Easy Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

🤍 Recipe Highlights

I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the air fryer asparagus recipe in the points below:

• Everyday ingredients: you will be able to get everything you need to make this bacon wrapped asparagus recipe from most local grocery stores. You likely will already have the salt and pepper so then its only the bacon and asparagus needed.
• Back to basics: there is nothing too tricky going on when we are roasting vegetables. There is a little bit of prep work when we are wrapping the bacon around the asparagus, yet once done it is 'hand off' till it is cooked.
• Air fried: the air fryer helps us cook things quickly and easily as well as saves us heating up the oven for a simple quick to cook recipe. It is an extremely handy cooking appliance to have and one that makes life a little bit easier 😉👍.
• Versatile: once cooked you can use this bacon wrapped asparagus for almost anything. Add it to a grazing platter or crudité Platter. Use it as a party appetizer, side for a dinner party or simply serve it as a snack!
• Economical: sometimes you will find a fruit shop that is having a sale and you will see asparagus at cheaper than chips prices and find yourself needing to take advantage of the sale and whip something up. This is the recipe you need in mind when you see that opportunity. 😉👌

🥗 Ingredients

The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the air fryer bacon wrapped asparagus recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.

As you can see the recipe calls for:

• Salt and pepper: we use salt and a little bit of black pepper to season the asparagus before we cook it.
• Bacon: thin cut, streaky bacon is best for the recipe. This allows us to wrap the bacon around the asparagus moreso than thick cut bacon would allow for.
• Asparagus: a bright vibrant green vegetable that is excellent to cook especially in the summer months. It requires little prep work! Thicker asparagus spears are needed as they can hold the thinner bacon the best.

Top Tip: I like to provide you with a number of substitutions and variations giving you an array of options when making my recipes. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section (further below) before jumping into the instructions on how to make the recipe which are coming next 😉👌.

🍳 Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. They are all easy steps that require minimal effort. We start by prepping the asparagus. You will need a chopping board for this initial step.

• Trim the asparagus (Photo 1)
• Then rinse them and pat fry (Photo 2)
• Season with salt and pepper (Photo 3)
• Wrap the bacon around the asparagus (Photo 4)

👩‍🍳 How to Make Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Start the recipe by removing the elastic bands from the asparagus (these can be discarded). Then use a knife to trim the ends of the asparagus.

Next rinse the fresh asparagus stalks and pat them dry.

Once done season the stalks with salt and pepper as you see me doing in the photo above. Once seasoned, work one stalk at a time to wrap the bacon around the asparagus.

• Wrap the asparagus in the bacon (Photo 5)
• Repeat till all of the asparagus is wrapped (Photo 6)
• Place the asparagus into the air fryer (Photo 7)
• Cook for 8 to 10 minutes (Photo 8)

When wrapping the bacon around the asparagus you can test both methods of starting at the bottom or starting at the top then use which you find the easiest to wrap each asparagus stalk with the bacon.

Then repeat this process until they are each wrapped.

Next spray the air fryer racks or basket with cooking oil. This will ensure they won't stick.

Then transfer the wrapped bacon to the air fryer basket or wire racks.

Set the air fryer temperature to 180°C / 350-375°F and the cooking time to 8 minutes or a little longer if you want even more crisp bacon.

Air fry the bacon wrapped asparagus and once it is cooked, use kitchen tongs to remove it from the air fryer and transfer it straight to a serving plate.

Now you are ready to serve the asparagus and I have some ideas to help below 😉👍.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

Sauce is a great pairing for this asparagus. The one you see in the photos throughout the post is the Lemon Yogurt Sauce.

Some other ones that will pair nicely are the Lime Yogurt Sauce, the Basil Yogurt Sauce or the Herbed Yogurt Sauce.

For a cheese sauce try the Gorgonzola Sauce. You can also find all of my sauce recipes on the blog in one space. Peruse at your leisure and choose your favorite 😉👌.

Serve the asparagus as a side to meaty mains like the Pork Ribs, Lamb Ribs or the Beef Ribs.

For lighter proteins try them with the Air Fryer Roast Chicken, Slow Cooker Pulled Lamb or the Dutch Oven Pulled Pork.

Flat leaf parsley and lemon wedges work as presentation ideas as you can see in the photos below.

And if you simply want to sit with a plate of these and call your side 'the perfect snack', I won't stop you!

If you are a bacon lover, I am calling your name with this one!

👍 How to Guide

How to Store

Store leftovers in a sealed, airtight container in the fridge. They can be kept for 2-3 days and are best reheated before being consumed.

How to Reheat

Place leftovers onto a plate with cling wrap and reheat on high for 1 minute or until warmed through.

Or pop the leftovers back into the air fryer and cook for 3-5 minutes.

How to Freeze

I do not recommend freezing this dish as you loose the essence of the dish which is the crispy bacon and tender asparagus.

You can however, as means to be organised freeze the bacon once you get it and then grab it out and thaw it when you are ready to make the recipe.

😉 Substitutions and Variations

Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:

• Instead of working one stalk at a time, another way you can make the recipe is to make bundles of asparagus. This simply involves wrapping the bacon around 4-5 combined stalks.
• If you want to use smoky bacon (still thin cut) you can.
• For additional flavor you can season the asparagus with a teaspoon of garlic powder and or onion powder (after the salt and pepper is sprinkled on).
• The lemon juice from the fresh wedges can be squeezed over the asparagus bundles adding a drizzle of citrus deliciousness.

💡 Tasty Tips

Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:

• We trim the base of the asparagus as that is the least flavoursome part of the vegetable. At this time you can also use the 1st cut piece to line up with your air fryer and check they will fit it. (Long asparagus might be 'too long' for some smaller air fryers). So measure and trim to suit.
• Personally I don't recommend using olive oil for this recipe. Otherwise you end up with 'greasy bacon' or 'greasy bacon wrapped around asparagus' 😭. The fat from the bacon is enough to help cook and crisp both the vegetable and the protein and the use of oil is really overkill for the flavors.
• They are best placed in a single layer to ensure that the bacon cooks around each asparagus stalk.
• 8 minutes is the specified cook time but you can cook them for a little bit longer if you want super crispy bacon.
• You can use toothpicks to hold the bacon in place if you want tightly wrapped bacon.
• This recipe will work for both the basket style air fryer model and the wire rack with open door style model. In both cases spray either the basket or the racks with cooking spray to prevent the bacon from sticking.

🤓 Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to blanch asparagus before frying?

For this air fryer recipe we don't need to blanch the asparagus before cooking it. We do however rinse it with clean water and then pat it dry.

Do you season asparagus before or after cooking?

Season the asparagus with salt and black pepper before it is cooked. This helps the vegetable to deliver the most flavorsome results.

Where does the grease go when you air fry bacon?

The fat from the bacon drips onto the baking tray at the bottom of the air fryer as it cooks.

😍 More Easy Side Dish Recipes

Sides can be the main event if we have some ideas up our sleeve that offer diversity through taste, texture and combinations of ingredients. Here are some recipes to give you inspiration:

• Potato And Sweet Potato Bake
• Basmati Fried Rice
• Fried Cabbage and Bacon
• Bacon Crackers
• Tortilla Garlic Bread
• Roasted Capsicums (Bell Peppers)
• Garlic Ciabatta
• Mashed Peas
• Air Fryer Potato Cubes
• Steamed Broccolini Recipe

It is time to get our bacon on our asparagus my friend! You can also find all of my side dish recipes or air fryer recipes in the one spot.

Adrianne

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