tenderness during the same cooking time for your model air fryer. You know your machine best, and if you've cooked both separately, you should have an idea of the time it will take.
• Turning the bundles half way through is optional. Not all brands will need this to cook it evenly around.

Variations

• Sprinkle some parmesan or cheddar cheese onto the bacon wrapped asparagus for a cheesy version.
• Use maple flavored bacon instead of plain for a sweet version.
• Sprinkle brown sugar onto the bacon.
• Brush with maple syrup, either with brown sugar or without, to make it even sweeter.
• Use green beans in place of asparagus to make bacon wrapped green beans.

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