Air fryer bacon wrapped asparagus is a delicious appetizer or side dish. This asparagus is not only wrapped in crispy bacon but also coated in a spicy sweet mixture that makes it absolutely craveworthy.
I love making bacon wrapped asparagus in my air fryer. The asparagus gets roasted and the tips get a little crispy, which I love. The bacon cooks perfectly. And then I love to add a little sweet and spicy flavors which pair wonderfully with the saltiness of the bacon.
While the air fryer bacon wrapped asparagus can serve 2 if serving as a side dish, I have to admit that many times I just eat this all myself because I just can't stop eating it! It's so flavorful and the combination of the spicy and sweet just makes the asparagus so delicious.
If you're wanting just a regular (not bacon wrapped) asparagus recipe, here is a basic recipe for air fryer lemon asparagus.
Ingredients:
- 10 stalks of asparagus
- Bacon
- Brown sugar
- Smoked paprika
- Cayenne pepper
- Olive oil
What type of asparagus to use:
I use regular asparagus to make the asparagus wrapped in bacon. Not too thick, not too thin.
If you are using thin asparagus, you may want to wrap them together in bundles of 3-4 spears with the bacon, and you may be cooking for a shorter time. I haven't tested this out, so not sure of the timeframe needed. (Let me know if you try it).
If using super-thick asparagus, you will likely need to cook on the longer side for asparagus to get tender in the air fryer.
What type of bacon to use:
Regular thin bacon works best for this. I don't recommend using thick bacon, as it may not be cooked properly.
I usually use center cut bacon. This one was hickory & mesquite smoked!
Customization ideas:
- If you don't want the spicy sweet flavor, you can easily just not include the brown sugar mixture. You could just drizzle with a touch of olive oil, then wrap the asparagus in bacon and enjoy it that way!
- For a sugar-free version of the air fryer bacon wrapped asparagus, make a smoked paprika/cayenne mixture, but leave out the brown sugar.
- If you want a little brightness, you could squeeze a little lemon juice over the top.
How to serve:
I love just eating this bacon wrapped asparagus for lunch as is!
However, if you're serving this as a side dish or appetizer, here are some serving suggestions on what to make alongside the air fryer asparagus.
- Air Fryer Greek Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Honey Mustard Salmon
- Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Roasted Tomatoes
Recipe tips:
- You only will use half a slice of bacon per piece of asparagus. So if you're making 10 asparagus spears, you need 5 slices of bacon.
- I've found that regular cut (not thick) bacon works best.
- The air fryer bacon wrapped asparagus can serve 2 as a side dish or 1 if you just want to eat it all yourself!
- You do not need to spray the air fryer basket for this recipe.
- You do not need to preheat your air fryer to make the air fryer bacon wrapped asparagus.
- You do not need to flip the asparagus when cooking.
How to make bacon wrapped asparagus:
To make the recipe for air fryer bacon wrapped asparagus, first mix together the spices. Add the brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and smoked paprika to a small bowl.
Stir together with a spoon or fork until combined.
Remove any woody, tough ends of the asparagus and place the fresh asparagus on a plate. Drizzle with olive oil.
Add the spice mixture and gently toss to combine. Note - a lot of the spice mixture won't stick. Any that hasn't stuck to the asparagus, will stick to the bacon.
Cut bacon slices in half, and use half of a bacon slice per asparagus spear. Wrap the bacon around the asparagus, then place back on the plate and press the rest of the spice mixture into the bacon.
Place the bacon wrapped asparagus in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
Cook at 370 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, checking at the 10 minute mark until asparagus and bacon are cooked to your liking.
Plate the air fryer bacon wrapped asparagus and enjoy the perfect spicy/sweet/salty flavor!
Other air fryer recipes to love:
Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 stalks asparagus
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 5 slices bacon
Instructions
- Wash and dry the asparagus and snap off any of the tough woody ends. Place the asparagus on a large plate.
- Add the brown sugar, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper to a bowl and stir to combine.
- Drizzle olive oil onto the asparagus stalks and gently toss to combine. Add the brown sugar mixture to the plate and toss to coat the asparagus.
- Cut 5 slices of bacon in half. Tightly wrap each bacon half around a each of the asparagus stalks. Repeat for all 10 asparagus stalks.
- Press the bacon wrapped asparagus into any of the brown sugar mixture left on the plate to coat the asparagus.
- Add to the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook at 370 degrees for 10-15 minutes until bacon wrapped asparagus is cooked to your liking.
- Remove from the air fryer basket and enjoy!
Notes
- You only will use half a slice of bacon per piece of asparagus. So if you're making 10 asparagus spears, you need 5 slices of bacon.
- I've found that regular cut (not thick) bacon works best.
- The air fryer bacon wrapped asparagus can serve 2 as a side dish or 1 if you just want to eat it all yourself!
- You do not need to spray the air fryer basket for this recipe.
- You do not need to preheat your air fryer to make the air fryer bacon wrapped asparagus.
- You do not need to flip the asparagus when cooking.
Nutrition
If nutrition info is shown, values are based on an online calculator and are estimates. Please verify using your own data.
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