Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

This air fryer bacon wrapped asparagus is a quick and easy side dish or appetizer. Crispy bacon cooks to perfection in the air fryer wrapped around bundles of tender roasted seasoned asparagus.

It took me years to try making bacon in the oven instead of on the stove top.

Spoiler: while it does come out great and makes way less mess, it also takes a lot longer. Something I don’t have patience for often.

So, it’s no surprise that despite having an air fryer for about three years now, I’ve yet to cook bacon in it.

Well, shame on me because the air fryer is practically perfect for cooking bacon and if these gorgeous crispy roasted bacon wrapped asparagus bundles aren’t evidence of that, I don’t know how else to convince you.

It’s a fact that wrapping anything in bacon (like salmon) improves the outcome by at least 100-fold. So when you combine a vegetable and a meat that both shine when roasted until golden and crispy, it’s a match made in food heaven.

Air frying bacon wrapped asparagus is not only the easiest way to make this delicious side dish, it’s the fastest (these are ready in under 15 minutes) and yields the best outcome in texture and taste.

Ingredients to make bacon wrapped asparagus

• two bunches of asparagus
• 6-8 slices of bacon
• extra virgin olive oil
• fresh lemon juice
• garlic powder
• paprika
• salt & pepper

What kind of bacon to use?

It’s easiest to wrap the asparagus bundles if the bacon isn’t too thick. For that reason, regular cut bacon is best versus a thick cut variety.

I prefer using center cut bacon so there’s less fat and more meat. This helps with the amount of grease drippings but this is still one of those recipes where it’s best to use aluminum foil in the air fryer to help with clean up.

From oil sprays to muffin cups and from pizza pans to racks, we've got them all, and they make fantastic Christmas presents, too!

Choosing the right kind of asparagus

Unless you find a large bunch, you’ll likely want two bunches of asparagus for this recipe. Each bundle should consist of about 5-7 asparagus spears. With that amount, a serving size is about two bundles.

When buying asparagus, look for spears that are neither too thick nor too thin. The really thin spears will essentially char in the air fryer before the bacon cooks while the very thick spears won’t cook through enough by the time the bacon is crispy.

Fresh asparagus stalks should be strong and sturdy and not wrinkled or limp in appearance and texture.

How to make bacon wrapped asparagus in the air fryer

Trim the ends off the asparagus by either snapping the spears at their natural breaking point or using a sharp knife to chop off.

Place the asparagus on a baking sheet or large baking dish so it can lay flat. Drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice then season with garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Toss to combine so the seasonings fully coat all the stalks.

Grabbing 5-7 spears at a time, wrap a piece of bacon around the bundle in the center. Place the bundle with the seam of the bacon facing down onto a wire rack (for oven model air fryers) or in the basket. Don’t over crowd them and be sure to leave enough room between bundles for air to circulate.

Repeat with the remaining asparagus and bacon adjusting the size of the bundles as needed.

Air fry the asparagus wrapped in bacon for 13-15 minutes until the asparagus are tender and the bacon is crispy and golden.

Cooking time in the air fryer will vary depending on the thickness of the asparagus and bacon as well as the model of air fryer. Start checking the bundles around the 10 minute mark.

These are best served hot immediately out of the air fryer.

Alternate method

Another way to make bacon wrapped asparagus is to individually wrap each spear with bacon. This method is great for serving as an appetizer.

To do this, make sure to use thick asparagus spears and thinner bacon. Wrap a piece of bacon all the way around the spear (not just in the center like on these bundles) from top to bottom and follow the same method for air frying the bacon wrapped asparagus.

Serve the spears with a dipping sauce like this creamy 3-herb dressing and watch them disappear.

Assembling ahead of time

This recipe can easily be prepped ahead of time by doing everything up to the air frying step.

Store the un-cooked bacon wrapped asparagus bundles in the refrigerator until ready to cook.

Storing leftovers

Like most recipes involving bacon, bacon wrapped brussels sprouts being no exception, these asparagus bundles are best enjoyed when they’re made for the crispiest result.

Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to a week. To reheat, pop them back in the air fryer for a minute or two to re-crisp the bacon. Reheating can also be done in an oven or toaster oven.

Serving

Serve the air fryer bacon wrapped asparagus with a variety of meals. These pair well with everything from chicken, pork and steak to fish and other seafood.

They complement cod piccata or air fryer cod just as well as cream cheese chicken or a grilled ham steak.

The bundles add an elevated element to the meal and feel “restaurant-special” while being incredibly easy to make.

More asparagus recipes to try

If you’re looking to cook asparagus in other ways, try out some of these other favorite recipes:

• Asparagus fries
• Instant Pot asparagus
• Shaved asparagus tomato salad