I love bacon-wrapped everything. If there was a bacon-wrapped cake I would eat it. This air fryer bacon-wrapped asparagus is superior to using the oven because you don’t have to flip it. I used the Ninja Foodi but any air fryer will work. Even without a flip, the air fryer circulates hot air and crisps the whole thing. You can watch Netflix the whole time the asparagus is cooking while breathing in bacon-filled air.
This post may contain affiliate links, please read my full disclaimer here. At no extra expense to you I could make a commission if you purchase something from a linked item. Thanks for supporting Blissfull Eating!
For this bacon wrapped asparagus recipe I used the Ninja Foodi. This magical beast machine air fries/crisps food, pressure cooks, bakes, broils, steams and dehydrates. We got the Ninja Foodi in December, seven months ago, and we use it daily. Reheating food is so easy when you can just air fry it in five minutes and the circulating air even heats meat all the way through.
How Easy is it to Make Bacon Wrapped Asparagus?
If you have never bacon-wrapped food before then just so you know, it is incredibly easy. As long as you know how to get the bacon-wrapped to the point it does not fall off you will have incredible food with very little effort. Because the bacon grease soaks into the food there’s automatic flavor in whatever you cook. While the bacon grease is cooking the food the outside of the bacon is crisping up. The result is a juicy vegetable, or whatever you wrapped in bacon, with a crispy outside layer.
There is nothing like bacon-wrapped food elsewhere in cooking and the tradition will go on forevermore. Unless we run out of bacon which should never happen. Let’s all just manifest there forever being bacon to be sure. Even according to Wikipedia, “Today, bacon is said to be a never-ending trend.[27] It has resulted in bacon mania,[28] and bacon-wrapped food is just one of the byproducts of this phenomena”.
Bacon to Asparagus Ratio
First of all, find the largest asparagus that you can. The smaller the asparagus the easier it is to burn the tips. If you can find at least 1/2″ thick all the way around pieces those are ideal. I had 1″ pieces from Imperfect Foods that were “too large” for the stores.
If you have ones from your garden that are extra-large or find some at the store then they can handle a whole piece of bacon. Typically you’ll want to cut the bacon in half lengthwise for 1/2″ pieces of asparagus.
If the only asparagus you can find is 1/4″ I would recommend waiting until bigger is available or cooking it for just 10 minutes and using 3 pieces of asparagus.
For experimentation, to see which was crispiest I tried wrapping one piece of bacon around one piece of asparagus and then tried two pieces of asparagus with one piece of bacon.
The top asparagus wrapped in bacon was not fully crisped because it was touching another piece of bacon-wrapped asparagus. Make sure to leave space so the bacon can get the full circulation of air for full crispiness. Learn from my uncrispy mistakes.
One to One Ratio of Bacon to Asparagus:
For me I found that a one to one ratio of bacon to asparagus led to the crispiest bacon. The one to one ratio was very bacon flavored, which I loved. The bacon flavor did override most of the asparagus flavor to where you could barely taste it. Even though I love asparagus I can really only handle the subtle flavor it. Let it be in the background. Once you eat the bacon you are left with that finally crunchy tip of the asparagus at the top which is the best part of asparagus.
Easy to Eat Level: 10/10
One piece of bacon to one piece of asparagus led to a very easy eating experience. Before grabbing a fork and knife try picking up the bacon wrapped asparagus and eating it like you would ribs.
One to Two Ratio of Bacon To Asparagus:
If you really love the asparagus flavor and want less grease the one to two ratio is going to be your mouth jam. You will still get crunchy bacon on the outside and delicious asparagus on the inside.
Easy to Eat Level: 5/10
When I tried the two pieces of asparagus wrapped in one piece of bacon it was like eating a sandwich that got overstuffed. The asparagus kept tying to leave its bacon cocoon to the point a fork and knife might be the best way to eat this.
How to Position The Bacon Wrapped Asparagus in the Air Fryer
After wrapping the asparagus in bacon place them in the air fryer and make sure they aren’t touching. If the bacon is touching the air will not be able to circulate around the entire bacon wrap. Position them to where they are just barely apart to ensure even crisping and crispy bacon.
We Used the Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Function
The thing about the Ninja Foodi is that it was designed to be wide and hold things like entire turkey thighs. You can pressure cook something and then broil, bake or air crisp it (they’re trying to change the fried wording since it’s pretty myth like as it is more crispy than fried tasting). Read our one year review of the Ninja Foodi here.
I used the instant pot for a year and while it created delicious food I really started to miss crispy food, especially when doing a Whole 30. The Ninja Foodi can bake, broil, air crisp, steam, dehydrate and make yogurt just like the Instant Pot can. Instead of taking a full chicken to the oven to broil and having to energize the whole oven with heat, you just dump out the water, put the basket back in, and air fry or broil it in the same device.
While we used the Ninja Foodi for this recipe any air fryer will work.
How to Make Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Step by Step
Quick intuitive eating step: take a bite of raw asparagus so your body gets to know it both ways.
First, go ahead and chop off the ends of the asparagus up to two inches. To gauge where you want to cut feel the asparagus. On the very end, it will be incredibly hard and about two inches up you’ll be able to wiggle the asparagus a little.
You can also snap off the ends of the asparagus by feeling up and snapping them like a twig. At least do one this way just for fun 😉 . I use kitchen shears to cut both the bacon and the asparagus. Start with the asparagus and then move to the bacon to avoid getting grease on your hands. You can easily watch kitchen scissors just like you would a knife.
Don’t worry if the asparagus is not cut perfectly. If you are eating the asparagus and realize there are extra hard parts just try to eat them to see if you like the hard bit and leave the rest.
Once the asparagus is trimmed cut the bacon in half lengthwise either using kitchen shears or a knife.
Wrap the asparagus by starting close to the tip and then wrapping at a diagonal all the way down. If there is asparagus showing at the bottom don’t worry about it.
Once you’ve wrapped a piece of asparagus place it directly onto the Ninja Foodi tray or into your air fryer. Position the bacon wrapped asparagus so it is not touching for the perfect crisp.
Air fry for 12-15 minutes, checking after twelve minutes. 15 minutes is for those that love super crispy bacon. If you want super even crisping flip halfway through. I usually don’t bother to flip them but you do you.
Devour with your hands! These create just as much hand mess as eating bacon does and just as much joy 😉
Looking for other Air Fryer and Ninja Foodi Recipes?
Air Fryer Zoodles with Alfredo Sauce
Air Fryer Crispy Turkey Thighs
Bacon wrapped asparagus is also Whole 30 and paleo and I make it during my summer whole 30 when asparagus is in season.
For other Whole 30 Summer Recipes Feast on These:
15 Minute Cilantro Lime Burgers
One Skillet Pork Chops with Peaches and Basil
Crispy Air Fried Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
Ingredients
4 Pieces Bacon
8 Pieces Asparagus (Largest you can find. See Notes.)
Instructions
1. Using kitchen shears or knife cut bacon in half lengthwise.
2. Start close to the tip of the asparagus and wrap in bacon at a diagonal all the way down.
3. Place the reversible rack in the lower position in the Ninja Foodi pot if using the Ninja Foodi. If using air fryer place rack in the air fryer.
4. Place the bacon-wrapped asparagus in the air fryer to where the ends of the bacon are touching the bottom of the thing and the bacon-wrapped asparagus pieces are not touching one another to allow for air flow.
5. Air fry at 390 for 12-15 minutes. 15 minutes is for super crispy bacon.
Enjoy! These can easily be eaten with your hands like how you normally devour bacon.
Notes
You can easily measure the asparagus by using your finger. Usually, the lines on your finger are half an inch. If the asparagus you find is only about a quarter-inch simply use two pieces of asparagus instead of one.Â
If you have garden asparagus that is really small still use two pieces of asparagus to one piece of bacon but air fryer for ten minutes and then check. If not yet crispy go ahead and air fry in two-minute increments until done.
Pin It for Later!
Ninja Foodi
Air Fryer Accessories Including Tongs and Grill Rack
Kitchen Shears
1 comment
[…] Dairy Free […]